Canadian museums endangered: association

Canada is in danger of losing several of its museums because of a funding freeze that has lasted 34 years, says the Canadian Museums Association.

The association's director, John McAvity, says the museum assistance funding program hasn't seen a boost since 1972 when its annual budget was set at $9 million.

He warns the budget should be upped to $75 million yearly or the country will lose several of its smaller museums and its national institutions will suffer because there's no money to expand or renovate.

"We're going to lose much more of our heritage," McAvity told the Canadian Press.

The Canadian Museums Association represents galleries, museums, science centres, archives, artist-run centres and historic sites across the country. Its mission is to preserve Canada's cultural heritage.

McAvitywas responding to a recent federal heritage committee statement that indicated no extra money will be available when a new museum strategy is unveiled this fall.

The office of Heritage Minister Bev Oda has said that her department is consulting with the museums on their funding challenges and said no decisions have been made about new money being offered.

The lack of resources caused the Inuit Art Museum in Quebec City to shut downand the relocation of the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame to Ottawa was dropped. Meanwhile, the Canadian Canoe Museum in Peterborough, Ont. had to drastically reduce its operations.

Several national museums in the nation's capital are bursting at the seams or struggling to repair their old structures.

The Canadian Museum of Nature is closing several areas of its 94-year-old building because it doesn't have the money for repairs after experiencing a $2.2 million budget shortfall.

The Museum of Science and Technology has only five per cent of its collection on display because it sits in a 1960s bakery depot and has run out of exhibition space.

"We have three rented warehouses on our site that were never meant to be museum storage spaces," said Claude Faubert, the museum's director.

The museum had been slated for a move across the river to a new building in Gatineau, Que. but there's no money for it.

Meanwhile, the Canadian Museum of Civilization is paying $400,000 annually to maintain the former Canadian War Museum because it doesn't have the $5 to $20 million needed to renovate the 102-year-old building.

The National Gallery and the Royal Canadian Mint have expressed interest in expanding into the old war museum but balked at the cost of renovations. The building has asbestos insulation, which needs to be taken out and replaced