In the end, it wasn’t even close.
After nearly two years of waiting, the Tumbler Ridge Global Geopark and the Tumbler Ridge Museum Foundation are poised to start receiving funding from the Peace River Regional District (PRRD).
2776 people voted in favour of supporting the Dinosaur Museum Grant in Aid function, while 1752 people opposed.
Meanwhile, 2728 voted in favour of the regional district supporting the geopark, while 1752 opposed.
This means that both organizations will be receiving funding from the Regional District.
This is the good news. The bad news? Both organizations have to make it through the next year before the funding kicks in.
In the past, the PRRD supported the Tumbler Ridge Museum and Tumbler Ridge Global Geopark (to the tune of $1,378,993 and $660,000 for each), but in 2021, it was discovered that the Economic Development Funding Function they were using to support the two organizations was not valid, which meant the PRRD withdrew funding for the organizations while it put its political house in order.
To do that, the PRRD has created two new service functions which would allow the organization to directly support the museum and the geopark.
The functions were put to a vote by the electorate of the PRRD, which includes folks from Tumbler Ridge, Chetwynd, Pouce Coupe, Dawson Creek, Hudson’s Hope and Fort St. John, as well as rural residents from as far south as Kakwa Provincial Park to as far north as just south of Prophet River, and all areas west of the Great Divide, which stretches as far west as the Spatsizi Plateau.
However, while the motion to establish the function has now passed, the deadline for establishing a function was October 1, two weeks before the vote happened.
Museum president Rose Snyder says this is great news for the museum. “We are elated with the outcome of the assent vote and thank the residents of the PRRD for their support.”
Still, she says the next 14 months will be hard. “We have one more tough year ahead, and as we work through our 2023 budget planning we are taking everything into careful consideration. What is different though is the massive relief of knowing it is only one more year.”
She says this will change how the museum is able to operate. “As an organization with secure operational funding, even if we don’t receive it immediately, we are now in a position of being a safe investment. This outcome opens doors to many new funding opportunities where we have to prove long-term operational stability. We will be able to offer job security, attract and retain professionals, and move our major projects and programs forward. What has been three hard years of long days and weeks fueled by caffeine, passion, and hope has been worth it to secure the future of the museum in Tumbler Ridge.”
Of course, this is just the first step. The museum is currently supported by the District of Tumbler Ridge and the PRRD, yet the fossils it holds are of provincial significance. Many people are hoping the vote of support from both the local and regional residents will move the province to action to support the museum, which holds items of international significance. Indeed, the fossils are being held at the museum on behalf of the province.
While many people were hoping that local museums might get a boost after the province cancelled the $789 million upgrade to the Royal BC Museum, that has not come to pass. While the province has helped the museum out with funding for upgrades for the space and displays, they have proved unwilling to help with operational funding.
There were five assent ballots to be counted. In addition to the two above, the Sports and Cultural Grant in Aid was approved 3210 to 1284, The Regional connectivity assent ballot saw 3088 in favour, vs 1389 opposed, and the Fort St John Public Library Financial Contribution motion passed 180 to 177. This latter one was only voted on by people in Area B.
Trent is the publisher of Tumbler RidgeLines.
