The Calgary Military Museums Society says it will cease day-to-day operations of The Military Museums, because new restrictions imposed by the Canadian Forces make it too difficult to run programs out of the Crowchild Trail S.W. attraction.
“I don’t really know why these changes are occurring,” said society chairman Robert Millar. “But it will have a real impact.”
Millar said revenue generated through admissions exceeding $30,000 annually will no longer go to the society for program development. As well, money generated through third party rentals at the museum will no longer go to the society for marketing, promotion and other development programs, Millar said.
Society representatives are expected to vacate their positions by Dec. 31 as members of the Canadian Forces move into their places.
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Officials with Canadian Forces say revenues earned at the Military Museums will still go back to programming there. Initiatives will just have to be approved by a larger regulatory body first, the Canadian Forces Central Fund, which oversees all funding for military museums across Canada.
“We can’t just have money flowing directly to the society,” said Col. Charles Lamarre, commander for One Area Support Group, which includes Calgary.
“We’ve always had to be in control and perhaps we weren’t as restrictive as we needed to be in the past.”
Lamarre added the Canadian Forces will continue its commitment to educational programming at The Military Museums and that the newly imposed regulations won’t have a significant impact on the public’s enjoyment of the facility.
Since its inception in 1988, the society has raised $50 million for capital and programming focusing on award-winning education programs connecting Canadians to their military, past and present.
The society says it has raised tens of millions of dollars to help build the recently expanded Military Museums, the country’s largest triservice military museum outside of Ottawa.
It houses the Naval Museum of Alberta, the Air Force Museum of Alberta, a major military library and archive managed by the University of Calgary, a founders’ art gallery and interactive education facilities.
eferguson@theherald.canwest.com
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