The Canadian Canoe Museum (CCM) hosted a formal event, on October 16, 2021, celebrating the beginning of the building of its new world-class museum at the Johnson Property located at 2077 Ashburnham Drive in Peterborough, ON. Project donors, funders, partners and members gathered together at the property’s western point. The ceremony was broadcast on the Museum’s website at canoemuseum.ca.
“We are excited to celebrate the beginning of construction of our new world-class canoe museum in the company of our project partners, donors and funders and with our community as a whole,” said Victoria Grant, Teme-Augama Anishnabai Qway, chair, board of directors, The Canadian Canoe Museum. “These watercraft, conceived and built over millennia by the Indigenous Peoples of what is now Canada, were central to building relations between the First Peoples and those who arrived four hundred years ago from Europe, beginning our shared history. These beautiful and functional craft offer us a vehicle through which we can better understand and appreciate that history. That understanding is essential in producing the Truth upon which Reconciliation between the First Peoples and those who came later must be founded.”
The new museum will enable CCM to house 100 per cent of its collection in a building that meets Class A conservation standards, directly on the water, which allows for increased on-water and in-person programming while being a key cultural tourism driver in what will become a vibrant community hub on the Peterborough waterfront.
“It has been a long journey, and we are very excited that construction is starting. The new Canadian Canoe Museum is a welcome addition to the Peterborough/Nogojiwanong waterfront and will continue to be an important community asset,” noted Peterborough Mayor, Diane Therrien. “The new location and state of the art build will be an attraction for locals and tourists alike. The City is proud to be a partner in this exciting venture.”
The project is made possible by the generous support of the Government of Canada, Province of Ontario, the City and County of Peterborough, the Weston Family Foundation, along with other very generous lead donors and many donors from the community-at-large.
“CCM is incredibly grateful and proud of our extraordinarily successful fundraising of the last few months,” said Carolyn Hyslop, executive director, The Canadian Canoe Museum. “I’m overjoyed to announce that we have received significant donations, totalling $2M, from family foundations from across the country, affirming that this project, and our fundraising campaign, continues to have incredible momentum.”
Johnson Property is situated on Little Lake, north of Beavermead Park and south of the Parks Canada-Trent Severn Waterway head offices. The new canoe museum will be built on a flat portion of the property, away from the floodplain, on the open land along Ashburnham Drive so as to preserve the existing trail, shoreline and natural waterfront. The new museum slated for completion in 2023.
About The Canadian Canoe Museum (www.canoemuseum.ca)
With a world-class collection as a catalyst, The Canadian Canoe Museum inspires connection, curiosity and new understanding. In partnership with individuals, groups and communities – locally, provincially and nationally – we work to experience and explore all that our collection can inspire. This sees students opening their minds in our galleries; community members connecting through artisanry; people of all ages getting on the water and learning to paddle; and exhibitions and events that spark conversation and collaboration.
