Manitoba Museum gets $5.3M for expansion project

The Manitoba Museum is getting a multi-million-dollar expansion to the space it uses for touring exhibits, nearly doubling the size of AllowayHall.

The space for the gallery will increase to9,700 square feet, giving the museum greater capacity to bring large world-class touring exhibitions to the province.

"The Manitoba Museum is a local treasure and it's important that we continue to support its efforts to showcase our history and heritage," said Manitoba's Sport and Consumer Protection Minister Ron Lemieux.

The Manitoba government is providing $3.8 million to the project, while the Government of Canada is investing $1 million and The Winnipeg Foundation has put up$500,000.

"The expansion of Alloway Hall is a very exciting step for our museum, which will allow us to bring in the biggest and best travelling exhibits from around the world," said Claudette Leclerc, the museum's executive director.

"The success of past exhibits such as Dinosaurs Unearthed, Real Pirates and Wrapped:The Mummy of Pesed have been a tipping point for the museum. We believea new, enlarged exhibition space is a major part of building an exciting and bold future for The Manitoba Museum."

The improvements include upgrades to the heating and air conditioning system, the replacement of acoustical ceiling tiles and installation of terrazzo floors, a new theatrical lighting system, a new sound system and new security cameras.

The majority of the renovation and expansion work is expected to be completed by the end of 2016.