The province has announced it has secured an interim operator that will keep the doors open at a historical landmark in Victoria, the Point Ellice House.
MARCH 2023: Point Ellice House, historic Victoria landmark, announces closure
Earlier this year, the Vancouver Island Local History Society took to social media to announce the site would be closing after, following a challenging number of years as its previous operators navigated the pandemic and a lack of financial support from the province.
Following news of the closure, the province said it would begin a search for a new operator that would take between to to three months.
Friday, the province announced that it had assigned a new interim operator for the site.
“Point Ellice House belongs to the people of British Columbia, and we are committed to keeping this important heritage site open for locals and visitors,” said Lana Popham, Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport. “We are excited the Forager Foundation will reopen this special heritage site and continue to keep its rich history accessible to everyone.”
Just months before the pandemic hit, the historic site changed ownership. Despite facing turbulent times, such as experiencing $5,000 in flood damage last February, the site had managed to continue to operate, until the unfortunate news of the closure was released in March.
In a tweet, the National Heritage Site’s director apologized for the closure saying that despite his best efforts, the trajectory of the facility could not be changed.
At the time, the group running the property was receiving $80,000 from the provincial government to continue its operations, however, a 2007 report called The Provincial Heritage Properties Sustainability Study showed that Point Ellice House needed $236,000 per year to continue operating.
In 2021, the Vancouver Island Local History Society wrote a letter to the province requesting long-term sustainable funding, and in 2022, then-Mayor Lisa Helps wrote a letter to the province asking for financial support for all provincially owned heritage sites.
At the time of the announcement of the closure, the B.C. government said in a statement that it was committed to protecting heritage resources but needed to balance that with maintaining other heritage sites that require ongoing funding.
WATCH: Historic Point Ellice House could close due to a lack of funding
CHEK News
