BMO Financial Group (TSX:BOM) is donating $750,000 to the Vancouver Aquarium’s capital campaign, the bank announced May 17.
The capital campaign aims to raise $100 million to pay for an expansion and complete rebuilding of much of the aquarium.
Canada’s largest aquarium has already landed $15 million from the federal government and $10 million from Victoria.
Teck Resources Ltd. (TSX:TCK) last year announced that it was giving the aquarium the largest corporate donation that the facility has ever received: $12.5 million. Of that, $10 million is earmarked to the capital campaign and the remaining $2.5 million is aimed at funding ongoing education, research and conservation programs
Other capital campaign funding comes from BMO competitor Royal Bank of Canada (TSX:RY), which has announced that it will donate $500,000.
Expansion currently underway includes:
a redesigned 47,000-square-foot expansion of the aquarium’s entrance gallery;
an outdoor, half-covered plaza that the aquarium can use for performances; and
a new indoor food service.
When that work completes next summer, a second phase will launch – one that will replace crumbling concrete in what is now the dolphin pool.
“In recognition of this generous gift of $750,000, the Aquarium has dedicated its latest feature, Jelly Invasion, to BMO with a stunning display called the BMO Jellyfish Bloom,” said the aquarium’s CEO John Nightingale.
See next week's issue of Business in Vancouver for a profile interview with John Nightingale.
