Museum controversy continues to dominate B.C. politics
Is it a pathway to reconciliation or a vanity project in the premier's backyard?
That's the conversation dominating B.C.'s capital, days after the NDP government announced a controversial upgrade to the Royal B.C. Museum. Now, the government is on the defensive over what the Liberals say will be the most expensive museum project in Canadian history.
For a third day, Opposition leader Kevin Falcon hammered John Horgan's government for a Royal B.C. Museum project that will take eight years and cost taxpayers $789 million.
"What's mammoth is the stupidity of the NDP government spending a billion dollars on a new vanity museum that nobody asked for or wants," said Falcon during question period Wednesday.
In response, Horgan outlined all the capital spending happening around the province.
"We're building a hospital in Dawson Creek. We're building a hospital in Fort St. James. We're building a hospital in Terrace. We're building a hospital in Williams Lake. We're building a hospital in Cowichan Valley," Horgan said.
A business case for the museum project has not been made public, prompting questions about the cost. Melanie Mark, the provincial Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport said two floors are underwater, the building is seismically unsafe and it's a complex problem.
"There are over six hectares of land across the street, we are talking about six buildings, we're talking about seven million artifacts and objects," Mark added.
CTV News looked at a variety of museum expansions and builds across Canada. While a direct comparison isn't available at this point, it shows that major museum undertakings can reach the hundreds of millions of dollars.
The Qaumajuq expansion – which hosts Inuit art at the Winnipeg Art Gallery – is a 40,000-square-foot facility that opened in 2021 at a cost of $65 million.
The Canadian Museum for Human Rights – also in Winnipeg – was finished in 2014 with a pricetag of $351 million. Funding came from three levels of government and private donations.
The Royal Ontario Museum, which was a major revamp in downtown Toronto, came in at $270 million.
The funding for the Royal B.C. Museum will come from the provincial capital budget, which is where roads, hospitals and schools are funded. Wednesday, the Opposition asked what else could've been built with the money earmarked for the museum.
"There are hospitals in the province that need to be seismically upgraded, there are dozens of schools ... that require seismic upgrades," said Opposition house leader Todd Stone.
Jennifer Whiteside, the Education Minister, pointed out the government is spending unprecedented amounts to build and expand schools.
"In this next three-year plan, we'll be spending nearly $800 million to seismically upgrade schools, and that's in the context of a $2.65-billion capital plan," she told reporters.
An update from the province shows that, as of May 2022, more than 200 schools are earthquake-proof, with another 44 in progress and 250 remaining.
Asked whether most of the remaining schools will be upgraded by 2030, which is when the museum will be complete, Whiteside replied she didn't have that information.
"Again, that's work that we do in the capital planning process with the districts, I can't give you a number on that today," she added.
In the coming days, the Liberals are expected to keep up the heat about what could be the most expensive museum in B.C. history, and what is already the most debated one.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
"It's a bit of a complicated pattern; we've got a lot going on," said Jennifer Smith of the Meteorological Service of Canada in an interview with CTVNews.ca on Wednesday. "[As is] typical with weather, all of these things are related."
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.