A year after cuts, Western Development Museum going strong

Mar 6, 2013 | 10:53 AM

The province’s Western Development Museums are making the best of things almost a year after having to implement tough cost-cutting measures.

Decisions not to fill vacant positions, raising admission prices and shutting down on Mondays are some of the ways the museums have worked to trim expenses after getting no additional funds in the last provincial budget.

Western Development Museum (WDM) Executive director Joan Champ said the moves were necessary to make the museums capable of absorbing costs associated with inflation and eliminate their deficit.

“Because we’ve cut our expenditures, we’re no longer facing a deficit. It looks like we’re going to be in the black at the end of this year.” she said.

Champ said she is proud of the resilience of her staff over the last year, crediting them with making sure the museums have been able to keep up a high standard of programming for visitors.

“We haven’t suffered in the sense of having to cut back on what we offer to the public and that is our mandate, to preserve and interpret Saskatchewan’s history and that remains intact,” she said.

With the next provincial budget expected later this month, Champ said they have planned around a second year without a funding increase.

She says they are going to try their hand at fundraising, with the museum in Saskatoon teaming up with local country-rock band Wyatt, who recently filmed a video there.

“As a ‘thank-you’ to us, Wyatt has agreed to play at a fundraiser which we’re hosting on May 10,” she said.

Champ also noted that people can always show support for their local Western Development Museum simply by coming in for a visit.

“Just by coming through our door, it really helps us out a lot, I mean, every admission counts towards keeping the museum going and it demonstrates your support for the WDM.”

blevy@rawlco.com

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