Canadian Canoe Museum Announces $1.775 Million Transformative Gift for New Waterfront Campus

/

The Canadian Canoe Museum (CCM) announced Thursday a transformative gift of $1,775,000 to create a vibrant, community-oriented waterfront campus along the shores of the Museum’s future home at 2077 Ashburnham Drive.

Jeremy Ward (Curator), Rodger Wright (Fundraising Cabinet volunteer), Carolyn Hyslop (Executive Director), Stu Lang (donor), Helen Batten (Landscape Architect, Basterfield & Associates Ltd.) and David Hadden (Fundraising Cabinet volunteer) during a visit to the CCM’s future home. photo courtesy of the canadian canoe museum.

The Lakefront Campus and Gathering Circle, made possible by the philanthropic efforts of former CFL player and businessman Stuart (Stu) Lang and his wife, Kim, will offer visitors the chance to learn and build connections with the land, water, and community through immersive, authentic outdoor experiences that will create a new generation of paddlers.

The CCM's future home features a 5.3-acre Lakefront Campus that will extend and enhance the museum experience, offering visitors a variety of outdoor activities both on and off the water. The 1,200 feet of shoreline, docks, boardwalk, restored and naturalized spaces, and wetland will act as a multi-purpose outdoor classroom for learners of all ages and be an active community space.

"We are incredibly grateful and fortunate for the passion, vision, and generosity of the Langs. Stu has taken great pride in helping craft an active waterfront that can complement the Museum, with many of the ideas for the Lakefront Campus coming from Stu himself. This gift, confirmed in the fall of 2022, has grown to the transformative gift it is today because of the Langs’ commitment to excellence and elevating the CCM to a national level," said Carolyn Hyslop, executive director.

A Gathering Circle outside the Museum’s main entrance will greet visitors arriving by car, bus, bicycle, or on foot. Inspired by Canadian canoe routes and water's impact on the landscape, the Gathering Circle will feature natural elements, emphasizing the relationship between land and water. A water infiltration garden, wood slat benches, and a small amphitheatre surrounded by large granite boulders and white pine trees will offer visitors a space for reflection and education before or after their adventures.

The redevelopment of the waterfront will also include an accessible, year-round boardwalk connecting the CCM to the Trans Canada Trail and the shoreline. There will be many opportunities to get out on the water with a walk-in canoe launch, two expansive seasonal canoe docks, and an adaptive canoe and kayak launch station. The docks and Canoe House will allow the CCM to host voyageur canoe tours, adult and youth paddling programs, certification courses, regattas and canoe and kayak rentals for the public.

The Lakefront Campus is an entirely new offering for the CCM, one where visitors can take their newly acquired skills and understandings outside and put them into practice immediately, creating a fully integrated visitor experience.

“Participants in a paddle carving or canoe restoration workshop will experience the excitement of testing their freshly honed skills on the water. Schoolchildren and campers will get their hands dirty while exploring the biodiversity of the wetland or learning to build a campfire. Seating and signage throughout the site will encourage visitors and trail users to take in the expansive views of Little Lake before or after visiting the galleries. And the docks, canoe racks and a connection to the Trans Canada Trail will encourage community connectivity and active, accessible transportation,” continued Hyslop.

The Lang’s are highly respected members of the Guelph community, contributing to the Ontario Veterinary College (OVC), the Guelph Humane Society and Guelph General Hospital. They are well-known champions of Queen's University, their alma mater, and the University of Guelph, where the Lang School of Business and Economics is named after Stu’s father.

Stu had a successful eight-year professional football career with the Edmonton Elks in the Canadian Football League (CFL), winning five Grey Cups. He later joined the family business, CCL Industries, and worked there for 25 years before becoming a director of the company.

Stu and Kim also have a passion for camping and canoe tripping, having attended The Taylor Statten Camps in Algonquin Park. At these camps, they both developed a life-long passion and interest in canoeing, the outdoors, and educating youth about Canadian history.

"The Canadian Canoe Museum's world-class collection deserves an outstanding home. A fully realized Lakefront Campus and Gathering Circle are essential. They will showcase the canoe's incredible history and cultural significance and connect people to the land and water in a way that only hands-on experiences can. The new museum will be a place where people can come together, learn by doing, and be inspired by the stories and traditions of the canoe. It's an investment in our past, present, and future, and we are proud to be a part of it," says Stu Lang.

The Langs join a generous group of donors and funders across the country contributing to the Inspiring Canada by Canoe campaign, which has raised 95% of the $40 million cost for the project.

The new museum is made possible, in part, by the CCM’s lead donor and government partners, including the Government of Canada through the Department of Canadian Heritage and the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario), the Weston Family Foundation, the City of Peterborough, Peterborough County, and the Province of Ontario.

The new museum and waterfront campus are under construction, with an anticipated grand opening in late summer or early fall. For more information or to sign-up for updates, visit CCM's website.

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for PTBOBuzz newsletter here.

Silver Bean Café Becomes Canadian Canoe Museum’s Café Operator In New Partnership

/

Getting a latté at the Canadian Canoe Museum (CCM) is easier for next summer as they are bringing a Silver Bean Café location to the museum’s new site on Ashburnham Drive in a partnership announced on Thursday.

Photo courtesy of The Canadian Canoe Museum.

Also known as ‘Silver Bean Café on the Lake,’ the menu will consist of specialty sandwiches and salads, made-to-order breakfasts, bakery items and coffee and various grab-and-go options. Kawartha Dairy ice cream will be served in the summer while soup, chilli and other comfort foods in the winter. The café will be licensed to serve alcohol.

“We were searching for an energetic, warm and welcoming team with proven experience to manage and operate the museum’s new café, that was also community-minded and would work with us to enhance our visitor experience,” says Carolyn Hyslop, CCM executive director.

The café will offer tourists, surrounding neighbours and the general public delectable delights year-round.

Silver Bean Café is expected to be open seven days a week during the museum’s hours of operation.

The space will be able to accommodate 30 people seated inside and 32 outside on the terrace.

“It is exciting to be able to provide a location that will be open all year round and maintain a presence on another beautiful Nogojiwanong/Peterborough waterfront with stunning indoor and patio options,” said Dan Brandsma, Silver Bean Café owner. “We feel we have a natural affinity to the museum’s values/culture and (the) waterfront location and will do our utmost to add to the experience with fresh, local and delicious food and drink offerings.”

The King Street location at Millennium Park is continuing to operate seasonally (typically from May to Oct.). Oct. 15 is the last day of operation for 2022.

Canadian Canoe Museum Granted Viceregal Patronage By Governor General Of Canada

/

The Canadian Canoe Museum (CCM) announce that Her Excellency the Right Honourable Mary Simon, Governor General of Canada, has granted Viceregal Patronage to the Museum.

File Photo.

The granting of viceregal patronage is a longstanding tradition, with governors general granting support through patronage to recognize exceptional contributions to Canadian society. Her Excellency was sworn in on July 26, 2021, as Canada's first Indigenous Governor General and has focused her efforts on reconciliation.

The Canadian Canoe Museum, located on the Traditional Territory of the Williams Treaties First Nations in Peterborough, Ontario, stewards the world's largest collection of canoes, kayaks, and paddled watercraft. The CCM is currently building the collection, declared a cultural asset of national significance by the Senate, a new home on the waterfront of Little Lake in Peterborough.

As part of the exhibit design and development process, the Museum has invited Indigenous peoples to share their stories in their own voices. The CCM is reconnecting the watercraft to their Indigenous communities of origin, and has developed a collaborative relations process to work together to care for the canoes and share the cultural histories and stories held within the collection.

"We believe that as sites of cultural and historical preservation, museums play a key role in shaping our understanding of our past and collective future," said executive director Carolyn Hyslop. "Indigenous peoples around the world designed, built, and used the first canoes and kayaks. These vessels retain their enduring connection to Indigenous cultures across Canada and are powerful living embodiments of knowledges, languages, and beliefs. Through the collaborative relations process, we are working with communities to share these stories, perspectives, languages, and voices throughout the new exhibits and museum."

An example of this commitment, exterior and interior signage in the new museum will be trilingual, featuring English, Michi Saagiig Anishnaabemowin (the local Anishnaabemowin dialect), and French. Additional Indigenous languages will also be featured in exhibits relating to specific watercraft.

The CCM has also commissioned new canoe and kayak builds from Inuit and First Nations communities and builders. These commissions will fill gaps in the Museum’s collection, allowing for a greater diversity of stories to be shared, and traditional knowledge to be preserved and passed down to younger generations.

The new museum, expected to open summer of 2023, will feature an accessible Collection Hall displaying 100 percent of the Museum's collection; a 20,000 square-foot Exhibition Hall with brand-new exhibits; a Lakefront Events and Education Centre; an Artisan and Canoe-building Studio to facilitate hands-on learning and DIY workshops; a Library and Research Room that will allow for the recording of oral stories; a Lakefront Canoe House and dock for on-water and outdoor education programming and more.

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for PTBOBuzz newsletter here.

/ /
,

Guest User


Free Admission To Canadian Canoe Museum On Sunday, National Canoe Day

/

The Canadian Canoe Museum is celebrating national Canoe Day on Sunday by offering free admission to the museum.

File Photo.

June 26th was coined National Canoe Day by The Canadian Canoe Museum following a CBC campaign that, in 2007, declared the canoe one of the Seven Wonders of Canada.

This will be The Canadian Canoe Museum’s final National Canoe Day celebration at their current location before they make the move to their new home on Ashburnham Drive.

This year, The Canadian Canoe Museum will be celebrating virtually and in person at the Museum so that those near and far can participate.

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for PTBOBuzz newsletter here.

/ /

Guest User


Canoe Museum is Seeking Donations to Help Move Their Collection

/

As the Canadian Canoe Museum prepares to move locations they are seeking the publics help in moving more than 600 canoes and kayaks, along with hundreds of paddles and artifacts.

On Monday, the museum launched their public fundraising campaign.

Before the move begins, every vessel and artifact requires detailed cleaning, documentation, stabilizing, packaging, transportation, a quarantine and inspection process and installation in the new museum.

The museum is asking the community to donate to help cover the cost of the rigorous process of moving.

They have highlighted four different levels of contribution.

The Great Portage contribution ($5,000) supports the transfer of the largest vessels cared for in the Museum’s collection (ranging from 25’ to 53’ long). This group of watercraft range from great cedar dugouts representing First Nations of the Pacific Northwest region to 15-person flatwater sprint “war canoes” used by racing clubs, to enormous Fur Trade era canoes.

The Big Lift contribution ($2,500) supports the transfer of the Museum’s large-sized canoes and kayaks from across Canada and around the world (measuring from 18 to 25 feet in length).

The Solo Carry contribution ($1,000) supports the transfer of the largest cohort of canoes and kayaks represented in the Museum’s collection (measuring up to 18” in length).

The Paddle & Pack contribution ($100-$500) supports the transfer of more than 500 paddles and other related equipment like canoe and kayak-making tools, food harvesting equipment, expedition gear used over centuries and canoe sailing gear.

To donate to the campaign click here.

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for PTBOBuzz newsletter here.

/ /

Guest User


Canadian Canoe Museum Completes Purchase of Johnson Property and Signs Construction Contract

/

The Canadian Canoe Museum (CCM) has completed the purchase of the Johnson Property from the City of Peterborough announced on Wednesday.

File Photo

File Photo

The Johnson Property, located at at 2077 Ashburnham Dr., is the site where the CMM will build its new world-class museum slated for completion in 2023.

City Council approved the direction to proceed with the sale of the land in January this year. The sale was subject to a number of conditions including rezoning, project validation and confirmation of site appropriateness, all of which have been met to the satisfaction of both CCM and the city.

CCM paid $1.575 million for the five acres of land.

“I am pleased to see the completion of this transaction for the property that will be the future home of The Canadian Canoe Museum. I am very much looking forward to the building of this exciting project in Peterborough’s Ashburnham Ward,” said Councillor Gary Baldwin, City Council’s representative on The Canadian Canoe Museum Board.

CCM intends to sell its current property at 910 Monaghan Rd. to help fund the project in addition to a fundraising campaign that has raised just over 82 per cent of the $40 million needed to complete the overall project.

“Canadian Canoe Museum is thrilled to have completed these critical milestones so that we may commence with construction as planned in October,” said Carolyn Hyslop, CCM, executive director. “Our project team is working at lightning speed to stay on schedule so that we may be ready to open the new museum in 2023.”

Having completed project validation, CCM is now moving into a contract for continued design and construction of the new facility. The Museum marked the occasion by signing a CCDC30 Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) contract on Monday with Chandos Construction Ltd. and Lett Architects Inc., valued at $27,363,383.00.

This agreement allows for the commencement of design services and construction work associated with the building of the new museum on the Johnson Property.

Project partners include:
Architect: Lett Architects Inc., Peterborough, ON
General Contractor: Chandos Construction Ltd, Toronto, ON
Structural Engineering: LEA, Markham, ON
Mechanical Trade Partner: Kelson Mechanical, Sharon, ON
Mechanical and Electrical Engineering: DG Biddle & Associates, Oshawa, ON
Electrical trade partner: Lancer Electric, Peterborough, ON
Civil Engineer: Engage Engineering, Peterborough, ON

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.

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for PTBOBuzz newsletter here.

/ /
,

Guest User


New Canadian Canoe Museum to Feature Languages and Voices from Indigenous Communities

/

Visitors to the new Canadian Canoe Museum (CCM) will see and hear languages and voices from Indigenous communities the moment they step into the museum.

Kokomis Tchiman, a 26-foot long birchbark canoe built by Marcel Labelle, Métis elder and canoe-builder from the Mattawa Ontario region, sits on display in the Canadian Canoe Museum’s collection storage centre. Photo by Fusionriver Photography.

Kokomis Tchiman, a 26-foot long birchbark canoe built by Marcel Labelle, Métis elder and canoe-builder from the Mattawa Ontario region, sits on display in the Canadian Canoe Museum’s collection storage centre. Photo by Fusionriver Photography.

The new home for the CCM, set to break ground this fall and open in 2023, will feature a 17,000 square foot exhibition gallery that will share the history and enduring relevance of the canoe and kayak.

With a significant gift of $500,000 over five years from TD the Museum will work directly with individuals in eight Indigenous communities. The funding also enables the CCM to hire an emerging Indigenous museum professional.

These actions will help ensure that knowledges, perspectives and voices from Indigenous communities are directly represented in the exhibitions and educational programming.

“The CCM has a deep commitment to collaborative relations with the Indigenous communities of origin across Turtle Island (Canada) for the watercraft in the Museum’s collection,” said curator Jeremy Ward.

Building outwards from relations with Curve Lake, Hiawatha, Alderville and Scugog ­– local Michi Saagig First Nations on whose territory the CCM resides ­– the Museum will work with Inuit communities in northern Labrador and Nunavik, Mi’kmaq in the east and the Haida Gwaii Museum in the west.

In each community, the Museum’s team will gather knowledge about canoes and kayaks, their roles in resource harvesting, changes caused by settlement, and the resurgence of Indigenous watercraft-making and use as part of community healing.

“All work supports languages from Indigenous communities, whether by recording vocabulary about canoes in Anishnaabemowin, interviews conducted by fluent Haida speakers with language learners, or translating conversations from Michif or Inuktitut, ensuring Indigenous People can speak their truths in their own language and voice,” said Ward.

The Michi Saagig dialect of Anishnaabemowin will be used throughout the Museum and within its exhibits alongside English and French, and other languages from Indigenous communities will feature in relation to specific watercraft.

Funding for the CCM’s Indigenous Languages Program marks the largest investment made to date by TD Bank Group through TD Ready Commitment program in the Peterborough region.

For more information about the new museum or the CCM’s collaborative relations work with Indigenous communities visit canoemuseum.ca/collaborative-relations.

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for PTBOBuzz newsletter here.

/ /

Guest User


The Canadian Canoe Museum is Open

/

After a long winter and spring The Canadian Canoe Museum has opened their doors to the public.

The Canadian Canoe Museum is welcoming visitors as Ontario opens Stage 3. Photo Courtesy of The Canadian Canoe Museum.

The Canadian Canoe Museum is welcoming visitors as Ontario opens Stage 3. Photo Courtesy of The Canadian Canoe Museum.

Visitors are invited to walk through galleries, admire the waterfall, and view the more than 600 watercraft on display currently.

Masks, physical distancing, limited capacity, and all other COVID safety protocols are in effect. Visitors are encouraged to visit The Canadian Canoe Museum website prior to their tour so they know what to expect in terms of COVID precautions.

Staff ask that if possible visitors purchase their admission tickets online prior to arrival to limit contact and make for a quick entrance.

Cash will not be accepted in the on-site gift shop.

Current hours of operation are Friday - Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for PTBOBuzz newsletter here.

/ /
,

Guest User


The Canadian Canoe Museum Has Announced The Purchase Of Johnson Property

/

The Canadian Canoe Museum (CCM) and the City of Peterborough have announced the conditional purchase and sale of Johnson Property, the City-owned land at 2077 Ashburnham Drive in Peterborough.

City Council approved the direction to proceed with the sale of the land on Monday subject to a number of conditions including rezoning. Project validation and confirmation of site appropriateness are among the additional conditions that must be met to close the deal. CCM will pay $1.575 million for the five acres of land in a transaction expected to be completed by this summer.

Image courtesy Canadian Canoe Museum

Image courtesy Canadian Canoe Museum

The museum intends to sell its current property at 910 Monaghan Road to help fund the new build project.

“Kicking off the New Year with this key milestone realized drives further momentum to our new world-class museum build,” says Carolyn Hyslop, executive director, The Canadian Canoe Museum. “In less than a year, we’ve moved from walking away from a contaminated site to forming a new build project team and identifying and securing an alternate location. The purchase of a viable new site puts our project firmly on-track to be shovel-ready by the end of this year.”

“The new location for The Canadian Canoe Museum will enhance the waterfront experience in Peterborough with the location next to Little Lake and along the Trans Canada Trail network,” says Councillor Gary Baldwin, City Council’s representative on the Canadian Canoe Museum Board. “It’s an ideal location beside parks and greenspaces with nearby public parking at East Gate Park and Beavermead Park, as well as easy access to Highway 7/115.”

Image courtesy Canadian Canoe Museum

Image courtesy Canadian Canoe Museum

PROJECT PARTNERS INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING

Architect: Lett Architects Inc., Peterborough
General Contractor: Chandos Construction Ltd, Toronto
Structural Engineering: LEA, Markham, Ont.
Mechanical trade partner: Kelson Mechanical, Sharon, Ont.
Mechanical and Electrical Engineering: DG Biddle & Associates, Oshawa
Mass Timber trade partner: Nordic Structures, Montreal
Electrical trade partner: Lancer Electric, Peterborough
Environmental: Cambium Inc., Peterborough
Civil Engineer: Engage Engineering, Peterborough
Geotech/Hydrogeological: Thomas Grace & Associates, Lindsay
Conservation: Michael Harrington, JHG Consulting Network Inc., Merrickville, Ont.

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.

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for PTBOBuzz newsletter here.

Don't Miss The 2nd Annual Campfires & Cocktails Event At Canadian Canoe Museum

/

The 2nd Annual “Campfires & Cocktails” event takes place Saturday, April 18th at the Canadian Canoe Museum this year, and the theme is Channel Your Flannel.

There will be live music by the Dixie Hicks (Melissa Payne, Kate Suhr and Kate Brioux), along with a special appearance by Robert Atyeo and Wayne O’Connor. Peterborough’s own Jason Wilkins will be illustrating a paddle live at the event, which will then be available to win in a live auction that takes place. The signature cocktail will be provided by Blacks Distillery and uniquely crafted for the event.

Mike Judson (MC for the event) and Neil Morton (Honorary Chair) portaging a canoe on wires at Canadian Canoe Museum

Funds raised throughout the event will support the award-winning educational and public programs offered at the Museum.

Honorary Chair for this year’s event is our own Neil Morton, and the MC is Mike Judson, an avid outdoorsman and Co-Host of Mike and Miles in the Morning on Pure Country 105. 

Dixie Hicks performing at last year’s event

At the event, you can sample campfire-inspired cuisine prepared and served by local culinary experts while listening to the local musicians, as you stroll through the galleries of The Canadian Canoe Museum with a signature cocktail in hand.

Neil Morton and Mike Judson trying to paddle at Canadian Canoe Museum

You are encouraged to channel your flannel and dress in your favourite flannel and plaid.

Tickets are $75 per person. This is a 19+ event. Get your tickets here.

Photo from last year’s event courtesy Canadian Canoe Museum

Watch this promo video below produced by StudioPTBO.com…

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for PTBOBuzz newsletter here.