Wealth, Creation, Preservation and Donation (WCPD Inc.) attended the grand opening of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights (CMHR) last month after helping to secure millions in donations.
The big event in Winnipeg, representing years of development and more than $350 million in investment, was indeed the hottest ticket in town, with museum staff turning away thousands of people. The CMHR is the first national museum ever to be located outside of Ottawa and the National Capital Region.
Peter Nicholson, the president and founder of WCPD Inc, was asked to join the board of CMHR earlier this year.
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“I am very honored to be part of such a worthwhile project. I think the CMHR building is an absolute work of art, and every Canadian should go see it. Most importantly, it is a museum that focuses on the importance of never forgetting every human’s right to freedom and dignity,” he said.
The museum’s abstract design is punctuated by the “Tower of Hope”, a dramatic spire protruding from the centre of the museum, which offers a panoramic view of downtown Winnipeg.
Through WCPD’s philanthropic and tax reduction business, the firm was able to generate millions in additional donations for museum’s construction. Nicholson has also made a personal donation of $50,000.
Originally conceived by Izzy Asper, the founder of Canwest, the CMHR was launched as a private initiative in April 2003. Four years later, Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced that the government would make it a national museum.
With funding from the the city of Winnipeg and the federal and provincial government, the “Friends of the Museum” has raised more than $150 million in private donations across Canada.
The museum is located at The Forks, which is a junction of the Red and Assinboine Rivers that was a gathering spot for aboriginals thousands of years ago. CMHR features a dozen permanent exhibits touching on human rights issues past and present, and around the world, including zones commemorating the Holocaust and Aboriginal Peoples.