Big expansion at Yukon's MacBride Museum could begin as soon as this fall

TheMacBride Museum of Yukon History has plans to start construction on a new 1,700-square-metresection of the museum at its location in downtown Whitehorse as early as this fall.

"We're going to go to tender in the next few weeks and we're going to start construction this fall," said Patricia Cunning, executive director of the museum.

Design work for the expansion is already complete, andCunning says the space will be used for new exhibits.

"It's the story of Whitehorse as a working town," she said. "It's focused on our industrial history and on our people's history."

Yukon MPLarryBagnellsays that the expansion will also open up more room for the museum's Aboriginal exhibits "that are sort of cramped."

The federal and territorial governments say they will each contribute $3million toward the expansion. The federal contribution must be spent by March 31, 2017, while the territorial government's will come in the second year of the project.

"It's been a long standing hope of ours to expand so we can tell more Yukon stories to people, Yukoners and visitors alike," said Keith Halliday, board chair of the museum.

"It's taken a long time to get to this point.We're quiteexcited about the prospect of the new building."