Museum of Northern British Columbia among more than 80 'anchor attractions' to share in provincial funding

Funding for a number of British Columbia attractions, 
including Prince Rupert's Museum of Northern BC
was announced today by the provincial government

The province of British Columbia has announced some direct funding support for a list of over 80 anchor attractions and Tour Bus operators in the province, part of the provincial commitment towards recovery from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Among those on the list is the Northern British Columbia Museum Association and its featured attraction in downtown Prince Rupert, which is one of the main local venues of note for both visitors and local residents alike.

Melanie Mark, the Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture made the announcement today:

“Today is an exciting day for our major anchor attractions that, because of the restrictions that have been in place throughout the pandemic, made sacrifices to keep us all safe. The sector called on government to provide grants, not loans, and we worked with tourism sector leaders to make sure these vital businesses and non-profits can continue to employ residents and draw visitors to attractions throughout B.C.”

The Major Anchor Attractions Program,  was first announced in May 2021 and was one of the seven calls to action from the Tourism Task Force. 

Grants of up to $1 million will be provided to both businesses and not-for-profits, the distribution of the funding will be dividend up amongst 23 urban anchor attractions; 34 rural anchor attractions; and 26 tour bus operators.

The program is also set to deliver funding to the Pacific National Exhibition, the annual summer event in Vancouver that attracts fair goers from across BC and beyond. 

A number of other large scale and quite recognizable attractions in the province were also listed as part of todays funding announcement.

Organizations can use the grants to pay for rent and utilities, payroll and costs related to restarting or ramping up operations and other business expenses that will help them recover from the impacts of the pandemic.

The Prince Rupert museum is one of three groups in the Northwest and Haida Gwaii to benefit from today's funding, with Qay'Llnagaay Heritage Centre Society in Skidegate and Tluu Xaada Naay Society in Massett also included in the funding roll out. 

The full list of those communities benefitting from the program can be reviewed here, no details as to how much each organization will receive was released as part of today's announcement, with the government noting that the Funding amounts have not been released in order to maintain the confidentiality of recipients’ business information. 

You can review the full announcement here.

More notes on tourism across the Northwest, North Coast and Haida Gwaii can be explored here.