 Good afternoon everyone. Thank you so much for joining us today. It's such a great pleasure to welcome all of you to the World B.C. Museum. I'm Carol James. I'm a proud RBCM board member and I'll be your MC today. I want to start by acknowledging that we're gathering today on the traditional territories of the Laquangan speaking people, the Esquimalt and the Songhees, and I know we are all extremely grateful to live, to work and to celebrate on their territory. I'd like to also give a warm welcome to all the special guests. I'm not going to start introducing folks, but we have board members from RBCM. We have our MLAs. We have a number of people who are joining us online. This is being live streamed and so I'd like to welcome all those people who are joining us online as well. We are here today, I'm sure all of you know, to mark a monumental, some might call it a mammoth announcement when we talk about stepping forward for the World B.C. Museum. So to begin, I'd like to introduce our premier, John Horgan. Thank you Carol. We arm wrestled over that joke and Carol won. So it is a real thrill to be here today. I came here in the 1960s as a kid. I brought my kids here. I sent people I didn't want to visit here when they came to town. And I just want to at the outset acknowledge Chief Rong Sam of the Song He's Nation and Chief Rob Thomas of the Esquimalt Nation. And to be on Lacongan speaking territory today to make a mammoth announcement is really, really exciting for me personally. But also for our governments for the past five years we've been working on inclusion. We've been working on making British Columbia a better place and I have a couple of degrees in history and I know the value and importance of the 7 million artifacts that are housed in this building. Contemplate that for a moment. 7 million artifacts are here and they need to be housed more appropriately than they have been for the past number of decades. And want to acknowledge my friend and board member Carol James, my friend and Cabinet Minister Melanie Mark and my new friend, the CEO of our other RBC Museum, Alicia Dubois as we begin today's proceedings. It is a special place that we're in, in a special part Canada in a special part of the world. And people who come to Victoria learn about British Columbia by walking into this building. And there are many, many exhibits that we have come to know over decades, those of us who are old enough to experience decades but we have all a piece of this place in our hearts or in the hearts of our children or in the hearts of our parents. And so it is with mixed emotions that we talk about the future of a building that needs to be brought into the 21st century. One that has been experiencing indifference, quite frankly, for the past number of decades. But as of today, we are proud to announce that we are going to be building an $800 million safer, new, inclusive, accessible modern museum for the people of British Columbia on this location going forward. I would, when we add the $200 million collections archive and collections building being built right now in the West Shore, that is over a billion dollars and I would definitely characterize that as a mammoth announcement for the people of British Columbia. We will be incorporating a range of initiatives here as we go forward. Mass timber will be a key part of the construction, which means that we're going to be putting practical pieces of British Columbia into the walls and the floors and the ceilings of a building that will create thousands of local jobs. And once complete will be a state of the art museum, a flagship destination for tourism in British Columbia, but particularly here in Victoria, and it will be a place where generations of British Columbians will learn more about the extraordinary history of this province. Obviously, the impacts of colonization are there for all of us to see pre colonization. Before the expansion of Europe, we had a rich, rich culture and tradition with hundreds of nations spanning thousands of years. Those stories can and should and will be told in this institution. The expansion of Europe brought people from around the world. Everyone imaginable from every corner of the globe has set foot in British Columbia and put down roots. And that story is all the richer because of the indigenous traditions that are layered on top of all of that that we have done together as a community. If we're going to tell our story, we have to ensure that everyone is included in that story. And that's the mandate and the mission for CEO Dubois. That is the mandate and the mission for Minister Mark. And that is the objectives of the board and all of those that have been working so hard to bring this day forward. It was, gosh, 14 years ago that Pauline Rafferty, who may well be online if she's not here, first brought to my attention the importance of updating this building. We all understand the challenges of seismic issues in and around the communities that we live in. We all understand that we're going to protect and preserve 7 million artifacts. We need to do it in a way that is as up to date as is possible. As a historian, I've fumbled through lots of dusty rooms and I've seen documents that could have been better cared for. I've gone through microfiche, which I think still exists. Pre-Google for those who don't know what that is. And so I understand that if we are going to protect and preserve our past, we need to make sure that those who are devoting their lives to preserving that past have the most up to date equipment, the most up to date facilities to house those artifacts, which is our collective history. This is a very exciting time. Carol and I talked about this five years ago. We have been working on it ever since. We have gone through the due diligence that governments must do when making massive investments like this. But this is an investment that is not just going to be here in Victoria. It is an investment that will spread out across the province. As we go through construction, Minister Mark will talk about the pop-up exhibits, which will be visiting communities right across British Columbia to bring into the communities across BC the proud traditions that are housed in this building. We've already started a Chinese Canadian Museum in downtown Vancouver in Chinatown with spokes into communities like the Chinatown here. And I would commend those who have not yet been to Chinatown here in Victoria to go look at the pop-up exhibits that are taking place right now. These pop-ups will allow people to better understand the rich history of this great province and will better understand why it's so critically important that we make these investments here today. For those who have never seen me before, I could talk all day, but we've got a lot of people here and I know Chief Sam and Chief Thomas have more to say and more to add to this. I would like to put my hands to all who have come before us, all of the history that is housed in this place, and all of the history that will be housed in the future on this location as the Royal BC Museum continues to be a flagship in Canada, certainly a flagship here in British Columbia. High School, CM, to all of you. Thank you so much, Premier, and thank you for sharing your passion, your interest in history, and I think we will all be richer across this province when this project is completed. So now I'd like to introduce Minister Melanie Mark to come up and say a few words. Simgaget. Sigatomanic. Gwydwildsuk. My name is Melanie Mark. My Nisqa name is Lahakwiskak, and I'm very proud to be BC's Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture, and Sport, and the MLA for Vancouver Mount Pleasant. I'm also the first and only First Nations woman to be elected as an MLA in BC's history and to serve in BC's cabinet. I'm proud to be Nisqa, Ghitsan, Crete, and Ojibwe. I would like to acknowledge that I'm speaking to you from the traditional and unceded territory of the Laquangan peoples, members of the Songhees and Esquimalt nations. Thank you Premier John Horgan for making this historical announcement. Thank you as well to Carol James, who joins us today as a board member for the Royal BC Museum, but who also played an instrumental role in our province throughout her career. Carol, your dedication to your constituents and contributions to this province are beyond measure. I extend my deep gratitude and respect to Chief Sam and Chief Thomas and members of the Songhees and Esquimalt nations for your unwavering leadership that has guided us along the way. I'm honored to be here today with you, Premier John Horgan, Minister Rankin, MLA Lore, MLA Popham, and Alicia Dubois, our CEO, and Wendy King, Acting Board Member of the Museum, Acting Board Chair of the Museum. Wendy and the Board have worked tirelessly over the last year guiding the museum through this time of transition. Your perseverance and willingness to do the hard work is to be recognized by the province today. I cannot thank you enough. As Premier John Horgan said, this is a historical moment for all British Columbians. This historic day opened with a sacred blanketing ceremony where Laquangan chiefs, shakers, caretakers, counselors, museum representatives, and government came together. The Laquangan people welcomed us into their circle and into their hearts. They brought ceremony, important ceremony, into this institution. I want to thank you for that. It took season. As the original stewards and caretakers of this land, the Laquangan people demonstrated their commitment to sharing their protocol. So we carry out our important work in a good way. Showing us in all nations, they are practicing this commitment with dedication and strength of spirit. I was honored to be part of this ceremony and bear witness to the powerful affirmation that we are collectively paddling together. The people before you have made a solemn vow not only for the future of our museum, but to each other. It took season. Today we are making true on our promise to bring the people's museum into the 21st century. Our government has been working hard to build BC's museum for the next generation. It will be built within our clean BC values. We are taking action to ensure that the stories of all British Columbians who shaped this province are added to the collections and exhibition halls of the new Royal BC Museum. We are taking the diverse stories of British Columbians and Indigenous people out of the shadows and into the light. We are building a new state-of-the-art museum so locals and visitors can have access to transformative, educational, and inspiring stories. We are turning the walls inside out through connectivity, through technology, by creating a new museum that will deliver dynamic and interactive visitor experiences for the next generation. This work is important and complex. We have a duty to protect our collective history from seismic risk. We have a duty to build a safer museum to protect British Columbians and visitors. We have a duty to ensure that the museum is accessible to everyone. It's the right thing to do. We're creating thousands of jobs to build an innovative and sustainable museum to protect over 7 million artifacts that represent our shared and collective history. And we're going to leave behind a meaningful legacy for generations to come. It's been a lot of hard work to get here today, but now it's time to celebrate and look towards a brighter future together. Speaking of being together, I always say we need to paddle together to make change. Since day one, our government has been committed to modernizing the Royal BC Museum. It has been an iconic landmark for almost six decades, bringing millions of visitors closer to history with exhibitions and exhibits like the Beloved Old Town and our Living Languages Gallery. These stories will continue to be told in the new museum, but in a different light as we make space for communities and legacies whose stories have been in the shadows, bringing all chapters of BC's history into focus. The new buildings will ensure modern accessibility standards are addressed, removing physical, sensory, and cultural barriers. It will be gender inclusive in line with our government's commitment to building an inclusive BC. This will be the People's Museum in all corners of the province. The Royal BC Museum has begun work with communities and are curating traveling exhibitions, regional satellite displays, and community programs and learning experiences that will be offered throughout British Columbia. The Royal BC Museum has exciting plans to engage the public, and I will leave that for our new CEO to tell us more. Our government is answering the call to action for an inclusive modern museum with an investment of $789 million to build a new and engaged provincial museum, the largest cultural investment in BC's history. We are so proud and thankful for our partnership with the Laquangan Peoples, the Songhees, and the Esquimalt Nations. With these partnerships, we are responding to Article 67 through to 70 of the Truth and Reconciliation's Calls to Action. We are committed to resettling the relationship between the RBCM and Indigenous Peoples in BC. The new museum will reflect that commitment outlined in the Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Action Plan recently announced by Minister Rankin. We are committed to reflecting the culture and lands of our partners. The design vision includes Indigenous ceremonial cultural and celebratory spaces as well as other public festivals and enables a connection with neighboring properties including the legislature which is across the street. Building a new Royal BC Museum is long overdue. It will be a place of learning, engagement, and celebration, and will cultivate our living history and aspirations for the future. Through our pledge made today, we will honor the land and the people of Laquangan, and together we will build a museum truly for everyone. We are committed to engaging British Columbians moving forward and Indigenous people to ensure that your voice is heard as we build the new museum. We want to get it right, and we want to make sure that your voice is heard. It has been a true honor to be a part of this historical moment. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for all of us. I know our government, our premier, and I are very inspired and hopeful about the future. I just want to close by saying as the first and only First Nations woman to be elected and serve in cabinet, it has been my honor to be on this journey. I have learned a lot about museums. But now more than ever, we must see the value of museums and our stories, our shared stories, and to see the canvas of where we've come and where we're going. I want to acknowledge the tourism sector who have also been advocating to make sure that we have a presence in the community because this is so important to our economy and the local greater Victoria region. But on an emotional note, to imagine that in 2022, an Indigenous Cabinet minister is standing in partnership with the local nations whose territory this building stands upon and have an opportunity to transform it, to me that is reconciliation and action. And I want to thank the public service. I want to thank my staff, the RBCM staff, who I met with some of them today, some of them virtually, thank you for your service. To every single person that works here at the Royal BC Museum, you are very, very important to this institution today and moving forward. But to my staff who have briefed me with many, many binders for this very, very complex project, I want to thank Melissa, Farence, Nolaine Mayhew, Claire, Avisen, Cindy Flesch for organizing all the meetings in my calendar. I do have to give them a shout out because people have been working really, really, really, really hard to make this day possible. Karina, thank you for helping me to get to this day and congratulations everyone who had a vision to make this day possible. Thank you so much, Minister Mark, and I think you've heard if passion could fuel this project alone. We have it in both the Premier and the Minister and we are incredibly fortunate. And the huge team, as the Minister has said, that is working behind the scenes on this piece as well. And I'm really pleased that the Minister mentioned the generational opportunities that are here. Because as the Premier has said, as someone who grew up in Victoria, spent a lot of my summers at the museum. My mom was a teacher. We didn't have a lot of money. And so we were sent to the museum every day to go learn something and then come home and talk about it at the dinner table. Those are the opportunities that we want for everyone in British Columbia. So this really is an opportunity for generational commitment and support when it comes to telling our true history, including everyone in our history and making sure that people have the opportunity to be able to access that. So it really is an exciting day. So I'd like to introduce Chief Rob Thomas to now say a few words. Thank you. And like she says, a few words. First of all, I'd like to thank Premier Horgan, Minister Marks, all the staff at the RBCM. You know, to get to this point, there was a lot of meetings. I sit on the working group with RBCM and the ministry. And you know, like I say, there's been a lot of meetings and a lot of work to get to this point. So I just want to thank everybody who helped us to get here. You know, it was hard work and this is just the start. I would also like to thank the province and the museum for including the Lekwungen people. We've been excluded from almost everything for a long time. To be part of this to partner up with BC and the museum in our own traditional territory means so much to me. Finally, the First Nations are being heard are being seen. And to be appreciated are not just, you know, as First Nations, but our culture, our history. And that doesn't go unnoticed with our people. So to everybody involved, I just want to raise my hands to all of you and say hi to see you. Thank you so much, Chief Thomas and thank you for your personal commitment and thank you for your nation's commitment to be a partner in this exciting venture. So now I'd like to welcome, I can't call her new anymore. She's been here now for a couple of weeks. So I don't think she's new two months already. Alicia Dubois, the Chief Executive Officer of the Royal BC Museum. Welcome. Thank you very much. Minister Mark has COVID glasses and I have 45 year old glasses. I'm older than that, but I needed them then. Thank you, everybody. Thank you, Carol. Thank you to all of the speakers that have come before me today, Premier Horvath, Mr. Mark, Chief. I'm so grateful for the vision and our government's unwavering support for the modernization of the Royal BC Museum. And very especially, I want to thank Chief Thomas and Chief Sam for your ongoing partnership. The museum and I are committed to strengthening our relationship in tangible, meaningful ways and working closely with you and your communities as we continue on this journey together. It's an honor to stand with each of you today for this announcement. And as we do, I also want to honor all the people who have been and will continue to be pivotal to the museum. It's impossible to name everyone who has contributed over the decades, but I wish to express heartfelt gratitude to our staff, to our volunteers, members and donors. I would also like to extend my gratitude to our cultural partners, our tourism partners, our business partners and to all citizens of British Columbia who have supported the Royal BC Museum since it was founded in 1886, and who I wholeheartedly invite to come along on this extraordinary journey towards modernization. This museum exists for you. The museum's purpose is to inspire learning, curiosity, self-reflection and innovation, and to challenge our perspectives, attitudes, the way we think, how we interact and how we show up in the world. I loved Carol's story about having to go home and talk around the kitchen table about what she learned because that's where we learn how to be citizens. And that's the experience that we really want to foster here in modernization, new conversations around the dinner table that allows us to understand each other better and be more compassionate and empathetic and unified, even though there are differences that we celebrate. At this time in the world, it seems that it is increasingly becoming divisive, and yet simultaneously we're also all starving for connection. It's for this reason that the museum's impact and role in society is so profound. This is a mammoth announcement and one that is long overdue. The Royal BC Museum is a provincial treasure. The Royal BC Museum is privileged to house the province's historical collections, artifacts and archives, and also to work closely with the Indigenous communities on repatriation matters for their belongings. We have been doing all of this very important work in a museum that has passed its useful life. Modernization, though, is so much more than just a building. The journey that we are about to embark on is an exciting one. Yes, it's modernization of a structural nature. The province will get a new state-of-the-art museum and archives. This is infrastructure modernization. While we are waiting for that new museum to be built, we will be working diligently to develop new collections to complement many of the existing collections that will be showcased in the new museum. This is an opportunity for us to have conversations and to learn about all British Columbians through our community engagement. We want to hear your stories and understand what you would like to see in a modern museum. Our ultimate aim is to develop a museum and space that speaks to the lived experiences of all British Columbians. In many respects, today marks the start of a new era, but here I will focus on two very important aspects of our journey. One, the current museum site is closing. The museum is not. In fact, we've chosen to make this a time of expansion where we can bring collections, exhibitions and programs to the province. And we will do this through an expanded traveling exhibition program, satellite displays, all of which will be featured in Victoria and around the province. We will also be bringing engaging learning programs and enhanced digital offerings to keep the museum connected through this time of modernization. Our mandate is to be a museum for all people of British Columbia. And with that in mind, our program is known as beyond the museum walls, and it begins now. I'm very excited for the opportunity to share the museum with more people than ever before and expand the reach of our programs and exhibitions. Two, the museum is a place of belonging and connection. As we build deeper relationships and a state of the art museum, we're creating a space that facilitates understanding and connectedness and is welcoming and inclusive to all. Both within and outside of our walls, the museum will be addressing its roots and creating a space where diversity is celebrated and everyone's dignity is upheld. This is not an erasure of history. This is a celebration of it. We are ensuring the museum's human history voices and stories are fulsome and truthful and honor the diverse contributions, sacrifices and triumphs that gave rise to the province we know today. This is a historic day and I'm tremendously proud to be part of it. For many who know me as a serious champion for meaningful partnerships and an equitable society, you will recognize my passion and alignment in this work. Our society, people, planet and economy has so much potential, but we won't realize on that potential until truths are told, diversity is celebrated, our connectedness is revered and everyone is participating. There's that word passion again, something that I think is so clear and there'll be the opportunity, I think the exciting piece. Thank you so much, Alicia, for talking about the next steps and the fact that this is day one of the opportunity for British Columbians to be able to engage in their museum. As the minister said, the people's museum. This is the chance and the opportunity for people to have their voices heard as it's reimagined and as we have this huge opportunity ahead of us because of the government's huge commitment today. So now I'd like to introduce Chief Ron Sam of Song He's Nation to say a few words. Good afternoon everybody, Chief Sam, Song He's Nation. I'm going to go outside the agenda a little bit, seeing as how it is an historic day. It's a mammoth day, kind of seems to be the theme. I caught that this morning with the advertisement on the press release going out. I've asked Gary, I don't speak our language. I've asked Councillor Gary to come up and address you all with our language. So Councillor Gary, if you can come up please and just thank everybody on our behalf in our language. Thank you. And it is my great honor to be here to speak on behalf of Ahakuluk, our he-was, to translate into a he-was is our word for chief. And I've heard the word he-walk today to describe the leaders and I'm thanking all of you coming today. I'm thanking our mayor, thanking our premier and minister for being here. You know, everybody who is invited to be here today, just thanking you from Laquungen, Nishwa Laquot. Raising my hands to all of those who had a part in arranging this day and not forgetting all the hard work that had to be put into this event today as well. You know, it is just such a great honor to be standing here with my Laquungen Council and just to be able to share a few words. Just as much as I say, it's Haidzabka, Haidzka Hela. Haidzka, Gary, for that very much. She always brings a language out when I ask him to and doesn't say no. So I appreciate that. But just in closing from, you know, Gary kind of just touched on it standing with the Laquungen Council. You know, and that's Esquimalt and Songyi standing together. You know, so I just acknowledge our relatives here, Esquimalt, you know, Mr. Premier. It's been a while since I saw you, so it's good to see you today in this announcement. I just want to acknowledge, you know, you've heard staff being thanked from the province and the museum. We have one staff member working on this project on behalf of Songyi's nation. Carrying the weight of our people every day, engaging with the museum and the province on this exciting opportunity. You've heard it's once in a lifetime that we get to do this. I truly believe that. And it is for the future generations that are coming after us here. You know, but I want to acknowledge and I don't know where she went. But Florence, if you could please stand up. Come up, Florence. Yeah, Florence, come up. So I just want to acknowledge Florence as our sole staff member. You know, I think, you know, the province and the museum have a team behind them. We have Florence and the work she has done, the way she has represented the nation. You know, not always going to agree on things, but Florence lets you know. She lets you know respectfully. She lets you know what the nation's wishes are. And our people's wishes as a community are. You know, so I just really wanted to stand Florence up beside us here and really acknowledge her for all the work she's done through no doubt about it, through her health battles. She continued to work on our behalf and that means a lot to us as a people. We did tell her to take some time off, but Florence being Florence took a little bit and was back at it. You know, but just want to acknowledge you Florence and just really thank you for doing what you do and for being our museum project liaison. Thank you so much Chief Sam for your kind words and for the recognition of Florence, who I wish I could tell you Florence that there wouldn't be any more work after this, but I'm afraid we're just starting the next stage. And we've been so grateful and so fortunate to have your expertise around each of our tables to remind us about what's important to make sure that we're being inclusive. And so I just wanted to express my huge appreciation to Florence as well. So as you've heard from the Premier, as you've heard from Chief Sam, Chief Thomas, Minister Mark and Alicia, this is an incredible investment for this generation and for future generations. I've personally seen the role that museums can play in opening minds and bringing people together. We've heard the words around inclusivity and I can't think of a more important time in our world than now to be talking about bringing people together and learning from each other. This is a critical opportunity here and a critical time and I think that's what's so exciting about today's announcement. So to mark this occasion, would you please join me in welcoming the Laquan dancers for a celebratory dance before we wrap up? Let's hear it one more time for our Laquan dancers, please. I can't think of a better way to close off an incredible announcement like this. Thank you again to everyone. It's been such an honor as well to be included. Thank you, Premier, for the opportunity to be here to be able to share, yes, this passionate day, I think, for all of us. So I'd like to close off the ceremony part, but invite the Premier and Minister Mark up to take any questions. Come on up. Well, thanks, Carol, and thanks everybody. But before we go, Gary, can you say Mammoth and Laquangan? Get back to me on that. Yeah. Thank you. Chuck, I'm sorry. Sorry, Chuck. Thank you. Oh, that's Mammoth. Oh, good. Sorry, Gary, you can stay Gary. Chuck. Anyone who's named Chuck is now Mammoth. Yeah, yeah. Thank you. So I think Lindsay is going to run the questioning. And I know that there will be questions outside of the scope of the announcement. I ask those who are here to be patient and feign interest in my answers. Please. Thank you, Premier. We have media in person today and we have media on the phone line as a reminder to media on the phone. Please press star one to enter the queue for media in the room. I'd ask you to go to the back of the room. There's a microphone to my left and if you can identify yourself if I don't recognize you, that would be great. So we are going to start in the room first. Mary Griffin. Hi, Premier. I just a question about the length of time that the museum has shut down. It is such a driver and tour in terms of tourism for the not just the city, but the region. And was it difficult to get the city and all tourism associations on side with the length of time that we're going to see this institution closed? Well, certainly, when you're dealing with building the scope of those that that which will be coming from this place, it's going to take some time and construction. It's a sensitive area. There's going to be some remediation work that needs to be done. Our archives, for example, or how many floors below sea level currently, which any jurisdiction that keeps their paper records below the water is going to be in for some trouble over the long term. So they will take some time for that. The minister's been engaging with tours in Victoria as well. Of course, Mayor and Council have been very helpful and cooperative in making sure that all of the permits and paperwork is going to be moving in a seamless way. But it is a significant undertaking and it's going to have an impact initially and over the course of construction. But Alicia has got a plan. The museum has a plan to be available within the community of Victoria, but as well as opening up opportunities for tourism engagements and other parts of British Columbia. So it's going to be a challenge, but we're excited about that opportunity. And I think everyone's going to be working together because at the end of the day, we're going to have such an extraordinary facility here. We're also proud of the place we are right now and to imagine it being better is hard, but it's going to be. And it's going to be state of the art is going to be virtual so that people across British Columbia can access the exhibits that only those who are physically here can do so now. I think that's a key component. So tourism will be stifled for a period, but expanding to a level that we've not seen before bringing more and more people to British Columbia. You want to add to that? Thank you, Premier. I will just add that the museum's been working really hard on traveling exhibitions, pop up exhibitions, walking tours. Really the campaign that we want people to get engaged with and get excited about is returning the walls inside out. And so to stay tuned with the museum is to visit their new website. We've launched a new website today so that people can be engaged and where the exhibitions are going to be throughout the province. But of course it is an economic driver for tourism, but it's going to be that much greater once this new state of the art building is complete. And the sequencing I just wanted to add for the audience. We've got the downtown site, but we're sequencing to get the archives out of here into the lease building so that we can quickly get those into the new collections and research building. It's a timing issue, which will eventually and hopefully ideally accelerate the project so that it's not 2030, but potentially earlier. So the drive is to do it as quickly as possible. But in our remarks, we're talking about 7 million archives. That's a lot. It's 27 kilometers worth of archives that we have to think of packing and moving clock. And it's not easy to pack mammoths. I love talking about that, but the mammoth might go. We're going to find Chuck in new home, maybe at the airport. We're not sure yet, but we are trying to have a presence of the exhibitions outside of outside of these walls. Thank you. Mary, do you have a follow up? I do just in terms of the cost is almost a billion dollars for a building. Is that is that typical for a museum of this stature? Well, I'll ask Alicia to step in for that, but it's two buildings for a billion dollars. We have the archive and collections building that's going to be located at Royal Bay and is being built. It's underway in Calwood. And then about, I said 800, Mel's already cut the budget to 789. So we're making money since earlier today. So it is a significant amount, but this is this is the place that will house the history, the collective history of all British Columbians, those who have been here for thousands of years and those who are just arriving. And that really is priceless. We will be working with the federal government. I've spoken to the prime minister about contributions that the federal government has made to other cultural buildings across Canada and why the Royal BC Museum should be in that envelope. There's a whole bunch of discussions going on in that regard. There will be fundraising taking place as well because this is such a passion and Victoria, but indeed across the province to protect and preserve and enhance our collective history. So it is a big number to be sure, but it's because of the sensitivity of the materials, as Minister Mark says, and also the difficulty of building on site while we're still trying to protect and preserve the documents. I don't know if Alicia you want to add to that. Let's I think the cost if we if we value the cost of building an accessible museum this one has one one elevator it's not accessible mass timber it's going to be the first vertical building within our mandate clean BC standards passive health standards all of those things you pay upfront to to invest in the long run it's in it's a generational investment so the business case informed that this is what it's going to take to cover off five buildings this land as we know it people are very familiar with the exhibitions building that we're in right now but it spans over eight six six hectares five buildings seven thousand seven million archives so collectively all those things are were considered when we reviewed the business case. Thanks. Next question is from Richard Smith global news. Premier gas prices are expected to hear hit record numbers tomorrow in Metro Vancouver, the BC Liberals have proposed a list of things you could do right now to help British Columbians save on gas prices. In the past, you've said that getting rid of the PST would just be gobbled up by the gas companies themselves we didn't see that in Alberta. So is that something you would consider considering the great success they had there and what else are you doing to help people who are feeling the pain at the pumps. Well I would I would disagree that we didn't see that in Alberta. We did see that. And again, removing taxes that are put in place to build infrastructure for transportation to whether it be transit roads bridges is short sighted and the proposal as I understand it is to borrow money to pay for those things so that we can reduce taxes on what is really a modest amount of the cost of a leader of gas at the moment. We've seen inflation and runaway costs because of Vladimir Putin's aggression in Europe in Ukraine and the consequences of that are destabilized markets and it's not just British Columbia or Alberta or Canada that's affected by this is an international phenomenon. We have taken steps through our public auto insurance company which is now solvent again and in fact reducing costs for the transportation public. I'm more concerned quite frankly about the inflationary impacts on other important life altering products like food. As the summer progresses so we're looking at a range of anti inflationary measures within government and to focus just on gas taxes is in essence saying we should borrow money that we would be collecting at the pump. The impact of the pump is not about taxes. The impact is inflation as a result of aggression and destabilizing of a market and you can't solve that by just taking a penny or two here. You need to solve that by encouraging people to find other ways to move around which they are doing and and also putting in place anti inflationary policy so that we can address those other issues that affect all of us not just drivers. The cost of our food and other things that are escalating because of the uncertainty internationally. Expect the anti inflation piece. Would you consider providing credits in the short term to support buying electric scooters or bikes or to pay for transit and just on this issue as well. Was there any consideration given to removing the name Royal from what the new building is going to become. Well just just on the cost of living issues. We've already made it free for people under 12 to use public transit that reduces cost. We eliminated tolls that the former government put on bridges in the lower mainland. We did away with medical services premiums which are again putting dollars back into people's pockets so that they can meet their immediate costs. The Minister of Finance has been tasked by me in the cabinet to bring forward a basket of initiatives because this is not a short term issue. We've seen the Russian leadership is not being deterred by almost universal condemnation by the global community. They continue to be aggressively destabilizing and indeed killing Ukraine's Ukrainians at this very moment. And so our hearts go out to those people in our homes are being opened up as we welcome thousands of Ukrainian refugees to join us into the Mosaic which is the diversity of our great province and country. But on the fundamental issue of how do we deal with destabilized world markets. We need to do that by all of us taking the steps that we can to reduce the amount we spend and also ensuring that we're working together. If you're going to the grocery store and you know you've got a neighbor that can need something ask if you can pick it up for them and reduce the number of trips that we take. We have seen destabilization as a result of the Atmospheric River this past fall where we had our supply lines completely completely disabled and British Columbians responded by not hoarding not being aggressive with each other but being collaborative and cooperative and that's what we're going to need to get through this. We will have measures to reduce costs for people but right now I encourage people to think before you hop in the car. Do you need to make that trip. Is there a way you can do it with a neighbor or someone who's going by. And with respect to the naming I'll leave that to the minister. The question of the name came up when we met with staff earlier today and it's come up in the past. We haven't made any decisions there. I think thank you for just emphasizing that we will be going to British Columbians and asking what a reimagined new modern museum should and could look like. And I imagine that we're going to get lots of suggestions on what the name should be. So it's not not determined yet. Next question is from Martin Bowman Capital Daily. Thanks. And my question is for the CEO. These have been a couple of difficult years for the museum that the previous two curators of indigenous collections have left pretty strong testimonies to the culture that they have experienced within these walls of systemic discrimination and racism with with the new building and project. How does the museum work towards something different in taking heat of some very serious concerns. In a collective and very concerted way. So we have mandatory training that is happening now but it's not just about the distilled training. It's about ensuring that we gather together and have an opportunity to digest that training and exercise the ideas. And ultimately we've had a lot of conversations internally about what will really support greater diversity with within the walls. And that's a very important component for us as we think about our staffing especially as we are looking to expand into different markets so to speak will be in different towns and we're going to be looking to make sure that we reflect the population that we are serving and that means a diverse team. So we're really thinking pointedly on that as we look forward with respect to hiring practices and also making sure that those individuals are represented at all levels of the museum. So not just siloed within the ICAR team but rather throughout the museum and all of the different roles. So there's that. But again back to the training piece. I think that that that piece is important but it's only effective if you're able to build a culture that is much more along the lines of a bystander culture where we've all internalized it. We understand what it means to work respective respectfully together and that we hold each other accountable. So it's not a policy procedure driven thing. It's actually a culture and personal driven thing. And that's the type of culture that we're really working on. And I have to say I've taken a very different approach from the previous leadership. I'm not hierarchical in nature. I'm very happy to be accountable. Very happy to lead but also really want to ensure that the team recognizes that they have a voice and that they're valued and that they're empowered to do their work. And with that comes a much more trusting environment. And I think we're getting there. It's been two months but people are getting to know me and I speak quite openly about the culture and the values that are expected. I think it's something that the team has been really hungry for. So it's it's been an honor and I'm looking at some of the team that are here with us today and I'm just so grateful to get to work with them and we know we're going to go through this together. Martin do you have a follow up? One follow up to do with repatriation. I've heard it mentioned a few times already today. Could you speak to the priority placed on repatriating items within museums collection to nations across this province? Yes. So that is a very important priority obviously for us. The repatriation activity will continue. The team is working very hard. They're currently working I think it's approximate with approximately 15 communities with respect to repatriation. And they've had a number of really wonderful experiences and successful repatriation events so far this year will continue with that. We continue to grow the team. We actually have postings right now. So if people are watching and are interested in the types of very purposeful work that we do here with respect to the Indigenous collections and research team and repatriation we'd love to hear from you if you are heart guided and you have an understanding of Indigenous culture. So we continue to grow the team. That's really the biggest challenge is making sure that we're finding the right fit for the team to do that work but we're diligently working at it right now. Next question is from Leslie. Time's coming. Well thanks. It was described a few minutes ago that this building at the end of its useful life and is 60 years like the life expectancy of a mid-century building? I'm curious about the factors that go into the decision to go all in and tear it down rather than some kind of renovation or something that could have been done maybe a bit cheaper and kept parts of it open. What are some of the factors in that decision? Well we're 60 years further down the road in our understanding of the technologies that are available to us to protect and preserve artifacts and archival materials for one. So we have more experience and understanding about what steps we can take in a new building to protect and extend the life cycle for artifacts and archival materials. So that's one component. We do know already that this was constructed prior to a full understanding of the need for seismic reinforcement. There were a number of overtures over the past number of years. Less you'll know them. I'm sure you chronicle many of them about how best to extend or expand the life cycle for this site and this building. And we looked at it. Firstly Minister James and now board member James, Minister Mark and the entire cabinet looked at work that had been done in the past by and I've already referenced Pauline Rafferty, former CEO. Jack Lohman had ideas as well about how best to utilize the space. So we made a decision based on what we thought would be in the long term interest in protecting these special pieces of our collective history and the conclusion was this was the best way forward. It will be challenging. There was no illusion there and CEO Dubois came into the job knowing where we were going and how and we're using her expertise to help navigate that road going forward. But we fully expect a challenge in the short term, but the benefits over the long term will be enormous and that's why we made the decision to proceed. Yeah, the very tough couple of years for this institution. I recognize all the sensitivities that CEO Dubois just outlined. But one of the flash points in the argument recently was the old town exhibit. Is there room in the new vision and the new building for the old town exhibit or is it gone for good. Well, I've been in this building a billion times. I've walked through that exhibit every time and I'm yearning for something new. I'm not yearning for forgetting about that point in that moment in our history. But it's rejuvenating and using new technologies and techniques that will allow us to tell the story of European expansion and colonization. And it'll be able to allow us to tell the story about not just that period in our history less, which was an important one, but many, many others that have come since then. I have been silent on the various criticisms about the changes that we've been proposing. It's never been about a racing history. I mean, I'm a student of history. I'm passionate about history in all of its forms, but we need to tell all of the stories. We need everyone who makes up the diversity of our province and the pieces that they've left behind. They need to be here on display. Seven million pieces. They can't all be shown today. But if we have a system where we have an archives and collection facility that can care and curate those pieces and exhibit display in the heart of our capital city, I think that's going to be a great outcome for everybody. But it's never been about a racing anything. I mean, if people, I've got imprinted in my mind the old town, I could draw it and I have no artistic ability. But I've seen it so many times that I and I enjoyed it most of the time. But then I was running through it to see what was new. And I think for those who are passionate about the museum, having that ability to be changing all the time, not in a way of saying, we're closing the door on that chapter of history. We're looking at that chapter in a different way. That's the way I like to look at it. And I think that argument quite frankly has been lost from the debate on the pages of your newspaper, on the editorial page. A lot of people have got a lot of opinions and we acknowledge those opinions and we hear them. But Minister Mark and I knew we were on a path that was going to be spectacular and mammoth Chuck, as we've learned today. And so to be able to engage in debates with those who feel passionate about Old Town when they were giving us motive beyond what the motive was, the motive was we are going to be putting a new building here. And will a components of Old Town be there? Certainly the story will be, but will we be able to send a telegraph? I'm not sure. We will now go to the phone lines. First question is from Lizzie Eustace, City News. Hi there, Premier. I just want to go back to gases and I'm just wondering gas taxes, I should say. I'm wondering how much BC's bottom line is ultimately benefiting from the increased taxes coming in from increased gas prices. And wondering is there not some way that the government could put that money back in the pockets of people who are not just struggling paying at the pump, but also as you were mentioning paying for groceries and other services and goods that are increased because of the increased gas prices. Well, many of the taxes that are built into our fuel are not, they don't go up as the cost of fuel goes up their sets. Last April, the carbon price went up one penny. It didn't go up more than that. It went up one penny. At the pump, the price went up 20 cents because of the incursions in Ukraine, and it went up even further again as a result of scarcity in the marketplace. We can't respond as a government every time there is an inflationary element in the economy. But we have been taking steps and I think that we look at what we've done with respect to the traveling public with ICBC. Insurance rates are 20% lower than they were when we formed governments. There have been three rebates to policy holders who are drivers in the past 18 months. And we have more initiatives that are going to be coming. I really, really think that people understand that. The vast majority of people realize that the taxes are fixed. The PST and the GST would rise with the commodity price and we can take a look at that. I encourage the federal government to take a look at that as well. There are a number of initiatives that we should be doing collaboratively. But at the end of the day, we want to see the prices come down because this artificial spike as a result of scarcity goes away. And the liberal proposal to do away with carbon pricing is shocking because all of us know that after the fires and the floods and the heat dome and the atmospheric river that we have an obligation to press on with climate initiatives as we are doing with building this new facility. With passive principles and as environmentally focused, climate change focused as we possibly can. So I fully appreciate that drivers are looking at $2.20 a liter and going, my goodness, I've never seen that in my lifetime. Is that the end? And our answer is we're not sure. We have done work with the Utilities Commission so that we can make sure that we're not being gouged at the pumps. We have had in my 17 years in the legislature as oil prices, gas prices go up. I participated as an opposition member myself, shaking my hand at the government saying, what are you going to do something about that? And I recall the then finance minister now opposition leader saying, there's nothing I can do about that. So, you know, we can all take our positions today. We're looking at reducing costs for British Columbians. We've been doing that since we were sworn in. And to focus just on this one commodity, which is a hot button issue loses the whole story and the whole story is we need to build infrastructure. We do that through gas taxes. It's not just this government. It was the one before us and the one before that and the one before that. This is not new. This is something that happens regularly, but never with the magnitude that we've seen now. And it's a direct result of a dictator's assault on his neighbors. Lisa, do you have a follow up? Yes, I'm wondering if there is some point at which, you know, you mentioned the 220, it's expected that it could potentially go as high as 230 in some cities. Is there a point at which something would be done? And I'm also wondering if you can talk a bit more what you mentioned in your answer to Richard, you talked about the basket of initiatives. You know, because you're mentioning people need to think before they hop in the car, but it's often not that easy, especially now when it's hard to get vehicles. So I'm wondering if you can talk a bit more about what is going, you know, what could be offered to incentivize people to look at other options? Is there anything more that could be done? And is there a point at which the prices would be so great that government would have to do something like a more general kind of rebate? Well, we have, as I've said, we were early out of the gate using our public auto insurance corporation to find a way to get money back into driver's pockets. We have other measures that we're looking at to address the inflation that's going to hit our food, that's going to hit other products. We've got the highest prices we've ever seen for lumber in British Columbia for other raw materials that benefit all of us when the prices are high, unless we're going to buy something. If you want to buy a 2x4, not a good day to do that. But we're not suggesting that we're going to change stumpage rates or taxation on building products. So I appreciate that gasoline's front and center, we drive by a number that's rising every day, but we're looking at a broader picture. We've already addressed the early spike in costs at the pump, and we're going to continue to look through the finance minister at what ways we can put money back into people's pockets. And again, encourage the federal government. And I know the prime minister is focused on this as well, using the Bank of Canada and other monetary tools that they have at their disposal that provinces do not. To try and do something about the inflation that we're all experiencing, not just at the gas pumps, but in every facet of our lives. And our last question today is from Christopher Reed, APTN. Hello there. A question for the CEO, Alicia Dubois. You mentioned earlier, you mentioned repatriation and the minister also talked about UNDREP and TRC and the calls to action. So I wanted to ask you about New Hawk Chief Derek Snow, the hereditary chief, who is asking for his great grandfather's totem pole back from the museum. As I'm sure you're aware in 2019, the then CEO, Jack Lohman, said it should be returned, but it still hasn't been returned more than two years later. So now, of course, Chief Snow has filed a statement of claim against the museum with the BC Supreme Court. And I guess my question is, where do you stand on Jack Lohman's pledge to Chief Snow? I think since Jack spoke to it, things have become a bit more complicated. And so what we find sometimes with repatriation is that there are many different interests with respect to certain objects that we need to be very respectful of and we can't be patronizing about. And so I can't get into the details because it is an active file, but all to say our intention is to always do the right thing and repatriate appropriately. At this point, there are just some details that need to be ironed out for us to know precisely how to proceed so that we are not actually in the traditional patronizing position. Christopher, do you have a follow up? Yes. How much, how much a part of the museum's new vision will be about repatriation moving forward? Well, repatriation has been actually quite important for the museum for a couple of decades. It's been activity that has been quite central actually to the institution. So that is certainly not going to change. What we have found, of course, is that there's a lot of demand and so we need to be able to respond to that. That simply means a greater size team, which we're working on, making sure that we have the expertise available to be able to be effective and efficient and sensitive in that way. And the commitment and the desire and the intention to do all of that work in a very efficient and effective way is certainly not going anywhere. It's going to remain very pivotal to what we do. That's all the questions we have for today. Thank you for joining us.