On Monday, February 20, 2012 the Canadian Air and Space Museum at Downsview Park, in a building that used to be de Havilland Aircraft of Canada, in Toronto will commemorate the 53rd anniversary of "Black Friday", the day in 1959 when the Federal government cancelled the Avro Arrow program and put 25,000 people out of work.



A full size replica of the Avro Arrow is at the hangar which was the original de Havilland home where DH 82C Tiger Moths, DHC-1 Chipmunks, DHC-2 Beavers, DHC-3 Otters and other aircraft were built. The hangar is now the home of Toronto's only aircraft historical location housing aircraft such as a Lancaster four engine bomber which used to be at Lakeshore Boulevard by the CNE (in pieces thus far), a T-33 jet trainer, a Kiowa helicopter, a Tiger Moth basic bi-plane trainer, a Beaver, and others.

Classes of children come in regularly to hear about the history of Canada's, Toronto's aviation.

Now however in typical Canadian fashion Downsview Park President David Soknaki has raised the rent of the museum and kicked (or at least tried) to kick the Museum out in lieu of three privately owned skating/hockey rinks by April 1, 2012. Logic has it that we could still accommodate the three rinks behind the newer hangars.

Lets not do the same thing that we did to the Avro Arrow. The museum asks everybody to contact a Federal Member of Parliament, or several for that matter.

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