The Canadian Canoe Museum (CCM) announced today that it has terminated its lease agreement with Parks Canada for the land located alongside the Peterborough Lift Lock on the Trent-Severn Waterway at 353 Hunter Street East. This is where the new canoe museum was to be built. As announced in May of this year, this location, owned by Parks Canada, was found to contain an industrial solvent, the chemical compound trichloroethylene (TCE) in addition to a variety of other chemicals. This, together with the costs associated with clearing the contamination, the resulting unavoidable project delays and inevitable rising costs have rendered the site no longer viable for the new museum build.
“The Canadian Canoe Museum and Parks Canada have worked together to reach an amicable dissolution to the Lift Lock lease agreement at no additional punitive cost to the museum,” said Carolyn Hyslop, executive director, The Canadian Canoe Museum.
CCM is engaged in a proactive site selection process and is reviewing multiple alternative sites, located in Peterborough, to determine where it will construct its new museum. Feasibility studies and environmental assessments will be conducted before selecting the new site for the building of a new canoe museum. The project is expected to be shovel-ready by the end of 2021.
“We are in the process of identifying and selecting a new site for what will be a revised museum design that will complement the waterfront site selection. CCM is committed to being a key economic contributor to Peterborough and the Kawarthas,” noted Ms. Hyslop. “CCM remains dedicated to building a home that will permit us to share 100 per cent of our collection in a facility that meets conservation standards, to creating a new suite of exhibitions and to increasing opportunities for in-person, digital and on-water programming.”
Hyslop went on to say, “CCM is profoundly grateful to those who have supported our original build project. We had a beautiful, award-winning design that was perfectly suited for the Lift Lock location that is regretfully utterly non-transferable to another location.
“Recognizing the deep attachment and disappointment shared by all involved in the face of current circumstances, CCM looks forward to announcing the selection of a new site in Peterborough that will help us advance this important project by the end of the year.
“The Canadian Canoe Museum looks forward to delivering on the commitments to its current donors and funding partners who have expressed continued strong support for the new project to come as it creates a vibrant cultural attraction that welcomes visitors to walk into the museum through the front door and paddle out the back door,” concluded Ms. Hyslop.
