"There is a feeling that in 35 years (since Unicity), the city has never had a real museum policy," said city records manager and archivist Gerry Berkowski, who chaired a six-member heritage preservation committee that authored the new museum policy. "The museums have felt that nobody has spoken for them."

Ten are funded directly by the city and five more, such as the Manitoba Museum, receive city cash via the Winnipeg Arts Council. Total city spending on museums in 2005 was about $920,000, said Coun. Gord Steeves, who sat on the heritage preservation committee.

There are also 30 more Winnipeg museums that don't receive money from the city. They include art galleries, athletic halls of fame, historical sites, industry museums and even the cannabis artifacts inside Notre Dame's Hemp Rock Café.