Canadian Museum for Human Rights posts nearly $7 million deficit

CTV National News: Museum $7M in debt A Canadian museum trying to preserve the past is struggling to pay the bills. Jill Macyshon reports.

The Canadian Museum for Human Rights is reportedly almost $7-million deep in the red, just two years after it opened its doors. Now, the first national museum built outside the nation’s capital in nearly half a century needs more money from Ottawa.

The one-of-a-kind building full of multimedia galleries on history’s wrongs regarding human rights receives $21.7-million per year from the federal government to cover operating costs, salaries, and the price of exhibits.

However, the agreement under which it receives those funds did not factor in property taxes -- including $8-million owed to the City of Winnipeg.

The museum admits it has a cash-flow problem, but that’s not to say money isn’t rolling in. Revenue from admission, paid events, and merchandise has topped $3.6 million this year -- double the earnings from its first year.

However, the museum says that’s not enough to offset its annual tax bill and pay loans coming due.

“We do need additional money beyond the $21.7-million to run this museum,” Suzanne Robertson, the museum’s chief financial officer told CTV Winnipeg.

For now, a confluence of unknowns has put Canada’s national hub for human rights in need of cash.

The Liberal government has pledged $105.9-million in new spending over the next five years for Canada’s national museums, but there is no guarantee that the Human Rights Museum will receive enough to make up for its deficit. An announcement on how those funds will be spent is expected this fall.

Negotiations are also underway to replace the museum’s current federal funding commitment, which expires in March. Robertson would not say if the museum is asking for more than the current $21.7-million.

Asking Ottawa to make up for the current short-fall has been met with mixed reactions.

“We need to find a solution here that doesn’t involve constantly going back to the taxpayer. This is a lot of money and it’s unacceptable,” said Todd MacKay, Prairie Director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation.

Still, some seem willing to give more.

“Yes I would,” said one museum patron. “I just think it’s something the city should have, and it attracts tourists.”

With a report from CTV’s Manitoba Bureau Chief Jill Macyshon in Winnipeg