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Canadian Canoe Museum prepares for historic move to new location in Peterborough

June 7, 2023 | In the Press

From The Peterbourough Examiner (https://www.thepeterboroughexaminer.com/news/peterborough-region/canadian-canoe-museum-prepares-for-historic-move-to-new-location-in-peterborough/article_a7d8200b-1a5a-5476-a8a9-1922230a4342.html (opens in a new window))

The Canadian Canoe Museum is gearing up for its historic move of more than 600 watercrafts and artifacts to a new 65,000-square-foot waterfront campus nearing completion on Ashburnham Drive, beginning at the end of June.

Currently, the canoes are being stored at the original museum at 910 Monaghan Rd., which closed its doors to the public last fall, and will remain there until the move.

“We’ll remain in full control of the collection from beginning to end,” said Carolyn Hyslop, executive director of the Canadian Canoe Museum.

In addition to the watercrafts, hundreds of small artifacts, archives and the museum’s entire library will be moved as well.

“We’ll be utilizing McWilliams Moving and Storage for some components, like the boxes and books,” she said. “But our collections team will be the ones responsible for transferring the actual canoes from one location to another, because we have the right equipment and handling expertise.”

Roughly a handful of canoes will be moved each weekday.

“We’ve calculated that by working every day, it will take three months,” she said.

The museum has spent more than two years preparing the collection for the move. The Monaghan Road original location for the museum temporarily closed in September and the new museum is expected to open by fall of 2023.

“Our goal is to make sure that when we open, and this is why we haven’t set an opening day as of yet, visitors can have the full museum experience,” she said.

But before this can happen, the new museum must meet certain requirements to ensure the canoes are protected, Hyslop noted.

“We’re watching to make sure that the new museum is ready to receive them. So proper security and safety on site, proper humidity control in the building, that the place is clean and ready for us,” she said.

“So that’s something we’re watching really closely, to make sure that we will only begin that transition of museum artifacts when all those parameters have been met.”

Currently, there is still work that needs to be done on both the exterior and interior of the new museum, Hyslop said.

“Mechanical and electrical teams are hanging everything. We’ve got the drywallers putting partition walls in,” she said.

“Washrooms are being installed, the floors are being prepared, and cabinetry and millwork will be going in the next few months. So, it’s a very busy place.”

The construction and move are expected to cost $40 million overall.

“I believe we are 95 per cent complete on the $40-million goal and this Move the Collection: The Final Portage is a portion of it,” Hyslop said.

Along with donations raised from the community and across Canada, the museum is in the process of discussing the sale of its Monaghan Road property, which was formerly part of the Outboard Marine plant, to the City of Peterborough for the city’s new transit garage.

“That process is still underway, but we’re in active discussions,” she said. “Any of the funds that are received through the sale of this property will 100 per cent be reinvested into the new museum.”

To build excitement for its reopening and invite public support for the historic move, the museum has launched a new fundraising campaign, Move the Collection: The Final Portage. Donations can be made at canoemuseum.ca/final-portage (opens in a new window).

“This is a great time for people to pick up a paddle and help us finish this journey. If you want to support us with this move, everything is on our website,” Hyslop said.

“As to the different levels, it might be $50 that you can do or maybe its $5000, but every single little bit helps. This new build is being supported by a number of really wonderful local community supporters, and a number of national supporters.”

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