HANGAR 14

I love the Alberta Aviation Museum. I have taken my family there to enjoy its unique aviation-related stories and displays, and learned about how intertwined aviation is in the history of Edmonton. I also know that there are many Edmontonians and people from around the world that have a special place in their heart for this unparalleled tribute to aviation history. Along with many of you, I also want it to stay where it is, in Hangar 14. It is an absolutely unique opportunity to experience historical aviation artifacts in the space where much of that history was made.  

I understand that the motion I passed at City Council earlier this month left many people with the opposite impression of my intent. I'm hoping this post can clear up my perspective and put minds at ease about my hoped-for direction for Hangar 14 and the museum.

City Council was presented with a report that indicated that Hangar 14 is in need of significant repair and renewal to remain safe and functional. The number before Council was a total of $41m, $30m of which would need to be spent over the next four year budget cycle. 

One course of action I could have taken would have been to make a motion that an unfunded service package be brought to City Council's four year budget deliberation process coming up this fall. There are a few reasons why I opted not to take this approach. 

We know that our upcoming fall budget deliberations are going to be difficult. We are working within very constrained capital budgets and there will be a number of tradeoffs that Council will have to make on behalf of Edmonton and its residents. In addition to creating another 6 months of uncertainty for the Aviation Museum, I believe there was significant risk that the funding package would not have received support from a majority of Council given the many pressing priorities facing our budgets. 

Instead of this approach, I made the following motion: 

That Administration implement a disposition strategy that maintains the public museum use within Hangar 14 including but not limited to partnering with other orders of government and private partners and that the strategy is limited to a maximum of two years at which time disposition options without conditions would be pursued.

This motion allows City staff to start work to figure out revenue and partnership opportunities to keep the Aviation Museum in its home in Hanger 14. I truly believe there are a range of fruitful options that could emerge. The recent precedent of Hanger 11 where a private group was able to assume the restoration work of this historic building is an excellent example of what might be possible when we get creative. The ultimate goal is to have the Alberta Aviation Museum in a safe, secure Hangar 14 that is not owned by the City and therefore not subject to the stresses of its budget processes and decisions.

While I'm optimistic for the future of the Aviation Museum in Hanger 14, this experience has certainly highlighted some important lessons that I'll be taking forward. The first relates to the importance of providing non-profits with more certainty about their leases when housed in City facilities. The other is ensuring that we invest in the stewardship of City-owned historic buildings and sites. Currently the City has no dedicated program or budget for these assets which, as we’ve seen with Hanger 14, can lead to deferred maintenance and even loss of these important parts of our collective history. As part of Executive Committee in March, I supported a motion to have City staff develop an implementation plan and budget for this work and look forward to seeing the planned approach later this fall.

I will also continue to advocate for the Aviation Museum and will work hard to keep it at home in Hanger 14, in the heart of Edmonton, Ward O-day’min.