Old meets new: Parks Canada’s artifacts get a new home

Together under one roof

The artifact collection is an integral part of interpretation, exhibits, and other programming used to share the stories of Parks Canada’s national historic sites, national parks and national marine conservation areas with visitors.

Parks Canada currently manages and operates six collection storage facilities located in five cities - Winnipeg, Cornwall, Ottawa, Quebec City and Dartmouth and is working on moving artifacts to a new collections facility that will be purpose-built for Parks Canada in Gatineau, Quebec.

Why a new building?

Excluding Dartmouth, the existing storage facilities do not meet environmental and security standards. As a result, approximately 60 percent of the 31 million artifacts under Parks Canada’s care are under threat due to inappropriate environmental storage conditions and lack of appropriate security.

Upon consolidation, the collection will be stored in the Gatineau facility specifically designed for collection storage and managed by a national team of collection specialists.

The Dartmouth Archaeology Laboratory in Nova Scotia is the only building that will store artifacts as it meets the required conservation and security standards.

Accessing artifacts

Parks Canada will continue to exhibit the objects under its care at Parks Canada places in every province and territory. Artifacts located in national parks and historic sites will remain in their present locations to share the stories of these fascinating places with visitors.

Parks Canada will also continue to work with cultural and educational institutions to ensure that the historical and archaeological objects in the collection remain accessible for research, educational, ceremonial and exhibit purposes. Coupled with Parks Canada's loans program, the same level of access to the collection will be maintained, if not enhanced.

Building design and construction

The new collections facility will follow high standards of sustainable design and construction and meet LEED-NC Gold standard or better and will be a modern and secure facility.

Parks Canada is working hard to protect Canada’s important artifacts. We estimate that construction of the new building will start in 2018 and finish in 2020. The collection will move once the facility is operational.

Safeguarding Indigenous objects and documents

Parks Canada recognizes that Indigenous and cultural groups have a vested interest in the objects and associated documentation in the collection.

Throughout this process, Parks Canada is committed to working with its partners and all interested parties, and remains open to discussion and proposals regarding access, care and handling of this important collection.