Editorial: Museum expansion finally happening

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At the rate things have progressed for the New Brunswick Museum since 1974, when the last century was only three-quarters over and anyone under the age of 50 wasn’t yet born, the just-announced plans by the provincial and federal governments of joint funding, totalling $108 million, to revitalize and expand the original museum, along with the unveiling of a new design and a hired contractor, leaves us optimistic – at last.

We’ve heard similar announcements for the same purpose 45 times in more than 50 years – an annual bad joke with no punchline but ‘oops, sorry!’

The history of this sort of political dysfunction in the face of obvious need and political lack of recognition of how important preserving our history is perhaps deserves its own special corner in the new expansion plans. Museums are important to all societies for tourism and education of our own future generations about who we are and how we got here.

This time, fortunately, it looks more certain. It got quick funding approvals and a non-partisan shared announcement. There’s even a contractor hired, work to start soon with completion in two years. It’ll be the first time in 40 years its entire collection will be under one roof along with its archives and exhibition space.

And this is Canada’s oldest continuously operating museum, important to the nation. It sits with easy access for tourists, is on a First Nations portage site that bypasses Reversing Falls, and occupies high ground. We should see such political co-operation more often.