Dust-Up with Edmonton Mayor over Museum Cash a Communication Gap, Says Ambrose

Public Works Minister Rona Ambrose said the government has not withdrawn any funding from the Royal Alberta Museum. Matthew Little/The Epoch Times

PARLIAMENT HILL, Ottawa—Public Works Minister Rona Ambrose told reporters Thursday that the government has not in fact withdrawn funding from the Royal Alberta Museum, an allegation levelled by outraged Edmonton Mayor Stephen Mandel.

Ambrose attributes the dust-up in part to some confusion about the amount of money the feds had pledged to the project.

Mandel told the Edmonton Journal he was “tired of being screwed” and deeply disappointed about $92 million in funding being withdrawn.

Mandel said the government didn’t even give the city notice about the change.

But Ambrose, the MP who represents Edmonton-Spruce Grove, said the government never committed to $92 million.

“I think there is probably a big gap in communication here, potentially between the previous provincial government and the new provincial government. And I think if everyone sits down and talks about this, they can probably figure out where that gap occurred.”

Ambrose said the day the project was announced for $340 million, the federal government was thanked for contributing $30 million.

“That is the amount we’ve contributed publicly to this project. ...We have not pulled any of our funding.”