MUSEUM IS GOOD NEWS

Ten-hut! The recent decision by Ottawa to build a new military museum in Calgary merits attention. The permanent museum will commemorate our country’s contributions to the war in Afghanistan, in which more than 40,000 Canadians served and 162 died between 2001 and 2014. The commemoration project will start with a travelling exhibit, highlighting artifacts and stories from Afghan war veterans. While the exhibit moves across the country and possibly abroad for four to five years, fundraising will begin for a new permanent installation in Calgary.

With a potential price tag of $50 million, corporate and private donations will help offset the cost, supported by a variety of levels of government.

The new museum — estimated to cover more than 10,000 square feet — could likely find its home as part of the Military Museums complex on Crowchild Trail S.W., a spokesman says.

The decision to establish a new national museum in Calgary will not only augment the city’s cultural fabric, visitor offerings, construction activity and employment opportunities. It could also become another example of a successful national institution operating outside the nation’s capital.

In Canada, the concept of national museums started in the mid-1800s, when the government — of what was then called the Province of Canada — gave the green light to the Geological Museum in Montreal. It was eventually moved to Ottawa and in 1927, the National Museum of Canada was officially created. Today, the federal government operates a half-dozen national museums, most of which are in the Ottawa-Hull region. Attempts to establish national institutions in other parts of the country haven’t always come to fruition. But, winds of change began blowing through the hallowed halls of federal government in more recent years and the two most recently opened national museums are located in opposite regions of the country.

In 2011, the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 was established in Halifax and in 2014, the Canadian Museum for Human Rights opened in Winnipeg.

To learn that a new national museum will soon find its home here is welcome news. It will highlight the myriad offerings already found at the Military Museums of Calgary — the second largest such institution in the country.

Many of the soldiers who lost their lives in the Afghan war were from Western Canada, with the Alberta- and Manitoba-based Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry playing a significant role in the conflict aimed at al- Qaida members and the Taliban regime.

Their sacrifices deserve commemoration, no matter where you live in Canada.