Province to reveal business case for new Royal B.C. Museum
The British Columbia government says it will release its business case for a new Royal B.C. Museum next week in response to concerns about the province's $789-million plan.
The province revealed its plan to tear down and rebuild the museum at its current location next to the B.C. legislature last Friday.
The announcement touched off criticism that the nearly $800 million could be better spent elsewhere, including to help tackle housing affordability and the shortage of family doctors in B.C.
The province has not revealed any preliminary designs or accounting plans for the project.
Tourism Minister Melanie Mark said in a statement Thursday the province will release its business case for the museum redevelopment on May 25.
In a news conference Thursday, Premier John Horgan said the museum announcement "was not characterized appropriately" and that caused "hard feelings," including among people who have called his constituency office.
The premier said the release of the business plan "is not traditional in these circumstances, but the case is so compelling, I think British Columbians deserve to have a look at it before we get into the procurement process."
The current museum, which is seismically unsound and contains asbestos, will close its doors in September to allow for the construction of the new building to begin.
The museum will offer travelling exhibitions and satellite displays around the province before the new museum is expected to open in 2030.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
BREAKING New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark #MeToo trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
1 arrested in northern Alberta during public shelter order
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
First in Canada procedure performed at London, Ont. hospital
A London man has become the first person in Canada to receive a robotic assisted surgery on his spine. Dave Myeh suffered from debilitating, chronic back pain that led to sciatica in his right now and extreme pain in his lower back.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.