Totems repatriated as Royal B.C. Museum prepares for two major exhibits

The third floor of the Royal B.C. Museum remains largely intact a year after it was closed to “decolonize” the province’s human history exhibits.

While some smaller items have been removed and stored — and some repatriated to First Nations — Old Town, the Discovery ship and the First Peoples Gallery remain in place, waiting for their stories to be told in a more inclusive way, museum chief executive Alicia Dubois said in an interview on Friday.

Dubois, a lawyer who was hired last year as the museum was under intense criticism for ripping out its most popular exhibits, launched the first public dialogue session this week, seeking feedback on how the provincial museum should be redesigned.

That consultation comes after a tumultuous year when the top-floor galleries, which represent a third of the museum’s space, were closed, and plans for a $789-million replacement building were announced with fanfare — then scuttled a few months later by then-Premier John Horgan after a massive public pushback.