Ottawa's loss is LAC's gain

You know change is bound to happen, but it still comes as a surprise.

Christine Tessier has been a major presence on the Ottawa city heritage scene. To mention just some of her roles, for six years Christine has been Executive Director of The Bytown Museum, is a former President of the Council of Heritage Organization of Ottawa and current President of the Ottawa Museum Network . The vitality of those organizations is due in large measure to Christine`s leadership.

Christine recently announced that Friday 5 December will be her last day with the Bytown Museum. She received thanks and best wishes for continued success in her new job from Ottawa City Councillors on Tuesday when she appeared at budget hearings and made them aware, yet again, of the disruptive and demotivating impact of threats of annual City funding cuts for heritage.

Christine`s not moving far. If she wanted a scenic move to her new job she could follow the path below Parliament Hill, being careful to avoid the bodies of politicians and their aides falling or pushed from the turmoil above, to the Library and Archives Canada building at 395 Wellington Street. She will join LAC`s Portrait Gallery of Canada to work on marketing and communications.

It`s a challenging time for the Gallery as it organizes, in collaboration with the Canada Science and Technology Museum, a series of events and activities in 2009 celebrating the centennial of the birth of Canada`s premier portrait photographer Yousef Karsh.

My best wishes to Christine as she takes on this new challenge.