More than $8 million has been announced for the planning phase of the New Brunswick Museum’s revitalization project.
The province is contributing $4.6 million while the federal government is providing $3.8 million.
Local Government Minister Daniel Allain said Saturday that the government is taking important steps to ensure everyone understands the complexity and full scope of the project “so that we get it right.”
“We will be making a larger announcement in the near future related to funding this important project for the province of New Brunswick,” Allain said in a news release.
Allain said they are committed to confirming a permanent home for the museum in Saint John “soon.”
The New Brunswick Museum currently operates out of two main facilities: its Collections and Research Centre at 277 Douglas Ave. in Saint John, which is owned by the province; and the Exhibition Centre at Market Square in Saint John, which is leased from the private sector.
The Exhibition Centre has been closed to the public for a number of months.
A push for a new facility seemed to be paying off for the museum into late 2018, with momentum building from long-time community discussion around such a project over two decades.
But the conversation stalled after the Higgs government pulled $50 million in funding for at the time was a new combined New Brunswick Museum space proposed for the Saint John waterfront.
The museum planning project will include architectural design, engineering and other costing details that will allow the project to move to the construction phase.
Kathryn Hamer, museum board chair, said this is a “very encouraging and significant step” in the progress toward a revitalized museum.
“The museum is a provincial treasure, and we are delighted to know that it will receive such strong support from both levels of government,” said Hamer.
In the meantime, staff at the museum have been working for the past several months to document and prepare its collections to be moved.
Also announced on Saturday was more $35 million for Le Pays de la Sagouine, a popular Acadian cultural experience in Bouctouche.
Funding will go toward construction of a new footbridge to l’Île-aux-Puces, and recent developments on the mainland, including buildings, a multi-purpose trail with a nighttime multimedia experience, a scenic boardwalk with lookouts, and a patio with kiosks.
