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Donors contribute another $2.5 million to rights museum

By: Kevin Rollason

Posted: 05/8/2010 1:00 AM | Comments: 0 (including replies)

KEN GIGLIOTTI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Enlarge Image

Construction continues on the Canadian Museum for Human Rights at The Forks on Friday.

Two-and-a-half million dollars down, another $36.5 million to go.

The Friends of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights just received $2.5 million to help build the museum that's under construction at The Forks.

Two million dollars of the contribution is coming from a collective donation by Power Corp. of Canada, Great-West Lifeco Inc., London Life and Canada Life, and Investors Group.

In a statement, James Burns, director emeritus of Power Corp. of Canada, said "the new Canadian Museum for Human Rights will make a noteworthy contribution in both the Canadian and international context.

"We are pleased to be involved in the development of the important and meaningful asset that the museum will become."

The other $500,000 is coming from an additional contribution by MTS Allstream.

The company had already announced it would give $1 million, but during its annual meeting last week it hiked its contribution.

But Friends and its national campaign chairwoman, Gail Asper, still have another $36.5 million left to raise to get to the $150-million goal they set for private-sector donations. Last December, that amount was $40 million.

Even though the donations are the first major ones announced in months, Asper said she believes that not only will the goal be met, but also there will be an endowment fund in place when the museum opens in two years. The fund would help cover expenses for students from elsewhere to travel here.

"I'm very confident," she said on Friday from Toronto where she is meeting with potential corporate donors before flying for similar meetings in New York City next week.

"We're continuing to have terrific support on the home front as well as national support. I'm really pleased that the campaign has lots of momentum."

Last week, Paul Desmarais, chairman of Power's executive committee, personally pledged to match up to $500,000 in contributions from people or corporations in Quebec, Asper said.

Asper said the latest donations mean Manitobans -- individually and in corporations -- have donated 90 per cent of the private donations to date.

"They realize what it will mean to the local economy and for civic pride," she said.

Meanwhile, Great West Life also announced at its annual meeting in Winnipeg on Thursday it is investing $500,000 into the new downtown campus for the I.H. Asper School of Business while its parent company, Power Corp. of Canada, is matching it.

The business school will be located at 177 Lombard Ave., the heritage building that served as Great West Life's first head office in 1911.

kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition May 8, 2010 B2

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