The executive director who turned Brandon’s Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum from a small volunteer group into a nationally respected historic site is retiring at the end of June 2026. Stephen Hayter joined the museum in February 1999 as its first full-time staff member, and over 27 years he guided its growth while staying true to the site’s roots in Canada’s Second World War aviation history.
Under Hayter’s leadership the museum, based at the former No. 12 Service Flying Training School, earned designations as a Manitoba Signature Museum, a Manitoba Star Attraction, and a National Historic Site. It remains the only museum in the world dedicated exclusively to the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan, a massive wartime effort that trained more than 130,000 Commonwealth airmen at bases across Canada.
One of Hayter’s signature achievements was the creation of the RCAF WWII Memorial Wall, a 91-metre granite monument that lists roughly 19,000 names of Canadians and Commonwealth aircrew who lost their lives during the war. The wall sits on the museum grounds and has become a focal point for remembrance ceremonies.
“After 27 years of dedicated service, Stephen Hayter, Executive Director of the Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum, will retire at the end of June, concluding an extraordinary career devoted to safeguarding Canada’s aviation heritage,” the museum stated in a release.
Hayter departs at a time of major change for the museum. In July 2025 the board brought on Zoe McQuinn as its first director general, creating a dual leadership model. McQuinn, who previously served as director of development at the Manitoba Museum, is now responsible for charting the site’s course for the next five to 15 years and overseeing a major redevelopment of its aging 1941 hangar. The building was originally put up as a temporary structure meant to last seven years; a $1.6-million legacy gift is funding a project to repair or replace it.
Board president Ken Dzogan praised Hayter’s extraordinary contribution over nearly three decades and said the museum is grateful for the strong foundation he leaves behind. The search for a new executive director is now underway as the institution looks to keep sharing Brandon’s unique place in Canada’s air training story.
