Have your say on the future of the Royal BC Museum

The B.C. government is hosting public consultations on the future of the Royal BC Museum in Victoria.

From April 1 to June 27, all British Columbians are invited to submit their ideas on the future of the museum, which the government says has outgrown its current space at 675 Belleville St.

“We know how important the museum is to people in B.C., and that’s why we are moving forward with plans to modernize and protect this irreplaceable collection,” B.C. Tourism Minister Lisa Beare said in a news release Friday.

“The Royal BC Museum is one of B.C.’s greatest cultural icons, drawing hundreds of thousands of visitors each year.”

The current building has housed the museum since 1967 and no longer meets modern accessibility and seismic standards.

The public consultations will involve a series of public meetings in May and June in Victoria, Vancouver, Kelowna, Prince George, Terrace, Fort St. John and Cranbrook.

British Columbians can also submit comments about the museum’s future online beginning April 1.

“I’m excited that we are embarking on this project with the government to preserve the museum’s vast collection and create a vision for a museum experience that will continue to engage people for generations to come,” said Royal BC Museum chair Raymond Protti.

The Royal BC Museum holds over seven million objects, archives and specimens of B.C.’s natural and human history, in addition to the provincial government archives.