Visitors to the Britannia Mine Museum will soon see a new immersive multi-media Mill Show thanks in part to a $1.4 million injection from the federal government.
The new attraction, scheduled to be open in the summer of 2019, will tell the story of the mill when it was fully operational from the 1920s until its closing in 1974, according to a news release from the museum.
The money comes from the feds New Building Canada Fund in celebration of Canada’s 150th anniversary.
“We are extremely grateful for the support of the Government of Canada and the Province of B.C. for enabling us to continue to share the stories, history and significance of Britannia,” said Bob Dickinson, chairman of the Britannia Mine Museum’s fundraising committee, in the release. “The Britannia Mine played an important role in B.C.’s social and economic success over its decades of operation, and it now is a great venue to discuss how metals from modern mining continue to play a very important role in our everyday lives.”
Combined with $2.8 million, the museum has fundraised from the B.C. mining industry, the non-profit museum will be able to upgrade the Event Plaza outside the mill as a gathering place for arts and cultural festival and create a Geoscience Lab that will showcase the “successful water treatment and environmental remediation, leading to the revitalized Howe Sound,” according to the release.
The changes to the mine are projected to increase yearly visitation from the current 74,000 visitors to 110,000 visitors, a spokesperson for the museum told The Chief.
“Cultural infrastructure helps make our communities into places where families can learn together, where neighbours can meet and where Canadians can celebrate our incredible history,” said Pamela Goldsmith-Jones, Member of Parliament for West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea to Sky Country.
“The Government of Canada is proud to support the Britannia Mine Museum project. This investment will protect an important National Heritage Site and help create good jobs for the middle class.”
Permanent employment opportunities at the museum are projected to increase from the current 25 positions to 32 due to increased visitation, the museum spokesperson said, adding gross payroll will increase from $1.1 million to $1.6 million. The added positions will include historic interpreters, retail and food staff, managers, sales, maintenance and janitorial as well as specialized technology positions.
The iconic white, 20-storey mill is one of the last remaining gravity-fed concentrator mills in North America. When operational, it received raw ore from underground tunnels and produced copper and zinc to be shipped offshore for processing into metal. It was the largest copper producer in the Commonwealth in the late 1920s.
