Stelmach administration bungling leaves Alberta’s heritage in the dark
Edmonton – Laurie Blakeman, Alberta Liberal Critic for Culture and Community Spirit, says that the Stelmach administration has mismanaged the planned upgrade to the Royal Alberta Museum – and that as a result, the museum’s collections will be locked away from the public for years.
The Royal Alberta Museum has needed an upgrade for many years. There is insufficient room to display and store collections, collections that serve vital educational and historical purposes. But plans to expand the museum’s capacity have gone off the rails. The ambitious first plan was dropped with no explanation, replaced by a second plan that never moved forward, again without explanation. And now Culture Minister Lindsay Blackett says they’re looking at building a second museum on the Alberta Legislature grounds.
However, there has been no official announcement regarding timelines for renovations or a construction start for the new site, and the human history collections are being boxed away from public view right now. It will be years before the public has access to these vital collections again.
“A competent administration wouldn’t need to put Alberta’s heritage in a box for an indeterminate number of years,” Blakeman says. “The ramifications of this – or rather, the consequences of government indecision – are tremendous. Thousands of students will miss important educational opportunities. Our students could go through junior high or high school without seeing their museum. And what about the well-trained, hard to find museum staff? What are they going to do for three years? What about new Canadians eager to learn the history and heritage of their new home?”
Blakeman says that an Alberta Liberal administration would have organized an alternate venue for the collections during the renovations, like the Art Gallery of Alberta did. Blakeman is also skeptical about Culture Minister Blackett’s claims that his government plans to build a second museum.
“There’s no money in the budget for a second museum, and without an official announcement, there’s no way to tell how long the public will be denied access to our shared history,” Blakeman says. “At this point, I have no confidence that the Tories really know what they’re doing, or even understand how their dithering is hurting Alberta.”
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