The view inside the Canadian Museum for Human Rights is breathtaking according to visitors, but the museum's balance sheet isn't as attractive.
The museum is facing a deficit because of a tax bill from the City of Winnipeg. The city and federal government recently settled a long standing battle over how much money Ottawa should pay in municipal taxes for the museum, which is located at The Forks.
An $8 million lump sum has been paid, minus an operating surplus of $1 million, leaving the CMHR with a $7 million shortfall.
"We want to see that those payments occur, it helps us with, it helps the bottom line for the City of Winnipeg,” Mayor Brian Bowman said.
Museum CFO Susanne Robertson said city taxes were never considered when the federal government agreed to cover annual operating costs of $22.7 million.
Robertson is optimistic Ottawa will come to the table with more money starting next year to ensure the museum can keep up with the times.
"The costs to run a digitally based museum are much more known now, the staffing that's required, the replacement of digital equipment, which has a fairly short life span,” Roberston said.
The Trudeau government said it is aware of the financial pressures facing national museums, adding it wants to discuss the challenges and evaluate possible solutions.
