Must-haves come first, then the nice-to-haves
While British Columbia recovers from devastating weather events, Premier John Horgan announces an $800-million replacement for the Royal B.C. Museum.
Adding insult to this foolish ill-advised decision, he is using First Nations reconciliation to support a tourist/school field trip destination while First Nations communities are still trying to recover from recent fires and floods.
Before anyone judges my comment on the reconciliation initiatives, I am First Nation and I know culture is important, but so is a safe community and a home.
Our mother was featured as a language and knowledge keeper of the Carrier Sekani Peoples at Exploration Place Museum in Prince George in 2019. My mother grew up in the worst of times, but she taught her family about work ethics and budgeting.
She had a simple formula: Out of your earnings, first you pay for the must-haves (home, food, heat, transportation for work) the remainder you divide by four and this is your disposable income on the “nice-to-haves,” but not before you put some aside for a rainy day. She self-proclaimed herself as a finance minister.
What needs to be addressed from the premier is housing, food, transportation, health care and using the rainy-day account to address the unforeseen damage caused by a long-ignored climate crisis.
People are suffering through no fault of their own, and the premier finds it acceptable to spend $800 million on a disposable nice-to-have expense. Shamelessly the premier is using our people again to advance the interest of a politician or political namesake on this extravagance. That is offensive.
Every penny of this $800 million should go to fixing much more dire needs, and Horgan needs to get his priorities right. If you agree there are other priorities, call your MLA, write the premier; let him hear from the people.
Jo-Anne Berezanski
Elder, Lheidli T’enneh First Nation
Victoria
A global showcase for B.C.’s history
Paris? The Louvre, Musée d’Orsay. Bilbao? The Guggenheim. New York City? MOMA. Mexico City? Museo Nacional de Antropologia. Etc.
Museums are economic drivers that attract domestic and international visitors. These museums — that’s why tourists go there!
We live in a culture of grievance and complaint, yet I am gobsmacked by the pettiness and short-sightedness of the complainers. I literally cheered out loud when I saw this announcement; finally, after decades of neglect and paltry investment, this government stepped up with a vision to make a long-term investment to build a museum worthy of being called world-class. To do so in an era of reconciliation with First Nations adds compelling significance to this initiative.
Much like a family budget, governments face multiple and competing spending priorities and choices. Health care, affordable housing, addressing the climate crisis are all deserving expenditures. So, too, is investing in B.C.’s heritage and story to share with the world.
A new museum for all British Columbians will hopefully be built and will provide a global showcase for B.C.’s culture and history for decades to come. In this era of complaint, the naysayers will demand to be heard.
But 30 years from now, 40 years from now, the children and grandchildren of the doubters will be standing in the queue to gain access.
Rob Egan
Victoria
The 1968 museum key: From an ancient tree
As could be predicted by anyone who knows me, my first reaction to news about replacing the museum was “Do you know how many trees could be protected for $789 million?” I don’t disagree with others when they speak of health care and housing, but these are problems for the here and now. The loss of our natural areas, old growth in particular, is having a huge impact on our lives and will have an even greater impact on our children and others that follow.
The day that the news broke about the museum, I dug out a key that was presented to my husband’s grandfather, William N. Chant. In August 1968 he, as minister of public works, was presented with a key to the then state-of-the-art museum.
It is a wonderful example of 1960s design. I had always thought it was meant to represent an arrow, but upon closer inspection, it is an ancient tree.
How ironic that in 1968 a tree was chosen to symbolize B.C. and that in 2022 most of them are gone.
Deborah McEwen
Victoria
Museum investment is for our future
I was shocked and disheartened to see such a loud vocal opposition of the new museum. Yes, I initially had sticker shock at the price tag, but I took a moment and stepped back for some perspective.
The Royal B.C. Museum is much more than the displays and exhibits that we the public see. There are seven buildings on the site, all of which are going to be replaced or have significant upgrades.
They are not seismically sound and riddled with hazardous and deadly materials such as asbestos. The new buildings will need proper display cases, fire doors, flood walls, hermetically sealed archive rooms and displays, all of which are presumably expensive.
Not to mention the facilities and labs that archivists, archeologists and others need to work.
The cost is $789 million and will take roughly 7.5 years to complete. That is roughly $100 million per year. For perspective, the province has dedicated $25.4 billion to health care in 2022 alone.
Yes, people are struggling. Yes, there is a doctor shortage, an opioid crisis, a housing crisis and gas is expensive. But an extra $100 million is just a drop in the bucket to the budgets already in place.
I am glad to see investments being made in preserving our future, education, and tourism. How many Victorians complain about the erosion of our downtown core — remember the Wax Museum, Maritime Museum, Undersea Gardens?
Investments like this are needed for our vibrant city and preserving our culture and past.
Kirsten James
Brentwood Bay
Cost of living soars, but no relief in sight
The recent comments from the premier and this B.C. government are nothing short of astonishing.
Firstly, his dismissive remarks regarding fuel prices at the pumps shows a person out of touch with the reality of everyday British Columbians.
This is hurting far more than he seems to understand and not only is he saying let them eat cake, his government has specific policies in place that ensure there is no relief.
Fine, perhaps my employer will find an extra $40,000 raise for me as well, Mr. Premier.
I could go on but my real frustration (today) with this government is the recent balloon of tearing down the Royal B.C. Museum with an eight-year, billion-dollar project to replace it.
Stop this nonsense right now. No sane person believes this government is in any way capable of this within budget, but more importantly there is no need. Whatever may need doing at the museum can be done within the framework of the existing structure.
No small wonder there is no revenue neutrality with the carbon tax anymore if they want to throw money around like this. After all, what else needs doing?
Doctor shortage, housing crisis, mental health, addiction, youth crime? Please! Is there nobody on the government benches who plays devil’s advocate?
Murray Ostler
Campbell River
Why proportional representation is needed
When you tally up the pros and cons for replacing the Royal B.C. Museum for $789 million, it’s pretty clear the right choice is to use those funds for more pressing matters.
You could blame the NDP, but any government ruled by a single party is bound to make unbalanced, and expensive decisions — the B.C. Liberals made their fair share. If B.C. had proportional representation, representatives and their parties would have to work together, making balanced decisions.
If the NDP, Liberals, Greens and Conservatives all worked together, they probably would have come to a different conclusion. However, there is a place for spending money on arts and history.
One day, if B.C.’s main parties all agree that it was time to drop three-quarters of a billion dollars on a museum, most of us would likely agree.
Daryl Elving-Klassen
Victoria
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