Canadian Canoe Museum Begins the Historic Move of Over 600 Watercraft and Artifacts

The Canadian Canoe Museum (CCM) is preparing to relocate its entire collection from its current landlocked location to a new waterfront campus across the City; inviting the public to support through new fundraising campaign ‘Move the Collection: The Final Portage.’

photo courtesy of the canadian canoe museum, facebook.

The campaign is led by avid paddling enthusiasts and local community leaders Mike Judson and Neil Morton. As a symbolic gesture of the forthcoming move of the entire collection, the two will portage a symbolic canoe throughout Peterborough, from the current museum to its new 65,000-square-foot home for the campaign's duration, which will release videos at different milestones.

The CCM’s collection consists of more than 600 canoes, kayaks and paddled watercraft (ranging up to 53’ long and weighing up to 1,500 pounds), hundreds of small artifacts and a library and archive. The collection was declared a cultural asset of national significance by the Senate in 2013.

The CCM has spent more than two years carefully preparing the collection for its upcoming relocation, cleaning and packing each artifact to ensure the utmost care during the move. The Museum has been temporarily closed since September 2022 to allow staff to remove artifacts on exhibit for the past two decades. When the new museum opens, it will also feature new exhibits, promising an enhanced and immersive visitor experience, including canoes and kayaks that have never been on public display.

McWilliams Moving and Storage has partnered with the CCM as its official mover of the collection.

“McWilliams Moving and Storage has been part of the CCM family since its inception with the first portage of museum artifacts from Dorset, Ontario, to Peterborough over two decades ago. We are honoured to continue this tradition as the Official Movers of the CCM and complete the final portage to a new architectural and cultural landmark in the city of Peterborough,” says Dan McWilliams, president of McWilliams Moving & Storage. “Having the opportunity to pack and transport these pieces of Canadian heritage allows us to be part of the journey and story of this national icon in our great City.”

As part of The Final Portage campaign, the CCM is releasing a series of videos and behind-the-scenes content this summer and fall featuring Mike Judson and Neil Morton portaging an iconic red canvas canoe past recognizable landmarks in Peterborough.

This will allow the public to follow the fundraising campaign’s progress while building excitement for the Museum’s reopening, anticipated this fall. To view the first video, visit the Canadian Canoe Museum website.

“Moving a collection of this size and scale in the span of months is no small feat for our team and supporters,” says Carolyn Hyslop, executive director of the CCM. “This move represents a pivotal moment in our museum's history. By relocating to the waterfront, we will not only enhance the accessibility and visibility of this extraordinary collection but also create a transformative experience for our visitors. We are inviting donors and sponsors to be a part of this monumental move and help us bring the legacy of paddled watercraft to a wider audience.”

“Canoeing is one of my great passions in life, and seeing this national treasure move to the water’s edge in this community I adore is a dream,” says Neil Morton, one of the campaign's Lead Portagers. “It’s fantastic to be a part of The Final Portage campaign and this historic moment with my fellow Lead Portager Mike Judson as we help carry this to the finish line!”

Surrounded by public parks, the Museum’s new home is located on a five-acre site at 2077 Ashburnham Drive that provides west-facing views of Little Lake and a connection to the Trans Canada Trail along the water’s edge in Peterborough. The purpose-built facility on the water, with an array of indoor and outdoor spaces, will allow the Museum to deliver on its mission in inspiring new ways. It will become a community space for outdoor activities, including the Museum’s canoeing and outdoor programs and events.

“Supporting initiatives like the Museum's historic move is an investment in preserving our shared heritage and cultural legacy. By contributing to this endeavour, we actively steward invaluable artifacts and ensure their accessibility to future generations,” continues Hyslop. “Institutions like ours serve as gateways to knowledge, inspiration, and understanding, and it is through your support that we enable the continued celebration and exploration of our collective history.”

The CCM invites donors and sponsors to join them in preserving history and shaping the future by supporting the campaign. Contributions will play a vital role in ensuring the safe and successful relocation of the world's largest and most significant collection of paddled watercraft.

Businesses interested in sponsorship opportunities can contact Rose Terry, philanthropy associate, via email.

To donate to the Canadian Canoe Museum, visit the link.

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Canadian Canoe Museum Terminates Lease With Parks Canada, Search For New Museum Site Begins

A search for a new museum has begun as the Canadian Canoe Museum has announced today 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, the place 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,” says Carolyn Hyslop, executive director, The Canadian Canoe Museum, in a media release.

Rendering of where location was going to be.

The museum is now 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.

“CCM is profoundly grateful to those who have supported our original build project,” says Hyslop. “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.

“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,” adds Hyslop.

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