Provincial and territorial museums of Canada facts for kids

In Canada, each province and territory has special museums that are run by the government. These places are like treasure chests that protect the local history and unique culture of each region. They are similar to national museums, but they focus on the stories of a specific province or territory.

Some of these museums have collections from all over the world, showing amazing historical items and natural wonders. In the province of Quebec, where most people speak French, the government calls its main museums "national" museums, even though they are provincial.

Many provinces have different buildings for different things, like art galleries, natural history museums, and archives (where important documents are kept). But in Newfoundland and Labrador, one giant building called The Rooms in St. John's holds all of these treasures together.

Provincial and Territorial History Museums

Almost every province and territory in Canada has its own main museum. Many of these are encyclopedic museums, which means they cover lots of different topics, from science and nature to human history. The only province without a main provincial museum is Prince Edward Island.

Here is a list of the major history museums across Canada.

Name	Photo	City	Province	Year established	Visitors annually	Description
Manitoba Museum		Winnipeg	Manitoba	1965	303,191 (2017)	A museum about the people and nature of Manitoba.
Musée de la civilisation		Quebec City	Quebec	1984	543,128 (2005)	A museum that explores human history and civilization.
New Brunswick Museum		Saint John	New Brunswick	1842	32,584 (2017)	This is the oldest museum in Canada that has been open without ever closing. It features both human and natural history.
Nova Scotia Museum		Multiple sites	Nova Scotia	1868	549,500 (2015)	This is not just one museum, but a network of 28 different museums all across the province.
Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre		Yellowknife	Northwest Territories	1979		This museum of human and natural history also holds the official government records, called archives.
Royal Alberta Museum		Edmonton	Alberta	1967		A museum that tells the story of Alberta's people and nature.
Royal British Columbia Museum		Victoria	British Columbia	1886	770,000 (2017)	A museum of human and natural history. It also takes care of the province's archives.
Royal Ontario Museum		Toronto	Ontario	1912	1,440,000 (2017)	This is Canada's largest and most visited museum. It has collections of art, world cultures, and natural history.
Royal Saskatchewan Museum		Regina	Saskatchewan	1906	139,122 (2017)	A museum focused on the natural history of Saskatchewan.
The Rooms		St. John's	Newfoundland and Labrador	2005	87,083 (2017)	This building is home to the province's museum, art gallery, and archives all in one place.

Provincial and Territorial Art Galleries

Several provinces and territories also run amazing art galleries. These galleries showcase beautiful and important artwork. Here is a list of the main provincial and territorial art galleries in Canada.

Name	Photo	City	Province	Year established	Visitors annually	Description
Art Gallery of Nova Scotia		Halifax	Nova Scotia	1908	45,455 (2017)	The biggest art gallery in Atlantic Canada. It has everything from classic paintings to Inuit stone carvings.
Art Gallery of Ontario		Toronto	Ontario	1900	974,736 (2018)	This is the largest provincially-run art gallery in Canada. It has the biggest collection of Canadian art in the world.
Beaverbrook Art Gallery		Fredericton	New Brunswick	1959	10,333 (2016)	This is New Brunswick's official provincial art gallery. It was started with a gift from Baron Beaverbrook.
McMichael Canadian Art Collection		Kleinburg	Ontario	1965		This gallery started as a private collection that was given to the province. It is famous for its collection of art by the Group of Seven.
Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec		Quebec City	Quebec	1933	387,333 (2018)	This gallery's collection includes about 40,000 works of art made in Quebec or by Quebec artists.
Remai Modern		Saskatoon	Saskatchewan	2009		A museum of modern art, but it also has older works. Its official name is the Art Gallery of Saskatchewan.
The Rooms		St. John's	Newfoundland and Labrador	2005	87,083 (2017)	The provincial art gallery is located in the same building as the museum and archives.
Yukon Arts Centre		Whitehorse	Yukon	1992		This building is an arts centre and also has a permanent collection of art by Indigenous and northern artists.

Provincial and Territorial Archives

Archives are places that keep and protect important historical records, like government documents, letters, maps, and photographs. Almost every province has a provincial archive.

For example, the British Columbia Archives used to be its own agency. In 2003, it joined with the Royal British Columbia Museum, which now takes care of the province's historical records.

Here are the main provincial and territorial archives in Canada.

Name	Photo	City	Province	Year established
Archives of Manitoba		Winnipeg	Manitoba	1971
Archives of Ontario		Toronto	Ontario	1903
Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec		Montreal	Quebec	1920
Nova Scotia Archives		Halifax	Nova Scotia	1857
Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre		Yellowknife	Northwest Territories	1979
Provincial Archives of Alberta		Edmonton	Alberta	1967
Provincial Archives of New Brunswick		Fredericton	New Brunswick	1967
Provincial Archives of Saskatchewan		Regina	Saskatchewan	1945
Public Archives and Records Office		Charlottetown	Prince Edward Island
The Rooms		St. John's	Newfoundland and Labrador	2005

Other Cool Provincial Museums

Some provinces have extra museums that focus on one special topic, like science or dinosaurs!

Name	Photo	City	Province	Year established	Visitors annually	Description
Ontario Science Centre		Toronto	Ontario	1969	900,225 (2019)	A fun, hands-on science centre in Southern Ontario.
Science North		Sudbury	Ontario	1984		An interactive science centre for Northern Ontario. It also runs Dynamic Earth, a museum about geology and mining.
Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology		Drumheller	Alberta	1985	470,000 (2016–17)	A world-famous dinosaur museum and research centre.

See also

• List of museums in Canada
• National museums of Canada