I am pleased to see that discussions are starting to happen regarding the future of Victoria’s beautiful harbour and some of the under-utilized publicly owned properties that surround it. This includes potential uses for such locations as Ship Point, Belleville Street and the parking lot at the foot of Fort Street. The Maritime Museum of B.C. would very much like to be part of these discussions.
The idea of a maritime museum on the water in Victoria is not a new one. The MMBC’s recent effort to obtain the lease on the CPR Steamship Terminal received great publicity and significant public support.
There have been several other initiatives over the decades to move us out of the confines of the venerable 127-year-old provincial law court building in Bastion Square and get us down to the harbour where we belong. This included an ambitious proposal back in 1992 for the same Ship Point properties being discussed today.
As part of its new strategic plan, the MMBC is continuing to pursue its vision of a modern maritime heritage centre, similar in scope and stature to the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic in Halifax, to be located on the waterfront in Victoria’s stunning harbour.
We have no illusions regarding the monumental nature of this undertaking given the capital required, the complex political and administrative landscape that surrounds the harbour and the need to obtain and maintain the goodwill of so many groups and levels of government that are essential to making this happen. We believe that this initiative is imperative, not only to better serve the public interest and citizens of our region, but also for the economic survival of the museum itself and as a means to provide another keynote cultural attraction in Victoria’s downtown core that will help revitalize both our harbour and our tourist economy.
Our vision is to create a gem on the harbour that all Victorians and all Canadians would be proud of. The new MMBC would be able to tell the story of our Pacific coast. There would be more space for interactive displays, for exhibits of interest to children and youth, for special events inside and outside of the museum, for the role played by First Nations on the coast and for the coastal environment, including potential connectivity with projects such as the Venus-Neptune Undersea Network. The museum would be a true tourist attraction while becoming a locus on the harbour for all forms of public activities, not just maritime.
The need to be on the harbour is critical to this vision. Not only does it allow for the economic advantage accrued from greater visibility and access to increased pedestrian flow, it also allows for inter-connections with static floating displays, visiting tall ships and festivals such as the Victoria Classic Boat Show.
Most important, it allows us to link the museum to our harbour and its story, which is so integral to the history of Victoria, B.C.’s coast and Canada.
The MMBC, at its present location and in its present form, is not viable over the long term. We are a non-profit organization that maintains and protects one of the largest collections of nautical artifacts, documents, books, photographs and artwork in Canada, on behalf of all British Columbians — all of this on a shoestring budget. Unlike the MMBC, other maritime museums in Canada, such as the one in Halifax, receive far greater public funding, including facility costs and salaries. That said, in spite of trying economic times and circumstances, we have managed to keep the doors open, primarily due to the efforts of our membership and widespread public support. The value of much of the collection is immeasurable and we recognize that something has to be done to properly preserve, protect and provide future access to such a collection. This is the main driving factor behind this vision.
To this end, I ask those of who have supported us in the past and those who believe in the vision of a world-class maritime museum on Victoria’s harbour to please continue to support us both publicly and if possible, financially. This is what keeps us going and will provide us with the funds to pursue this grand vision and make it a reality for generations to come.
Jon Irwin is the executive director of the Maritime Museum of B.C.
