By Cheryl Jahn

MLA “relieved” at Royal BC Museum decision

Jun 23, 2022 | 4:09 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – It is with relief that the Province has opted to not to pursue a re-build of the Royal BC Museum in Victoria.

“No government should think that, at a time when people are trying to figure out how to fill their gas tanks and buy their groceries, that investing a billion dollars and eight years in a museum project is something British Columbian swould be positive about,” says Shirley Bond, MLA for Prince George-Valemount.

And those we spoke to in the community are of like mind.

“We’ve spent so much money that we didn’t need to spend on so many things in the past couple of years and we should really be working on re-building our economy,” said one woman.

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“Right now is not the time to be taking on a project, especially with taxpayer money,” said another gentleman. “Much better use of the funds could be done with that money. So many things they need to look at before they start looking at that. The arts are important but not that important.”

“Instead of building the new museum, they should spend money on the Vancouver Art Gallery,” said a second lady. “They should build more affordable housing for the people instead of on the museum”

Shirley Bond also has a project in mind that she would like to see happen and that is a new surgical tower at University Hospital; of Northern BC, where the operating rooms are 1980’s vintage.

“We have been waiting year after year after year to see actual progress on that project,” says Bond. “It is a regional hospital, we have no cardiac care and many of our families have had to travel to Vancouver to care for our loved ones. It is absolutely unacceptable that this government thinks a billion-dollar museum should come before adding cardiac care at the University Hospital of Northern British Columbia.”

A concept plan for that new surgical tower was announced by the Health Minister back in September of 2020,