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.