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National Historic Site to bring 1920’s Mill Back to Life with New Immersive Multi-Media Show

The Government of Canada announced today that the Britannia Mine Museum is the recipient of a $1.4 million funding contribution under its New Building Canada Fund. This fund is in celebration of Canada’s 150th anniversary and will go towards the rehabilitation of the Mill Building, a National Historic Site on the Sea to Sky highway, as well as several other historic buildings that support the Museum’s popular education and tourism programs.

The Government of Canada funding, alongside another $2.8 million the Museum has fundraised from a supportive BC mining industry, will enable the Museum to further its programs and add an immersive multi-media Mill Show attraction that will tell the captivating story of the wide-ranging importance of the Mill when it was fully operational from the 1920’s until its closing in 1974. The new Mill Show will be completed for launch during the summer of 2019.

“We are extremely grateful for the support of the Government of Canada and the Province of BC for enabling us to continue to share the stories, history and significance of Britannia,” says Bob Dickinson, Chairman of the Britannia Mine Museum’s Fundraising Committee. “The Britannia Mine played an important role in BC’s social and economic success over its decades of operation, and it now is a great venue to discuss how metals from modern mining continue to play a very important role in our everyday lives.”

Over and above further rehabilitation of the Mill Building the funding will also allow for rehabilitation of surrounding infrastructure and other historic buildings, including:

• the Event Plaza outside the Mill as a gathering place for arts and cultural festivals;
  
• the creation of a Geoscience Lab where visitors can learn more about the successful water treatment and environmental remediation, leading to the revitalized Howe Sound.
  

One of the last gravity-fed concentrator Mills left in North America, the 20-storey Mill Building is an iconic feature that many recognize as they drive along the Sea-to-Sky highway. The Mill literally “rocked and rolled” in its hey day as it received raw ore from 200km of underground tunnels and produced copper and zinc concentrates to be shipped offshore for processing into metals. In fact, the Britannia Mine was the largest copper producer in the British Commonwealth in the late 1920s.

“As a Museum with many historic buildings, it is important to maintain, protect and extend the life of these Canadian artifacts to continue to tell the story of our country,” says Kirstin Clausen, Executive Director of the Britannia Mine Museum. “This generous federal funding will greatly enhance the Museum’s ability to develop and promote BC’s cultural heritage, and extend our programming and educational foundation.”

The Britannia Mine Museum was established in 1974 as a non-profit organization to celebrate the contributions of mining and minerals to society, the history of the storied Britannia Beach community and the ideas and practices of environmental renewal and sustainability.

Today, the Museum is multi-award winning and highly regarded, consistently receiving 4.5 stars (out of a possible 5) on TripAdvisor. It provides visitors with a unique blend of experiences, serving as a tourist destination, an adventure attraction and an education venue that allows guests to leave with a better understanding of mining in BC: its past, present and future.

Press release from the Government of Canada --

https://www.canada.ca/en/office-infrastructure/news/2017/03/new_attraction_andupgradesatbritanniaminemuseumtosupportcanadasc.html

Stay tuned on this development! We are thrilled to make this announcement.