A museum that has been fundraising for a new home will soon find themselves homeless for a few years.
The Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada has been told they must move out of their location on Ferry Road by Oct. 31.
While they knew moving day would come, it was earlier than expected, said Helen Halliday, museum CEO.
“Our landlord, EIC, has been a fantastic landlord and made us welcome as long as they possibly can, but business continues for them and they have great plans for our location and as a result we need to move along,” said Halliday.
The museum has been raising money and securing grants for a new space, but shovels have yet to hit the ground at their new spot on Wellington Avenue across from the current Greyhound Station, said Halliday. They will do so once they wrap up funding talks with federal government.
It’s hoped the $45-million, 105,000-square-foot museum will start construction in 2020.
Halliday wouldn’t say exactly where the museum’s planes, library and artifacts will be stored in the meantime, but said the museum does have a plan.
The museum boasts a large collection of airplanes over several decades – but don’t think about stealing one.
“No, we have not kept our collection flyable,” Halliday laughed.
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