BC government expected to hit "pause" on $800 million Royal BC Museum project

UPDATE: The BC government has now officially announced the project has been halted.

ORIGINAL STORY:

Since a $1 billion renewal for the Royal BC Museum was announced, the BC provincial government has been hammered with criticism.

And now it appears, they are caving to pressure.

Premier John Horgan is set to speak on Wednesday afternoon to announce a “pause” of the project and open up more consultation.

From day 1, the most obvious and best path for the BCNDP gov on the museum project was: Proceed with the new archives, pause the main building rebuild for more consultation.
We’ll see what kind of pause @jjhorgan announces at 1230pm.

— Rob Shaw (@RobShaw_BC) June 22, 2022

Daily Hive Urbanized is hearing the “pause” could last as long as two years.

We will have to wait until this afternoon to find out what this could potentially mean for the existing museum.

Pushback on the project

The controversial strategy of redeveloping the Royal BC Museum in downtown Victoria at an estimated cost of $789 million has hit a sour note amongst most people in BC.

According to the findings of a new survey by Angus Reid Institute, 69% of residents are opposed to the project, with 42% “strongly opposed” and 27% “opposed.” Only 4% “strongly support” the project, while 18% “support.”

BC Liberal leader, Kevin Falcon has promised to cancel the project if he’s elected premier in the next election.

He calls the project, “shockingly tone-deaf, poorly thought-out” and says it must be cancelled immediately.

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