Canadian museums have been in the headlines a lot recently – the Canada Science and Technology Museum will be undergoing an $80.5 million renovation, to be completed in 2017, while the Royal B.C. Museum was voted as the best museum in the country in the Travellers’ Choice Awards for TripAdvisor.ca.
Several days ago the Government of Canada announced an $80.5 million investment to repair and upgrade the Canada Science and Technology Museum – the work will be completed during the next two years and the Museum will re-open in 2017. The funding is essential to address the health and safety issues that are of immediate concern, and to support the Museum’s work promoting Canada’s long history of scientific and technological achievement. Specifically, the funds announced today will go toward removing the mould and replacing the Museum’s roof, which will stop leaks; retrofitting and upgrading the Museum’s exhibition spaces and floor space; upgrading the building’s fire-suppression systems and its seismic structural strength; and,
bringing the Museum’s exterior facade up to date to match the new, modern interior.
Meanwhile, the Royal B.C. Museum, which focuses on the natural and human history of the area through three different galleries (natural history, first peoples, and modern history), was chosen as the best museum in the country by those who use TripAdvisor.ca. “It’s not a survey. It’s not a matter of voting. Instead, we look at the quality, quantity and recency of reviews to determine the best attractions, hotels and restaurants,” said Kevin Carter, senior public relations manager for TripAdvisor in Boston (to the Times Colonist). “We have over 315 million visitors each month and more than 190 million reviews and opinions on the site. So it’s the wisdom of the crowds [that determines the rankings].”
The Royal B.C. Museum was followed on the list by the Royal Ontario Museum (Toronto), the Canadian War Museum (Ottawa), the Royal Tyrrell Museum (Drumheller, Alta.) the Musée des Beaux-Arts (Montreal), the Museum of Anthropology (Vancouver), the Art Gallery of Ontario (Toronto), the Canadian Museum of History (Gatineau), the Canadian Children’s Museum (Gatineau) and the Museum at Campbell River.
