Are You Ready for this Season’s Escape Room Challenge?
Mattawa Museum has been Working Towards Building a Strong, Accessible Canada
Since the Accessible Canada Act came into force in 2019, significant progress has been made to advance accessibility and disability inclusion in Canada. By continuing to take action together, we can build a stronger, more inclusive and barrier-free Canada for everyone.
National AccessAbility Week
May 31 to June 6, 2026
This year’s National AccessAbility Week theme is “Building a Strong, Accessible Canada.”
It invites all of us, including governments, businesses, organizations, and individuals, to take action to advance a barrier-free country. Significant progress has been made to eliminate and prevent barriers, and by continuing to work together, we can build a truly accessible, inclusive and equitable Canada.
Our country is stronger when persons with disabilities can participate fully in all aspects of society.
Together, we can empower each other and make a meaningful impact.
A very important goal at the Mattawa Museum has been and will be that of inclusivity
Mattawa Museum has diligently applied for available grants to support building a strong, accessible facility in the Mattawa community.
The funds from these grants have been used to make a number of improvements in the facility and the environment for museum staff and visitors.
The Building…
The beautiful historic building that houses the Mattawa Museum is a multi-level facility (3 floors to be exact), hence stairs to access the different levels. Current plans include the installation of an elevator. The shaft to install the elevator has been installed. Stay tuned for further details!
The door on the building entrance is an automatic door. Ramps with railings have been built at the rear emergency doors. Emergency lighting is available in the case of power outages.
The washrooms have been modernized to make them wheelchair accessible.
Staff Environment…
The workspace for staff and/or museum volunteers provides an adjustable desk.
For our Visitors…
The Mattawa Museum has embraced technology and thus has brought many new features for the enjoyment of all visitors.
Through the YES accessibility program, the Mattawa Museum received funding for one of their applicants to work at the museum on the Optical Character Recognition (OCR) program as an archivist.
Optical Character Recognition (OCR) is a technology that converts physical, printed, or handwritten text (such as a scanned document, receipt, or photo of a sign) into editable and searchable digital text. OCR software solves this by scanning the image, analyzing the light and dark patterns of each character, and translating them into machine-encoded text. Many artefacts could thus be preserved and are now available in digital media.
Exhibit signage is readable from wheelchair level which will also benefit younger visitors to the museum.
We invite you to visit the Mattawa Museum!
Murder Mystery Evening has been Rescheduled!
It’s happening – our MUSEUM FUNDRAISER – MURDER MYSTERY
New Date : Saturday, 27th June, 6 -10 pm
Where : Mattawa Lion’s Den, 175 Brook St, Mattawa, ON
Appetizers/desserts, coffee & tea will be provided
2026 Season Opening!
Hello everyone, Salut tout le monde, Kwey kakina, Taanshi kiyawaaw
We’ve weathered another long winter ❄️ and are excited to welcome spring 🌻 and a fun 2026 season at the Museum.
Museum official opening date is Thursday May 14
This year will feature two new exhibits, a few surprises, and a brand-new Escape Room.
The International Council of Museums’ theme, Museums Uniting a Divided World, along with the Ontario Museum Association’s Museum Month theme, The Value of Ontario Museums, highlights the important role museums play in our communities.
The Power of Technology…
The challenges that began in March 2020 were especially difficult for small community museums like ours, but we persevered. One unexpected benefit was the time to make significant progress behind the scenes. With support from a Georgian College intern, dedicated student staff, and new funding, we advanced our digital cataloguing efforts, photographed artefacts, and introduced OCR technology to make historic newspapers and documents searchable. More details on this project will follow.
Our goal is to bring the Museum into the 21st century while preserving and sharing the stories that shape our community. If you haven’t visited yet, we hope the Museum is on your list this season. We look forward to welcoming you.
Opening fundraiser…
Following last season’s successful Murder Mystery Evening, we’re launching this season with our opening fundraiser, Murder on the Lake, on Saturday, May 9 at the Lions Den.
Or call the museum 705 744 5495 or send us an email curator@mattawamuseum.ca for tickets.
Thank you in advance for your continued support. We look forward to visiting with you throughout the season.
Thank you, merci, meegwetch, marsi
Women’s Exhibit
There are stories here … where two rivers meet,
Come discover the stories with us and one of our newest exhibits:
HerStory: The Stories She Tells
What was very apparent to us a couple of years ago was that we only had two women represented in our Community Museum … to us, especially female staff, this truly was a misrepresentation of our Community.
Women are the heart and soul of most communities and we just knew we needed to make some major changes with these very important additions. We have community leaders, athletes, musicians, politicians, artists and the many women who make and have made over these many years, immeasurable contributions.
One important aspect is our Tree of Life Timeline, which highlights all of the many landmark legal and civil rights we have fought for and achieved.
I hope you will take some time to come visit and read Her Stories.
Thank you, merci, meegwetch, marsi
