The Canadian Canoe Museum in Peterborough, Ontario has opened its new building, a 65,000 square foot building on its five-acre campus on Little Lake between Toronto and Ottawa.
The museum is on land that is territory of the Williams Treaties First Nations and visitors will also see and hear Indigenous languages and voices from the moment they enter the Museum. The local Michi Saagig dialect of Anishnaabemowin is used throughout the building and in its exhibits alongside English and French.
Highlights of the new campus include
- A 65,000-square-foot Museum and Lakefront Campus with a canoe house, gathering circle, campfire pit, accessible boardwalk, a walk-in canoe launch, an adaptive canoe and kayak launch and two expansive seasonal docks to accommodate on-water and outdoor education programming.
- An integrated Collection Hall that allows for the display of 100 per cent of the Museum’s watercraft in a Class “A” controlled museum environment, an artifact conservation standard.
- 20,000 square foot Exhibition Hall featuring a brand-new suite of exhibits.
- Accessible Library and Research Room with Class “A” archival storage.
- Authentic Artisan Studio and Canoe-Building Studio to facilitate hands-on learning for adults and youth.
- A premier event rental space featuring a sweeping view of the lake.
- Café with fireplace and adjacent Lakefront Terrace.
