Collingwood Town Council has officially endorsed a new museum strategy designed to guide the operations and community efforts of the local heritage centre for the next five years. The Collingwood Museum Master Plan 2026–2030 was approved on May 20, 2026, coinciding with Museum Month to set a new direction for how local history is preserved and shared with the public.
The strategic framework focuses on four main goals: representing the diversity of the community, improving museum assets, creating new exhibits, and increasing community interaction. A core priority of the plan is to better feature Indigenous perspectives and a wider range of community voices. To support this, the museum intends to design a new community story project initiative by 2030.
Mayor Yvonne Hamlin noted that the plan is intended to keep local history relevant and accessible. The development of the strategy involved input from the Museum Advisory Committee, town staff, volunteers, and the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Gaming.
Public feedback played a role in the process, with a community survey gathering 117 responses in 2025. Results showed that 83 per cent of participants were familiar with the museum, and 86 per cent expressed high satisfaction with their visits. The museum, which is managed by a team led by Museum Supervisor Melissa Shaw, saw 10,609 visitors in 2024 and received provincial funding through the Community Museum Operating Grant.
Residents can review the full details of the plan at engage.collingwood.ca/museum.
