Victoria council has rejected a motion put forward by two councillors to ask the Royal B.C. Museum to keep its third floor open during a lengthy consultation to redesign galleries on that floor.
The museum is closing about half its space on Dec. 31 to “decolonize” the displays, including early-settler exhibits that include the popular Old Town installation. Museum officials say the closure could take years as it listens to under-represented voices, including First Nations and minority groups.
Councillors Geoff Young and Stephen Andrew wanted the mayor to write a letter requesting that galleries intended for redevelopment remain open until consultation is finished and detailed design is completed for replacement exhibits.
The councillors argued that the long-term closure would hinder a recovering tourism sector in the city.
Young also suggested at a meeting of councillors that the space could be used for the Maritime Museum, which lost its home in Bastion Square and is now set up in a smaller space next to the Victoria Conference Centre.
The decision by the museum to close the galleries — which will also include a redesign of the First People gallery — has sparked an uproar, with some saying dismantling long-standing exhibits is akin to “erasing history.”
Mayor Lisa Helps, however, said she supports the museum’s plan to keep the galleries closed, calling it a “deep commitment” to reconciliation with Indigenous peoples. “Reconciliation isn’t about making white people comfortable,” she said. “We should feel uncomfortable about this being removed.” Helps called the province’s and museum board’s decision “courageous” and likened it to the city’s abrupt removal of the Sir John A. Macdonald statue outside city hall in August 2018. “Reconciliation … requires action, not words.”
Young replied: “For better or worse, we do live in a democracy.”
Coun. Marianne Alto said she spent lots of time in the museum’s galleries with her children over the years and the displays in Old Town were always favourites. “That was 15 years ago and a lot has happened since then,” she said. “It challenges us to think about an important issue.”
Coun. Charlayne Thornton-Joe said she joined a group of Chinese residents who met with museum officials this week about changes involving the Chinatown displays. She suggested council invite museum officials at a later date to discuss the museum plan.
“I believe our relationship with government and the museum is extremely important.”
The museum said dismantling of third-floor exhibits has already begun with the lumber and mining mezzanines in the Becoming B.C. gallery, and the Cosmology display in the First Peoples Gallery.
Crews will be decorating parts of Old Town for what is expected to be a rush for Christmas.
