OTTAWA,
CANADA – The Canadian Museum of Nature stages a grand reopening this
week
after a six-year, $216-million renovation that transformed the
castle-like stone
building from a damp and dingy relic into a state-of-the-art repository
and
showcase for the nation’s natural wonders. While other national museums
around
the capital are struggling with budget cuts by the Conservative
government, the
nature museum and its vast collections have been given a new lease on
life. With
significantly more of the museum’s 10.6-million-piece collection on
display,
many exhibits — old and new — will take a new tack, incorporating
environmental
and other current issues.