B.C.’s Opposition Leader says if he becomes premier in 2024, the new Royal BC Museum in Victoria will never be built.

Speaking on NL Newsday, Kevin Falcon says if need be, he’ll stop the demolition of the current facility himself.

“I won’t allow that to happen. Even if I have to stand in-front of this thing to stop it I will,” Falcon said.

The province is spending $789-million on the new museum with the current facility set to close its doors in September. A satellite research and storage facility in neighbouring Colwood, announced two years ago, has also been budgeted at $224 million.

The building is seismically unsafe with two floors of the museum located underground. Addressing those two issues is adding to the high price tag, according to the government.

“It is not seismically safe. It has been, in my opinion, ignored by governments for the past 20 years,” Premier John Horgan said.

“I was briefed as an opposition member back in 2010 – the member [Falcon] was in cabinet at that time – and it was abundantly clear to the then CEO of the Royal BC Museum that something needed to be done to protect and preserve our collective history.”

A “modernized” Royal BC Museum is expected to open in 2030.

“I don’t want a whole generation of school children to not be able to visit what is a world class museum,” Falcon added. “Yes, it needs some updating. We can do the seismic work and we can update the exhibits no problem.”

Falcon says he’d be able to stop the project because he doesn’t believe the government will have made any progress on it by 2024.

– With files from Victor Kaisar