Greater Sudbury to set aside up to $210,000 for museum review

The City of Greater Sudbury will set aside up to $210,000 for staff to develop a revitalization plan for the city's four museums.

Councillors voted unanimously on Tuesday to use one-time funding from the city's Capital General Holding Account Reserve to maintain museum staffing so they can develop a museum revitalization plan ahead of the 2023 budget.

The city operates four museums that have all remained closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

They are the Anderson Farm Museum in Lively, the Flour Mill Museum, the Copper Cliff Museum and Rayside-Balfour Museum, which is a small display located at the Azilda Public Library.

In 2018, the most recent year with available data, the museums welcomed 23,711 visitors. More than 20,000 of those were at the Anderson Farm Museum. 

Ian Wood, Greater Sudbury's executive director of strategic initiatives, told council the city has invested $2 million into the facilities for its museums over the last 10 years.

But Wood noted the city needs to review how it manages those four properties.

"There is a need for an overall reassessment of the role of museums within the municipal structure," he said.

"It's remained static for a long period of time, and staff recommend that council develop a clear vision for the future of museums."  

Ward 4 Coun. Geoff McCausland said a review of the museums and a new business plan are long overdue.

"What are we trying to accomplish? What are they trying to do to serve our community?" he told CBC News.

"I'm hopeful that this review will actually give us the answers to those questions as well as what it's going to cost."

Ward 12 Coun. Joscelyne Landry-Altmann said the Northern Ontario Railroad Museum and Heritage Centre could serve as a model for other museums in the city.

The city owns that museum's buildings and Landry-Altmann said it also provides it with $107,000 to cover its operating expenses.