“The Museum welcomes a wide range of visitors who want to better understand the Métis and Francophone communities. We welcome thousands of tourists, thousands of students from immersion and Anglophone schools, and many newcomers who want to learn more about their city of residence.” The Museum is open to all and offers a dynamic annual program of events.

Coming to the St. Boniface Museum is like opening a door to Manitoba’s past. Permanent and temporary exhibits allow you to discover or rediscover a rich heritage.“The Museum’s small size allows us to show only 10% of our collection, but we store many artefacts in two warehouses. People continue to approach us with family treasures,” says Gagnon.

Over time, the Museum’s programming has diversified. ”For four years now, we’ve been overing Métis beading workshops in the spring, fall and winter. We also put on In Riel’s Footsteps, a play that runs during the summer months. And we have a very popular Christmas market. Our calendar of events keeps us busy!”

Another mission of the Museum is to increase access to information and artefacts. We’ve implemented a new and much more powerful database and are working to consolidate our data and reconfigure the storage of artefacts internally to increase access to the collection,” explains the Director.

In addition, the St. Boniface Museum is known for the Belle Boutique Blanche giftshop, which attracts many visitors. ”The boutique draws nearly 1,000 visitors a year who only come to shop.It’s a destination in itself, where you can find items that are local or strongly connected to our mandate. We also sell a good selection of environmentally friendly items.”