Surrey gets $800k from feds to fund cultural initiatives

The federal government has earmarked $822,269 in cultural infrastructure funding for Surrey to help celebrate Canada’s 150th birthday, expand the Surrey Museum, upgrade the Surrey Arts Centre gallery and renovate historic Anniedale School.

Of the money announced on Friday, made available through the Department of Canadian Heritage, $377,269 has been set aside for the museum expansion, $195,000 for a “Surrey Celebrates Canada 150” zone at the city’s Fusion Festival and $150,000 for the arts centre upgrade.

As well, $100,000 has been granted to Surrey to renovate the school, which was built in 1891 and is the municipality’s oldest remaining one-room schoolhouse.

The city’s four Liberal MPs and Surrey Mayor Linda Hepner made the announcement Friday at the Surrey Museum in Cloverdale.

“I think this is an absolute perfect example of partnership,” Hepner said of the funding.

“Historically, local governments do not get to interact so directly with the federal government and that is a significant shift that I have noticed over this past year and it is certainly paying off with the significant announcements today.”

John Aldag, MP for Cloverdale-Langley City, said the museum will grow by more than 12,000 square feet, adding a new atrium, expanded galleries, a “dedicated indigenous” hall, more workshop spaces and storage for artifacts.

“When cultural institutions thrive, so do communities,” he said.

Sukh Dhaliwal, MP for Surrey Newton, called Surrey a “cultural capital in Canada.”

Surrey Centre MP Randeep Sarai said this year’s celebration of Canada’s 150th anniversary of Confederation will be Canada’s largest celebration “in at least 50 years.”

“What we lobbied and asked for was that every city, cities like Surrey, growing cities, also get a big chunk and the ability to share in that celebration,” he said about the effort to attain funding.

The $195,000 will be for an 80,000-square-foot space and celebratory area at the Surrey Fusion Festival which will feature a special stage to celebrate the nation’s sesquicentennial birthday, Sarai said.