View PDF - Royal BC Museum

Message from the Chairto the Minister ResponsibleOn behalf of the Board ofDirectors of the Royal BC MuseumCorporation, I am pleased to presentthe Corporation’s 2005–2006Annual Report.John Walton British Columbians trust theRoyal BC Museum to safeguardour collective historical record, and – through preservation,exploration and illumination – inspire successive generationsto understand and value our shared stories and our naturalworld.To fulfil this trust, the Royal BC Museum provides twodistinctive services to the people of British Columbia. Itsprimary service is to acquire record, preserve and interpretdocuments, recordings, artifacts, specimens and othertreasures of historical provincial significance. The secondis to share knowledge and the stories of British Columbiathrough exhibits, research and programming.The Royal BC Museum, like other cultural organizationsacross Canada, must balance the competing forces ofgrowing collections, rising costs for perpetual preservationand public expectations of relevance and redevelopmentagainst available funding.We were very pleased that during the past year, theGovernment of British Columbia provided for futuredevelopment of the Royal BC Museum through transferof title of its buildings and land. By assuming directresponsibility for its buildings and land, the Royal BCMuseum is able to more effectively manage its operatingcosts. Equally importantly, it provides the foundation fromwhich to attract the capital funding necessary to achieve thevision outlined in our Master Plan. This vision transformsthe Royal BC Museum into a vibrant provincial museumand archives and a nationally significant icon prepared toserve future generations of British Columbians.The years ahead promise to be ambitious, as the RBCMaddresses the twin challenges of protecting, interpretingand sharing British Columbia’s history while establishingthe development and capital structure necessary to financeand design its vision. With the support of the provincialgovernment, we look forward to realizing our full potentialto the benefit of all British Columbians.The 2005–2006 Royal BC Museum Corporation AnnualReport was prepared by the CEO and staff under Boarddirection in accordance with the Budget Transparency andAccountability Act. The Board has every confidence in theaccuracy of the report including the reporting of the actualperformance of the Royal BC Museum for the twelve monthsended March 31, 2006. All significant decisions, events andidentified risks, as of March 31, 2006, have been consideredin preparing this report.The information presented is prepared in accordancewith the BC Reporting Principles and represents acomprehensive picture of our actual performance inrelation to our service plan. The measures presentedare consistent with the Royal BC Museum’s mission,goals and objectives, and focus on aspects critical to theorganization’s performance.The Board, providing direction to the CEO, is responsible forensuring internal controls are in place to ensure performanceinformation is measured accurately and in a timely fashion.This report contains estimates and interpretive informationthat represent the best judgment of management. Anysignificant limitations in the reliability of data areidentified in the report.John WaltonChair, Board of DirectorsRoyal BC Museum Corporation