N.B. Museum board denies backroom deal is in the works with Irving

The board of directors of the New Brunswick Museum has broken its silence after months of uncertainty over plans for a new home.

In an interview with Information Morning Saint John, board chair Kathryn Hamer denied a deal is in the works for a partnership with any members of the Irving family, refused to say whether Uptown Saint John is still in the running as a potential location and suggested the board has been given a bigger job than it wanted, but is up to the task.

In recent weeks, the former mayor of Saint John and the leader of the New Brunswick Green Party have gone public with concerns over the way the provincial government has been handling the museum replacement project.

The exhibition centre at Market Square has been closed for two years now, and in October its contents were moved into storage with no word on where or when a new facility will be built.

Legislative amendments were proposed in November to give the board authority to direct all aspects of the museum's management, renovations, maintenance and construction.

The board wanted more say in decision making, said Hamer, but "never asked for oversight responsibilities of this magnitude."

It's all "very new" to board members, said Hamer, but they have a wide range of experience, including in public accountability.

"I wouldn't want anybody to think this is going to be a rogue board because we are still accountable to government and to the people of New Brunswick for the way the money is spent."

The museum's books are audited every year and those audits are public, she said.

The board will have to meet all the regular fiduciary standards for government funding, said Tammy Scott-Wallace.

As to whether the board is too short-staffed to handle the project, Hamer said vacancies have been exaggerated.

There have been four openings for about a year, confirmed Scott-Wallace, and another four members' terms expired in September, but they are still serving.

It's possible they have applied and will be selected for renewed terms, said the minister.

It's also possible that the government will be appointing eight new members, which would represent a majority of its 15 seats, said Caraquet MLA Isabelle Thériault during an economic committee review of the proposed changes In the legislature Wednesday afternoon.

A call for new members closed Friday and received an overwhelming response, said Scott-Wallace.

A full complement of 15 is expected "in very short order," said Hamer.

New members will be chosen who have skill sets needed for the building project, she said, and a project manager will be hired as well.

Besides Hamer, the current board members are Emmanuel Elmajian and Pierre-André Fruytier of Saint John, Stephany Peterson of Quispamsis, Wayne Power of Rothesay, Catherine Isabel Eddy, Ian Baird and William Forrestall of Fredericton, Chief Hugh Akagi of the Peskotomuhkati Nation in Saint Andrews, Shawn J. McCarthy of Miramichi and Suzanne Coulombe of St. Quentin.

"We're a highly representative group of people," said Hamer. "I have no concerns about the composition of the board."

Oversight of the new museum project seems to be an "onerous responsibility" for a volunteer board, said Thériault.

Under the proposed amendments, it's also gaining the ability to deal directly with private-sector donors.

According to Hamer there's no ulterior motive for that.

The purpose is to meet "tight timelines" for government funding programs, she said, particularly federal.

"The board has had no discussions whatsoever with anyone in the Irving family," said Hamer.

"There's been no conversation about Irving direction of what we build, where we build and how we build and what's going into the museum and so on."

"I would say that those concerns at this point are misplaced."

Fundraising is done by a separate entity — the New Brunswick Museum Foundation, she said, and it has not yet begun.

The board has been relatively mum for so long because as government appointees they were bound to follow government guidance, said Hamer.

They've also been waiting for certain decisions to be made, she said.

"Now that some things have been decided, we will have a lot to talk about because things are going to happen very fast."

However, she's still not prepared to talk about what sites are being considered. "I certainly don't want to prejudice the debate at this stage of the game," said Hamer.

Public engagement will begin, she said, once there are design concepts and something specific to get feedback on. A number of locations have been considered in the last couple of years, said Hamer.

'Balancing expectations'

Some of the factors that have to be weighed include the amount of space available and whether there are sensitive or risky site conditions, such as wetlands or a high potential for Indigenous artifacts.

The conceptual drawings for the waterfront plan that was cancelled in 2018 by the Higgs government "looked lovely," she said, but the property was about 35,000 feet too small and had no room for collections to grow.

Storm surge is also an increasing concern with that type of site, said Hamer.

It would be "premature" to say whether Uptown Saint John is still in the running, she said."We're balancing expectations  for the entire province.

"It's the first chance in almost a century that we have to build a purpose-built home for the heritage artifacts of New Brunswick."

Meanwhile, artifacts are being stored temporarily at a brick building at 228 Lancaster Ave. and are accessible by appointment.

A considerable amount of upgrading has been done to the building, she said

"It's much better and much safer than any of the storage facilities we have currently been using."