
An artist’s rendering of the future Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada at Winnipeg’s James Richardson International Airport. (HANDOUT)
WINNIPEG — The Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada has secured $1.2 million from the federal government for its new facility at Winnipeg’s James Richardson International Airport.
The museum will be a new and sophisticated facility to celebrate the impact of flying and aviation on Canada’s culture and heritage.
Funding under the Canada Cultural Spaces Fund was announced by Winnipeg MP Dr. Doug Eyolfson on behalf of Heritage Minister Melanie Joly Thursday afternoon.
Two North American design teams have been enlisted for the museum’s new look. Architecture 49 and Reich + Petch will work on the project. The two firms have designed exhibit spaces for Toronto’s Royal Ontario Museum, the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles, and the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.
“This Federal funding will help us build a new, world-class facility to celebrate the ‘Legends of Canadian Aviation’ — a remarkable story of adventure and innovation and an important contribution to Canada’s culture and heritage,” said Helen Halliday, president and CEO of the Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada.
The museum will work with private donors and all levels of government to secure the necessary funding before breaking ground.