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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72"><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>Dear BCMA Members,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>I am sure that many of you heard about the federal announcement last week to undertake a study on the state of small museums in Canada in an effort to develop better solutions to support existing local and community museums. This action, taken by the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage as chaired by Dr. Hedy Fry, is a result of the efforts made by the CMA and museum sector representatives at <i>Canadian Museums Day</i> which took place in January on Parliament Hill. You can find the list of Standing Committee members and the agreement for the study <a href="http://www.parl.gc.ca/HousePublications/Publication.aspx?Language=e&Mode=1&Parl=42&Ses=1&DocId=8094374">here</a>. The CMA announcement of the study can be found <a href="http://museums.in1touch.org/company/roster/companyRosterDetails.html?companyId=29063&companyRosterId=51">here</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>The BC Museums Association is putting a focus on advocacy and as a result, we invested in sending Council Vice President, Tania Muir, to the Canadian Museums Day on your behalf. There she met with various political representatives, speaking about our issues in BC and those of museums in Canada. This was the second year in a row that the BCMA attended Museums Day in Ottawa, myself attending in 2014. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>Call to Small Museums: we want you!<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>The decision to commission a study is great news for small museums in BC and we would like to send the CMA a list of 5-6 institutions who would be willing to step forward to be a part of this study. Our aim is to pull together a representative list that conveys the story of smaller institutions that are struggling so that the Standing Committee can gain a strong understanding of our issues in BC.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>Would your institution like to be included? If so, please complete <a href="http://goo.gl/forms/J0Yf5wrGuf">this short questionnaire</a> no later than next Friday, March 4, 2016. <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>Thank you for your interest! We look forward to sharing further updates and announcements on this study, and our advocacy efforts, as we move forward.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>Best regards,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>Theresa Mackay<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:1.0pt;margin-left:1.0in'><span style='font-size:7.0pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:1.0pt;margin-left:1.0in'><b><span style='font-size:7.0pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif;color:#767171'><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:1.0pt'><b><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#767171'>Theresa Mackay<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:1.0pt'><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#767171'>Executive Director<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:1.0pt'><b><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:1.0pt'><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#ED7D31'>BC Museums Association || 675 Belleville Street, Victoria, BC, V8W 9W2<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:1.0pt'><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#ED7D31'>Direct: 250-356-5694 Main: 250-356-5700 <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#767171'>museumsassn.bc.ca<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#767171'>Join us for Conference 2016 in Whistler from Oct 12 – 14!<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>