The Canadian Canoe Museum is temporarily closed for restructuring. We are providing the information on this page to keep you up-to-date on our restructuring efforts. News release and other information will be posted here as it becomes available.
Current press releases are shown below. Choose a release from below or view all releases.
Notice is hereby given that a Special Meeting of the Members of The Canadian Canoe Museum will be held in Peterborough at the Museum (910 Monaghan Rd.) on the 25th day of March 2004 at the hour of 7:00 o'clock in the evening, for the following purpose:
To receive a report from the Board on the progress of the museum's restructuring activities.
To consider the following motion regarding the election of an Honorary Chair of the Canadian Canoe Museum.
"In recognition of the loyal and valuable contribution that Jack Matthews has made to the Canadian Canoe Museum over many years, and of his love and respect for the canoe, for the environment and for our natural resources, it is hereby moved that Jack Matthews be elected as the Honorary Chair of the Canadian Canoe Museum for 2004 in accordance with Section 5.1.2.3 of By-law #1."
To elect the Board of Directors for 2004. The Board will hold office until the 2005 Annual Meeting. Attached () to this Notice are the names of all those who have been duly nominated to serve on the Board for 2004.
Meeting agenda is attached ().
Only members of record as of 5:00 EST on March 24, 2004 will be entitled to vote at the meeting or adjournments thereof.
Members who do not plan to be present at the Meeting may appoint a nominee to represent them by completing a Proxy Form (). Completed proxy forms must be returned to the CCM or registered by the proxy holder between 5:30 PM and 7:00 PM on the date of the meeting. Note that Proxy forms must be completed, signed, and returned in the original or by facsimile transmission only. Proxies returned by e-mail are not acceptable.
Registration for the meeting will commence at 5:30 PM. Members and proxy holders who plan to attend are asked to register early so that the meeting can start on time. The registration for proxies will close at 7:00 PM on the date of the meeting.
Dated at Peterborough this 12th day of March, 2004.
Canadian Canoe Museum Announces Business Plan for 2004
The Canadian Canoe Museum announces a one-year business plan with a target for reopening on May 1, 2004. The plan, developed with the consultants Kroll Restructuring Ltd., calls for a reduced operation with the Museum open to the public from May to October. The Museum Store, which is operated by volunteers, would remain open weekends from October through December.
The Museum closed in October 2003 due to lack of operating funds. Since then it has undertaken a major reorganization and financial restructuring in order to achieve sustainability.
On January 21 the Board of Directors adopted a new general By-law that establishes a broadly based membership with the right to vote on the composition of the Board of Directors and other matters of significance to the Museum. Coincident with the reformed governance structure, the Museum has launched a membership drive that will be a major pillar of sustainability.
The one-year business plan identifies several sources of revenue needed for reopening. In addition to memberships, admissions, store sales, rental income and support from all three levels of government, there is an immediate target of $200,000 to be raised through several fundraising initiatives.
Educational programming for schools and the public would resume only on a full cost recovery basis, and is expected initially to be on a reduced scale.
The number of staff called for in the plan is much reduced from that at the time the Museum closed last October. Conservation and maintenance of the collection is a high priority in the reduced operating model.
The business plan calls for a settlement with its pre-closing creditors. Since October, the Museum has reduced its secured bank debt by $150,000, largely with the help of a major donor. A satisfactory settlement with its pre-closing unsecured creditors will have to be reached.
The business plan anticipates a significant role for volunteers in supporting operations, as in the past.
In 2004, with the assistance of Kroll Restructuring Ltd., a further three- to five-year business plan will be developed. Long term sustainability anticipates the establishment of an operating endowment fund.
The Canadian Canoe Museum in , is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to preserve and share the culture and history of the canoe. It houses the world's largest collection of canoes, kayaks and related watercraft.
The one-day Open House held by the Museum on December 27 was a great success. About 600 people visited the exhibits, talked to Museum Volunteers and patronized the Museum Store during the four hours that the Museum was open in the afternoon. It was the busiest the Museum has been.
Many who came had not previously visited the Museum. They praised the quality of the exhibits and exclaimed at the richness of the artifacts in the collection. All those working to see the Museum reopened are grateful for the support and encouragement voiced by so many.
The Board of Trustees and Museum Volunteers thank the community and those beyond who so warmly supported the Museum by shopping at the Museum Store during the Christmas season.
Much has been done in restructuring the Museum since it closed last October, and in developing a plan for financial viability. The next several weeks will see intense work toward implementing the plan. The reopening of the Museum will depend upon the success of this work. There will be public announcements at significant stages along the road.
Watch the Canoe Museum website at canoemuseum.net for further information as it is available. And thank you for your support.
Canoe Museum Announces Open House, Progress In Restructuring
The Canadian Canoe Museum announces a special Open House event. All the Museum's featured exhibits will be open to the public on Saturday, 27 December, 2003 from 12:00 noon to 4:00 p.m. Volunteers of the Museum will be on hand to greet visitors and serve as interpretive guides throughout the galleries. The Museum Store will be open during the event.
The Open House is meant as a way to thank the community for its support during the Museum's temporary closure to restructure its finances and operations. The City of Peterborough has provided interim financial assistance, primarily to hire restructuring expertise, and the public has responded enthusiastically to the opening of the Museum Store on weekends during the Christmas shopping season.
The success of the Museum Store, operated entirely by trained volunteers, has been an especially important step along the road to the eventual reopening of the Museum. A committee of the Board of Trustees has been working with Kroll Restructuring Company to develop a viable plan. Although assembling all the components of the restructuring plan takes time, the process is on schedule.
The Open House on December 27 attests to the determination of all those associated with the Canoe Museum to see it reopen as soon as possible. The Museum's web site canoemuseum.net will carry new developments as they arise.
Canoe Museum Tackles Restructuring, Re-Opens Store
The Canadian Canoe Museum announces that it is taking steps for its financial restructuring and is re-opening the Museum Store, during restricted hours, at its location at in .
The City of Peterborough, by unanimous vote in Council, has provided $50,000 to assist the Museum in meeting short-term costs associated with its financial restructuring. The Museum has retained Kroll Company, highly regarded specialists in corporate restructuring, to assist with the development of a viable business plan.
Although the Museum exhibits will remain closed to the public during the restructuring process, the Museum Store will re-open on a reduced schedule, Fridays and Saturdays (10:00 am to 4:00 pm), and Sundays (12:00 noon to 4:00 pm), commencing on Friday, November 21. Trained volunteers of the Canoe Museum operate the Store.
A skeletal staff, assisted by volunteers who are a mainstay of the Museum, is maintaining the collection on a part-time basis.
The Museum's web site, canoemuseum.net, which had been closed for a brief period, has now been reestablished with a page devoted to notices of new developments.
If you have specific inquiries or wish to send us comments and suggestions please use the following e-mail address
. Please note that due to the pressures of our restructuring efforts and the fact that we have no staff at the present time we are not able to guarantee a timely response.
As many of you know the Canadian Canoe Museum's Board of Trustees announced its decision to close the Museum to the public. This was an extemely difficult decision to make and rest assured, it was not taken lightly. Financial pressures resulting from a lack of significant sustainable funding lead us to conclude that it is the only responsible measure available at this time. Since opening our doors in 1997, the Canadian Canoe Museum has celebrated many successes, thanks to our family of over 200 tireless community volunteers. From the unveiling of our nine permanent galleries and the ground-breaking education programs in 2003, to the recent launch of our 36' Montreal Canoe earlier this month, we've successfully spread the message of the importance of the canoe to the unique and diverse cultures of Canada.
Through our exhibits and programs, we've shared Peterborough's contribution to the ongoing history of the canoe, and the significance our lakes and rivers in canoeing culture. We are determined to find a way to carry on the Museum's important mission.
Over the coming weeks, the Board of Trustees will devote its time to exploring available restructuring and financing opportunities. As soon as we can ensure the ongoing sustainability of the Museum, we will reopen our doors. When that time comes, we will ensure that you are made aware of our plans immediately. Please check back with us at this web site for further information and ways in which you may be able to help us.
If you have specific inquiries or wish to send us comments and suggestions please use the following e-mail address
. Please note that due to the pressures of our restructuring efforts and the fact that we have no staff at the present time we are not able to guarantee a timely response.
Thank you to our faithful volunteers and staff who brought us this far, to the community whose support has been crucial to the success our first seven years and to the many thousands of visitors to the Museum and this Web Site. We look forward to contacting you soon with good news.
Sincerely,
The Canadian Canoe Museum Board of Trustees
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