Museum proposal covers many bases

Re: “Maritime Museum envisions national status, return home,” Feb. 1.

I am delighted that the folks at the Maritime Museum of B.C. have a solid proposal to move forward with. This should be attractive to senior levels of government, as well as to Islanders, for it covers so many bases.

• It gives a viable purpose for the old Bastion Square site, which is rather forlorn and would finally become an asset to local business and the community.

• It proposes to provide needed space for the arts community that will be more affordable, as they are not the only tenant.

• It provides a wonderful opportunity to engage with coastal Indigenous people by providing appropriate space in the proposed class-A annex for artifacts that are in other sites across the country. This includes training Indigenous people in curatorial science.

• Reconciliation with Indigenous people can move from talk to action with exhibits that present their story from their perspective, not just from a traditional colonial point of view.

• As a national museum, it will finally provide the museum with the resources to use its artifacts in a lively and active way to engage young and old with the stories of our coast, not as static displays but as hands-on interactive experiences.

I wish them the best.

The Maritime Museum of B.C. has plans to renovate and add to its former home in this building in Bastion Square, so it can return to the site as a national museum.