Approved projects submitted as part of the 2020 call for proposals
14 June 2021
We’re thrilled to announce that 29 new projects submitted as part of the 2020 call for proposals were approved for investment.
Interest was strong. We received 77 proposals from museums and heritage organizations across the country. A record number of 42 proposals were submitted for Medium and Large investment funding and 35 proposals were submitted for Small investment funding.
The 2021 call for proposals opens June 16.
Medium and Large investments
(Note: Project titles may change)
Our Connections
Métis Nation of Ontario
This Métis story, told by the Métis Nation of Ontario for Métis people across Canada, makes connections between people and historical events. Our Connections is a project about belonging, giving Métis citizens new ways of seeing their ancestors, while also exploring their deep historical roots within an interconnected web of people, places and practices.
Black History in Dundas: Uncovering and Sharing the Stories of the Black Community in Dundas
Dundas Historical Society Museum
Black families have called Dundas home for nearly 200 years. Using documentary evidence and artifacts from the collections of the Dundas Museum and other institutions, this project will uncover and share the stories of these previously unknown or overlooked families. Through stories about family and personal relationships, businesses, charities, and civic achievements, this project will bring to life the individuals who lived in Dundas and contributed to their community in many ways.
Inuit Worlds: The Saladin d’Anglure Collection
Bibliothèque de l’Université Laval
Through objects of ritual and daily life collected in the 1960s and 1970s, Inuit Worlds takes us on a journey into northern history. Developed in collaboration with the communities of Nunavik and Nunavut, the exhibition presents contemporary Inuit knowledge of and perspectives on these objects from days gone by.
An Adventure Through Time: People of the St. Lawrence Estuary
Société rimouskoise du patrimoine
This educational quest transports players back in time to meet early inhabitants of the St. Lawrence Estuary. Immersed in the sights and sounds of each century, players explore the lives of Indigenous peoples, European explorers, settlers and their descendants — finding, handling and collecting objects and documents along the way.
Face to Face
Patrimoine aéronautique Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean
Members of Canada’s military have been deployed on several continents since the start of the 21st century. Through firsthand accounts from members of the Canadian Forces, Face to Face explores the harsh realities of war and the psychological impact of tactical operations.
Untold History: Stories of the Chinese-Canadian Community in the Greater Toronto Area
Toronto Public Library
Through family stories, community landmarks and historical events, Untold History explores the rich history of Toronto’s Chinese-Canadian community. Visitors will explore photos, letters, memorabilia and new oral histories from the Toronto Public Library’s Chinese Canadian Archive, and will be invited to share their own family stories.
Make Your Mouth Water
Exploramer
This interactive experience introduces edible species in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, from the popular lobster to the low-profile ocean pout. Lovers of fish, seafood and seaweed can deepen their knowledge of the ecology and biology of these species, discover fishing techniques, learn about their history and conservation, and find out how to prepare them as a meal.
Blacksmithing in Ontario
Pickering Museum Village
Match your wits and design skills against blacksmiths from 1822 to 2022 in this immersive STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) experience, exploring the 200-year evolution of blacksmithing in Ontario.
Visions of an Abolitionist Future
Koffler Centre of the Arts
This multimedia exhibition explores new ideas, theories and practices surrounding the abolition of prisons. Through artist projects, writing, and community engagement, Visions of an Abolitionist Future asks what the world would look like without mass incarceration, and what that would require of society.
See the Trails of Our Ancestors
Tlicho Government
In this virtual travel experience, visitors navigate an interactive 3D digital map to explore Tlicho history and culture. Highlights include tours of historically significant sites, stories by Tlicho Elders, and information on the culture, language and history of this vibrant and enduring people.
Small investment
(Note: Project titles may change)
On the Rails: The Experiences of Toronto’s Railway Workers
Toronto Railway Museum
Experience the unique daily challenges of past and current railway workers in Toronto. Hop aboard to learn more about the work of Canada’s sleeping-car porters, behind-the-scenes duties at Union Station, and other first-hand experiences of railway professionals, through interviews, photographs, and artifacts.
Lucky Girl: Scottish Cattle in the Far West
Friends of Fintry Provincial Park Society
Lucky Girl shares the history of the early Okanagan Ayrshire dairy industry launched by Captain James Cameron Dun-Waters, and the effect of his imported and specially bred cattle on British Columbia’s dairy industry. Lucky Girl was his prize cow who, though small in size, was renowned for her milk quality and production.
Radio at Home in Canada
Musée des ondes Emile Berliner
From its earliest days, radio connected Canadians across the country as news, talk shows, and local and national programs entered their daily lives. From the advent of broadcast radio in the early 1920s to the arrival of FM in the mid-1950s, we discover how the new medium changed our conception of domestic and national space.
Doctors Past and Present: 200 Years of Healthcare in Mississippi Mills
North Lanark Historical Society
This exhibition celebrates the doctors, nurses and homecare workers who have kept the community of Mississippi Mills healthy for more than 200 years. It explores past, present and future healthcare innovations in a rural Ontario community — from itinerant settlers who travelled from village to village, to the establishment of Almonte’s first hospital.
Unravelling the Yarn: The Textile Industry in Arnprior
Arnprior & District Museum
Textile manufacturing in Arnprior began during the mid-19th century and, for 150 years, employed many of the town’s men and women. This exhibition looks at the industry’s importance to the town’s development, and takes a close look at Kenwood Mills: a progressive workplace that kept Arnprior going during the Great Depression.
A Prairie Vernacular: Folk and Contemporary Art Narratives of Life on the Canadian Prairies
Moose Jaw Museum & Art Gallery
Art on Canada’s Prairies has a long history of depicting daily life, with roots in the rich folk art traditions of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Tracing the shared motives and approaches of folk and contemporary artists, this exhibition explores the Prairie experiences, cultures, environments and sensibilities that continue to drive artistic expression.
Wires to Wheels: Electric Vehicles of Canada
Canadian Automotive Museum
Wires to Wheels dives into more than a century of electric cars in Canada. From early experiments to the boom years before the First World War, through unconventional experiments during the Energy Crisis, this exhibition features unusual vehicles built by Canadian inventors, and explores the enduring legacy of these automotive pioneers.
Ka odjimadjisek: Where It Begins
Bibliothèque des livres rares et collections spéciales de l’Université de Montréal
This exhibition tells the story of the Anishinabek of Lac-Simon (Simo Sagihigan), in Abitibi, Quebec. Not seeing themselves in official accounts of History, the members of this community wanted to produce their own. In celebrating local knowledge, this exhibition promotes the cultural richness of this people and is intended as a step on the path of collective reconciliation with Indigenous peoples in Canada.
LePailleurs at the Heart of Development: A Quebec Dynasty
SMGC-Maison LePailleur
Learn all about the LePailleur family who, after becoming established in the Greater Montréal area, were able to expand their influence across Canada and abroad. They were impressive entrepreneurs and intellectuals who made their mark in church, business, political and legal spheres. LePailleurs at the Heart of Development shines a light on their legacy.
From Ship to Shore: Exploring Oshawa’s Relationship With Lake Ontario
Oshawa Museum
Oshawa has unique waterways that often go unnoticed. For centuries, Oshawa Creek and Lake Ontario provided Indigenous peoples and settlers with a natural navigation system, setting the stage for Oshawa’s commercial, agricultural, and residential development. This exhibition celebrates the history and waterfront industry of this southern Ontario city.
Border Stories
Héritage Sutton Historical Society
The Canada-U.S. border shapes and influences the communities along it, including the hamlets of Quebec’s Sutton County. This exhibition explores the many aspects of this “border effect,” both historically and today.
Science, National and Civic Identity and Tourism at the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory in Victoria, B.C.
Friends of the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory
The June 1918 opening of the world’s largest operating telescope was the biggest thing to hit Victoria since the Gold Rush. The Dominion Astrophysical Observatory gave Victoria citizens a sense of pride, provided a boost to tourism, and promised scientific discoveries from a country just beginning to come of age.
“Are We There Yet?”: Highway-Based Tourism in Kawartha Lakes
Kirkfield & District Historical Society
This exhibition examines the long history of tourism and travel in Ontario’s Kawartha Lakes, spanning from the early days of transportation in the area through the settlement and growth of communities along Highways 35 and 48, largely supported today by tourism.
Marconi’s Legacy in Newfoundland and Labrador
Admiralty House Museum and Archive Inc.
In December 1901, a faint sound was heard at Signal Hill in St. John’s, as Guglielmo Marconi received the world’s first transatlantic wireless transmission. Exploring Marconi’s ongoing influence and legacy in Newfoundland and Labrador, this exhibition features oral histories, archival records, and artifacts from individuals connected to the Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company.
Reels, Waltzes and 6/8 Time: The Accordionists of Montmagny, 1950–1980
Musée de l’accordéon
As proud bearers of their musical tradition, the accordionists of Montmagny have made generations of people dance. Through firsthand accounts as well as audio and video clips, this exhibition looks at the period from 1950 to 1980 — exploring the musicians’ importance to the community, their passion for music and their personal careers.
The Mills of Île de la Visitation: 250 Years of History
Société d’histoire d’Ahuntsic-Cartierville
The mills of Île de la Visitation, in the Quebec village of Sault-au-Récollet, have a history stretching back more than 250 years. From father to son and mother to daughter, from waterwheels to turbines, mill employees worked to the rhythm of the Rivière des Prairies until 1960.
Port Coquitlam’s ‘F’ Words: Flu, Fire, Flood and Financial Fears
Port Coquitlam Heritage and Cultural Society
Four disastrous events marked the early years of the city of Port Coquitlam: fire, flood, flu and financial fears. This exhibition explores how the community of “PoCo” overcame these F-words in the past, and how it is dealing with a new disaster in the present.
Heritage Underground: A History of Root Cellars in Newfoundland and Labrador
Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador
The humble root cellar was crucial to the fishing families who settled along the province’s rugged coast. Built either entirely above ground, or wholly or partially buried, root cellars may not be unique to the province, but remain prevalent across the island, with little doors in hillsides a familiar sight.
Our Black Heritage: Early Black Settlers of York-Sunbury Counties, 1783 to Today
Fredericton Region Museum
Since the arrival of Black Loyalists in 1783, settlers of African descent have contributed greatly to New Brunswick’s development, while continuing to face oppression. This exploration of Black lives in New Brunswick reveals nearly 250 years of struggle, determination, and perseverance. These are their stories.