NEWS RELEASE
CANADIAN CANOE MUSEUM
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The Canadian Canoe Museum (CCM) is thrilled to announce a transformative gift of $1,775,000 to create a vibrant, community-oriented waterfront campus along the shores of the Museum’s future home in Peterborough.
The Lakefront Campus and Gathering Circle, made possible by the philanthropic efforts of 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 beautiful 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.
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. Visitors can go from learning about the canoe to stepping out of the Museum and, within only a minute’s walk, enjoy paddling around Little Lake.
Stu and Kim Lang are highly respected members of the Guelph community, contributing to the Ontario Veterinary College (OVC), the Guelph Humane Society, and Guelph General Hospital.
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.
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