Visitor Experience Coordinator

Visitor Experience Coordinator

Posted on by Rebecca Watson

Division: Marketing, Sales & Visitor Experience
Department: Visitor Services
Position Type: Permanent Full-Time
Closing Date: June 5, 2026

Organization Summary:

The Manitoba Museum is the province’s largest award-winning heritage and science centre. It is unique in its combination of human and natural history themes and renowned for its vivid portrayal of Manitoba’s rich and colourful history, Planetarium shows, and Science Gallery exhibits. The Museum features immersive dioramas, multi-dimensional interpretation, science and astronomy education, and quality school and community programs. The Museum protects over 2.8 million artifacts and specimens in its collections, including the Hudson’s Bay Company Museum Collection.

Position Summary:

Reporting to the Manager of Café and Visitor Experience, the Visitor Experience Coordinator is an energetic, detail-oriented, and results-driven team player with a passion for providing excellent customer service. This key frontline position is the first point of contact for many Museum visitors and is responsible for operating the central switchboard and welcoming and directing visitors, as well as providing guidance, support, and scheduling for the Visitor Experience Associates (VEAs). The Visitor Experience Coordinator assists in providing an exceptional visitor experience in the Museum’s frontline areas – Reception, Box Office, Museum Shop, Café, and Planetarium Theatre – and must exercise professionalism, initiative, and sound judgment in an enthusiastic manner when working with the VEAs, the public, and internal and external customers. Fluency in both official languages is required for this position.

 

Criminal record, vulnerable sector and child abuse registry checks will be required of the successful candidate.

Salary Range:

The salary range for this position is $46,218.29 to $58,480.87 annually depending on experience.

 

Conditions of Employment:

  • Child Abuse Registry Check
  • Criminal Record Check with Vulnerable Sector Check

 

This is a full-time permanent position beginning July 2, 2026. Applications will be accepted until Friday, June 5, 2026 or until this position is filled. If you are interested in this opportunity, please submit a resume including a cover letter:

Manager of Volunteer & Employee Relations
Manitoba Museum
190 Rupert Avenue
Winnipeg, Manitoba
Canada R3B 0N2
HR@ManitobaMuseum.ca
Fax: 204-942-3679

 

The Manitoba Museum is committed to inclusion and employment equity and welcomes diversity in the workplace. The Manitoba Museum recognizes the importance of building a workforce reflective of the visitors it serves. Therefore, the Manitoba Museum supports equitable employment practices and promotes representation of designated groups (women, Indigenous people, persons with disabilities, visible minorities).

Employment Equity is a factor in selection for this position. Consideration will be given to Indigenous people, visible minorities, and persons with disabilities. All applicants are encouraged to self-identify if they are members of the designated groups (women, Indigenous people, persons with disabilities, visible minorities) in their application.

This document is available in other formats and accommodations will be provided throughout the selection process upon request. Contact Human Resources at 204-956-2830 if you have an accommodation request.

We thank all applicants for their interest; however, only those being considered for interviews will be contacted. We are not able to acknowledge receipt of applications submitted via Fax or mail.

Pay Group: 4

General:

Reporting to the Manager of Café and Visitor Experience, the Visitor Experience Coordinator is an energetic, detail-oriented, and results-driven team player with a passion for providing excellent customer service. This key frontline position is the first point of contact for many Museum visitors and is responsible for operating the central switchboard and welcoming and directing visitors, as well as providing guidance, support, and scheduling for the Visitor Experience Associates (VEAs). The Visitor Experience Coordinator assists in providing an exceptional visitor experience in the Museum’s frontline areas – Reception, Box Office, Museum Shop, Café, and Planetarium Theatre – and must exercise professionalism, initiative, and sound judgment in an enthusiastic manner when working with the VEAs, the public, and internal and external customers. Fluency in both official languages is required for this position.

 

Criminal record, vulnerable sector and child abuse registry checks will be required of the successful candidate.

Key Accountabilities & Typical Duties:

Priority 1: Visitor Experience and Frontline Liaison (45%)

When engaging with visitors, the Visitor Experience Coordinator is to facilitate a positive visitor experience by welcoming visitors and answering inquiries in a friendly and competent manner to encourage repeat visits, increased sales, and Museum loyalty (Membership). When engaging with Museum staff, the Visitor Experience Coordinator is to assist in the coordination of the flow of basic operational information between departments and frontline staff.

  1. Maintain a constant staff presence at the front reception desk, welcome and direct visitors and school groups, answer visitor inquiries, and provide information in both official languages.
  2. With oversight from the Manager of the Café and Visitor Services, ensure proper staffing of all front-line areas (Box Offices, Planetarium Theatre entrance, Museum Shop, Café, Reception Desk, and special events) by preparing monthly staff schedules that balance quality visitor services with the constraint of allocated budgets.
  3. Use appropriate communication etiquette and internal procedures, operate the Museum’s switchboard, answer incoming phone calls, respond to email inquiries, and forward messages to the appropriate staff.
  4. Ensure Visitor Experience/Customer Service standards are achieved across all frontline areas.
  5. Control and maintain the cash function of all Box Office floats.
  6. Respond to, resolve, and track all visitor comments and complaints by calling upon the appropriate Manager as needed. Encourage visitors to fill out a comment card/online comment form.
  7. Connect visitors arriving at the Museum for meetings with the appropriate staff members, ensuring they are signed in and are assigned an appropriate visitor/contractor Badge.
  8. Assist in relaying information from departments to front-line staff (i.e. show changes, staff absences, etc.).
  9. Assist in always maintaining excellent housekeeping standards at the front desk and in the foyer.
  10. Ensure signage in all public areas is accurate and create temporary signage as needed (i.e. elevator down).
  11. Ensure the update of visitor services messaging at all touch points including switchboard, info line, hours of operation, signage, visitor map and brochures, website, and messaging for amenities (lockers, etc.)
  12. Act as a Fire Monitor and provide instructions and guidance to staff and visitors. Make emergency evacuation announcements over the loudspeaker when it is safe to do so.
  13. Stay up to date on Museum events, promotions, and procedures to inform and assist visitors.

 

Priority 2: Visitor Services Associates Leadership & Support (30%)

To provide guidance and support to the Visitor Experience Associates (VEAs) to ensure seamless operations and an exceptional visitor experience.

  1. Provide guidance, support, and training (onboarding and on-the-job) to VEAs to ensure they apply the knowledge and skills required to meet assigned sales goals and daily tasks. For example, work with VEAs to reduce balancing errors.
  2. Schedule VEAs for shifts and other special events.
  3. Coordinate daily VEA schedule due to last-minute changes (sick staff, frontline demands, etc.). Approve bi-weekly staff timesheets with Manager oversight.
  4. Provide input on staffing issues concerning supervision, direction and control of employees to the Manager of Café and Visitor Experience.
  5. Control and maintain the cash function of all Box Office floats.
  6. Act as a backup VEA and fill in at the Box Office, Museum Shop, Café and/or Planetarium Theatre as required.
  7. Ensure all Museum policies and procedures are followed by VEAs (i.e. Dress Code, Social Media Use, etc.).

 

Priority 3: Administrative Support (20%)

To provide support to various Museum departments for the Museum to function more effectively.

  1. Maintain digital/hard copy of reception files and keep them organized and easily accessible.
  2. Maintain Museum staff phone directory by updating the list as staff changes occur and notify all staff.
  3. Compile data and complete reports as needed.
  4. Assist with processing refunds/exchanges and liaising with the Business Office to make balancing error corrections as needed. Assist in following up on additional training for Visitor Experience Associates as needed.
  5. Keep track of parcel deliveries, special events, and staff movements (i.e. meetings) daily.
  6. Act as the liaison between the Museum and Canada Post/Mail Couriers.
  7. Process outgoing mail daily and coordinate pick-up/delivery of mail and courier services.
  8. Connect Individuals from the community with appropriate staff in other departments.
  9. Communicate with event guests and maintain RSVP lists for rental, Member, and volunteer events.
  10. Maintain inventory and purchase supplies for the office, sales, and event needs.
  11. Ensure appropriate welcoming and billing of school groups.
  12. Collaborate with Security Guards on visitor entry into frontline areas and overall security needs.

 

Priority 4: Manitoba Tourism Ambassador & Other Reasonably Assigned Duties (5%)

To advocate for Manitoba tourist attractions through the promotion, display, and distribution of printed tourism materials.

  1. Coordinate the order/delivery of printed materials for display at the Museum with tourism organizations.
  2. Display and restock printed tourism materials on racks at a management-specified location within the Foyer.
  3. Provide general information and directions to visitors about other tourist attractions in Manitoba and encourage visitors to browse through printed tourism materials.

 

Other duties as reasonably assigned

  1. Participate in and contribute to the Visitor Experience Committee.
  2. Take direction from the Manager of Café and Visitor Experience in hiring staff.

Minimum Required Qualifications:

Education, Training and Experience

  1. Completion of high school diploma (Grade 12),
  2. Completion of a certificate program in Office Administration or a related field, and
  3. Minimum two years of experience operating a switchboard,
  4. At least one year of experience in a frontline leadership position working with the public,
  5. At least two years of experience handling/accounting for various forms of payment,
  6. At least two years of experience in a retail/sales work environment using a Point-of-Sale (POS) system,
  7. Experience using Tessitura software programs is preferred,
  8. Experience working in a museum/non-profit organization and/or a unionized environment is considered an asset, or
  9. An equivalent combination of education and experience.

 

Skills, Abilities and Knowledge

  1. Fluency in both official languages (English and French) is required,
  2. Enthusiastic and friendly manner with a genuine desire to provide outstanding customer service,
  3. Effective written/oral communication, interpersonal, organization, mathematical, and attention to detail skills,
  4. Proficient understanding of customer service/sales principles, retail selling, and ability to recognize sales prospects,
  5. Proficient cash handling skills and understanding of security practices in a sales environment,
  6. Demonstrated high accuracy in the operation of Point-of-Sale software and terminal including credit/debit card processing, cash handling, reconciling daily cash-outs, preparing deposits and coin orders, and maintaining minimal balancing errors,
  7. Demonstrated proficient knowledge and understanding of the requirements of proper business demeanour, including conscientiousness, reliability, punctual attendance, and appropriate time management,
  8. Demonstrated proficient ability to engage effectively with culturally diverse audiences/audiences of varying age,
  9. Demonstrated working knowledge of and skill in Microsoft Office, Windows, and database applications,
  10. Ability to multi-task, work as part of a team, and take initiative independent of direct supervision,
  11. Ability to creatively problem-solve, work under pressure, and meet tight deadlines.

 

Working Conditions and Physical Demands

The physical demands and work environment described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of the job:

  1. Ability to exert up to 10lbs of force and occasionally lift/move objects up to 30lbs,
  2. Ability to sit and/or stand for at least 2 consecutive hours,
  3. May occasionally involve kneeling, bending, pushing/pulling, reaching above shoulders, and climbing ladders,
  4. Operation of standard office equipment is required (i.e. switchboard, computer, copier, etc.),
  5. Day-to-day moderate noise in an open setting; exposure to loud noise may occur due to large groups or events.

 

Conditions of Employment

  1. Must be available to work Monday to Friday from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm and can flex hours as needed
  2. Child Abuse Registry Check
  3. French Language Proficiency Test

This is a full-time permanent position beginning July 2, 2026.  The incumbent will report to the Manager of Café and Visitor Experience. The salary range is $46,218.29 to $58,480.87 annually depending on experience. Application package consisting of a cover letter and resume must be submitted by 4:30 pm on Friday, June 5, 2026 to:

Manager of Volunteer & Employee Relations
The Manitoba Museum
190 Rupert Avenue
Winnipeg, Manitoba R3B 0N2
HR@ManitobaMuseum.ca
Fax: (204) 942-3679

 

The Manitoba Museum is committed to inclusion and employment equity and welcomes diversity in the workplace. The Manitoba Museum recognizes the importance of building a workforce reflective of the visitors it serves. Therefore, the Manitoba Museum supports equitable employment practices and promotes representation of designated groups (women, Indigenous people, persons with disabilities, visible minorities).

Employment Equity is a factor in selection for this position. Consideration will be given to Indigenous people, visible minorities, and persons with disabilities. All applicants are encouraged to self-identify if they are members of the designated groups (women, Indigenous people, persons with disabilities, visible minorities) in their application.

This document is available in other formats and accommodations will be provided throughout the selection process upon request.  Contact Human Resources at 204-956-2830 if you have an accommodation request.

We thank all applicants for their interest; however, only those being considered for interviews will be contacted. We are not able to acknowledge receipt of applications submitted via Fax or mail.

A Paper Trail That Speaks Volumes

Posted on by Rebecca Watson
Posted on: Friday May 8, 2026

What can a piece of paper reveal about a life? In May, in honour of Asian Heritage Month, the Manitoba Museum invites you to discover how fragile documents—certificates, photos, and government records—reveal powerful stories of tragedy, loss, survival, adaptation, and triumph.

A newspaper clipping from "The Morning Leader" newspaper in Regina. The headline reads, "R.C.M.P. to round up Chinese for registrations and photos".

The Paper Trail to the 1923 Chinese Exclusion Act is an adapted travelling exhibition from the Chinese Canadian Museum which shines a light on a monumental but largely forgotten chapter in Canadian history. Crowdsourced from the fragments of memories and documents of hundreds of Chinese Canadian families across Canada, including those from Manitoba, as well as extensive and painstaking research, the stories reveal the impact exclusion left on the lives it touched.

Visitors to The Paper Trail will encounter moving personal stories that bear witness to how a law deeply affected Chinese in Canada during and even after its repeal. This special exhibition connects past and present, inviting reflection on a period of Canadian history that had gone silent. 

 

Image: Regina’s Morning Leader newspaper article, August 21, 1923.

A small open drawer containing index cards, the front of which has a black and white documentation photo of a Chinese Canadian man, identified at GIN Wah Yee (1890-1968).

A story from The Paper Trail exhibition. Photo by Larry K.F. Chin.

An immigration card issued from the Dominion of Canada Department of Immigration and Colonialization Chinese Immigration Service with an identification photograph of a small child, George Wesley Wong.

Wes Wong was born in Brandon in 1922, yet was issued this immigration card. Supplied by: Wesley Wong Family.

Continue learning with the accompanying book, The Paper Trail to the 1923 Chinese Exclusion Act, by award-winning curator and author Catherine Clement, available in the Manitoba Museum Shop. Expanding beyond the exhibition, this landmark book delves deeper into the human experiences of the exclusion years, revealing the lived realities behind one of the most consequential yet often overlooked chapters in Canadian history.

Come see The Paper Trail to the 1923 Chinese Exclusion Act, now on exhibition at the Manitoba Museum.

Plan your visit

Sepia toned photograph of a somber faced child with part of an embossing stamp visible in the lower left corner.

ID photo from the head tax certificate of Jackie Lee who settled in Winnipeg. Supplied by: Victor Lee.

Book cover for The Paper Trail to the 1923 Chinese Exclusion Act. The cover features a historical identification photo of a young Chinese man, with the book title on a red bar along the left hand side. Author Catherine Clement's name is along the bottom.

The award-winning book that supplements The Paper Trail exhibition. Supplied by: Plumleaf Press.

Museum Stories: DYK Discovery

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Our Biggest Zoology Specimen

Posted on by Rebecca Watson
Posted on: Monday May 4, 2026

At the Manitoba Museum, our Natural History collections mandate requires that we focus our collecting efforts on specimens that are from Manitoba. We do occasionally make small exceptions to that rule, especially if the specimens were originally collected or acquired by a Manitoban, like the spectacular tropical butterflies that we keep in the collection for occasional use in exhibits. Long-time museum fans may remember the spectacular Colours in Nature exhibit from 2011, where many of these were on display. In 2022, however, we made a big exception. A huge exception. An exception so enormous that the last time we moved it, we needed five people working together just to shift it a few feet to the left. Friendly Manitobans, it is my pleasure to introduce to you mammal specimen #24503, the left-side dentary bone (lower jaw) of a fin whale!

A large jaw bone partially unwrapped from bubble wrap and packing blanket, with a 18-inch long ruler resting near it for scale.

One end of a dentary bone from a fin whale, collected in Newfoundland.

Balaenoptera physalus, the fin whale, is a species of baleen whale that is found both north and south of the tropics in ocean waters around the world. Individuals of this species can grow to be incredibly large, second in size only to blue whales. As with other baleen whales, they sustain their large bodies by eating massive quantities of smaller organisms like krill, fish, and even squid. While Hudson Bay is home to several whale species, the fin whale is not one of them. So how did this jaw get to the Manitoba Museum? Why do we have it in our collection? And just how big is it, really?

Close up on handwriting on a worn cream-coloured background. Writing reads, "Lower Jaw of Balaenoptera physalus / Arctic Fisheries / Dildo, Trinity Bay Newfoundland / W.O. Pruitt 1966".

Part of the story of this specimen is written on the bone itself. In 1966, the jaw bone was obtained by Arctic Fisheries in Dildo, Newfoundland, by ecologist William Pruitt* while he was working at Memorial University in St. John’s Newfoundland. Shortly thereafter, he moved to Winnipeg for a teaching position at the University of Manitoba. While the “how” and “why” of it are somewhat of a mystery to us, the whale jaw also made its way from Newfoundland to the University of Manitoba, where it was stored in the biology collection for decades. During his time at the U of M, Pruitt launched the Taiga Biological Station, where students conducted ecological field research and collected many specimens that now reside here at the Museum. In fact, Pruitt regularly involved the Manitoba Museum in his work, and to this day we hold 1,745 specimens that he collected here in Manitoba.

The University of Manitoba, looking to free up some space in their storage areas, offered the dentary to The Manitoba Museum in 2022. We accepted the offer, thinking that one day it may make a nice exhibit piece. The bone was loaded into a moving van for a short trip over to the Museum where we catalogued it and brought it into our collection. The dentary now lives in our dedicated storage space for oversized Natural History specimens, alongside taxidermy mounts of bears, bison, and other big animals.

The question remains, just how big is this whale jaw, anyway? While we don’t have a weight on file for this bone, it’s been measured at 3.3 metres long from tip to tip, and 3.5 metres if following the inside curve. To put that into perspective using other things that can be found in our collections room, that’s the equivalent length of…

27 blue morpho butterflies…

An image looking down from above a large jaw bone resting on the ground on opening wrappings of bubble wrap and packing quilts. Above the image are 27 blue morpho butterflies lined up to scale.

20 chambered nautilus shells…

An image looking down from above a large jaw bone resting on the ground on opening wrappings of bubble wrap and packing quilts. Above the image are 20 spiraling chambered nautilus shells lined up to scale.

10 American red squirrels…

An image looking down from above a large jaw bone resting on the ground on opening wrappings of bubble wrap and packing quilts. Above the image are 10 American red squirrel specimens lined up to scale.

Or 1.65 Collections Technicians!

An image looking down from above a large jaw bone resting on the ground on opening wrappings of bubble wrap and packing quilts. Above the image are two photos of Collections Technician Aro, lined up to scale, with her head cropped off in the second image just below the shoulders.

*Author’s note:

While researching William Pruitt for this piece, I came across a short biography for him on the Manitoba Historical Society Archives website. While it doesn’t fit nicely into this story, there are details about how before his brief tenure in Newfoundland, he worked for the University Alaska at Fairbanks in the 1950s. At the University of Alaska, Pruitt was tasked with researching from an ecological perspective the risks of Project Chariot, which was a plan to use six nuclear bombs to rapidly excavate a new resource export harbour on the Alaskan coast. He roundly condemned the plan for its environmental risks, and the report’s release was suppressed by the United States government. The University of Alaska terminated Pruitt’s employment over the issue, putting him on the road to Newfoundland, and eventually, Manitoba! In the end, Project Chariot was shelved due to objections from the local Inupiaq people and a subsequent wave of coordinated public outrage in the United States.

Learn more about William Pruitt – Manitoba Historical Society

Learn more about Project Chariot – Wikipedia

Aro van Dyck

Aro van Dyck

Collections Technician – Natural History

Aro van Dyck earned her B.Sc. from the University of Manitoba, majoring in Biological Sciences and minoring in Entomology. She has also researched the diversity of wasps and bees Winnipeg’s greenspaces…
Meet Aro van Dyck

Museum Stories: Collections & Conservation

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Manitoba Museum unveils exhibition exploring the Chinese Exclusion Act

Posted on by Rebecca Watson
Posted on: Friday May 1, 2026
Historical formal headshot of a young Chinese man on the left of a red background. Gold text to the right reads,

Treaty One Territory, Winnipeg, Manitoba (May 1, 2026) – The Manitoba Museum is honoured to welcome a temporary exhibition from the Chinese Canadian Museum which shares moving and powerful stories of Chinese people in Canada and Manitoba during the Chinese Exclusion Act between 1923 to 1947. The Paper Trail to the 1923 Chinese Exclusion Act opens today in recognition of Asian Heritage Month.

The Paper Trail is a special adaptation of the award-winning landmark exhibition that debuted at the Chinese Canadian Museum in Vancouver on July 1, 2023 – the 100th anniversary of the Act. It takes an unflinching look at Canada’s exclusion years when, for the first and only time in Canadian history, the country banned the entry of a single community and issued immigration cards to Chinese who were born here. The exhibition focuses on the human impact and personal cost this law inflicted on Chinese people in Canada. The displays reveal haunting stories of loss, despair and fear, as well as powerful examples of courage and perseverance.

“We are so pleased to be partnering with the Chinese Canadian Museum to share this important history with our visitors. Curator Catherine Clement has done a remarkable job to further tailor the original exhibition to include local stories and connect with the Chinese Canadian community in Winnipeg,” says Dr. Amelia Fay, Director of Research, Collections, and Exhibitions.

Curated by award-winning Chinese Canadian historian Catherine Clement, The Paper Trail exhibition involved extensive crowdsourcing of private documents and stories from families across Canada, as well as hundreds of hours of painstaking research.

“Chinese exclusion was a monumental chapter in Canadian history, yet it was largely forgotten, even amongst Chinese Canadians whose families had been affected,” says curator Catherine Clement. “Fortunately, the extensive government paper trail left behind to enforce exclusion, helped us to slowly uncover the lived experience of this law: the daily realities, the emotional costs and the quiet endurance of a community under siege.”

The Paper Trail exhibition will be on display in the Manitoba Museum’s Discovery Room and Urban Corridor until April 2027

On May 1, Catherine Clement will give an author’s talk at 6:30 p.m. in the Museum’s Auditorium. This will be Catherine Clement’s only talk in Manitoba—an exceptional opportunity to gain deeper insight into this powerful and resonant story.  Learn more: https://manitobamuseum.ca

-XXX-

 

Media Contact & Information: 

Image Gallery: A collection of images and a document with image captions & credits can be found here.

 

Brandi Hayberg
Manager of Marketing & Communications, Manitoba Museum
BHayberg@ManitobaMuseum.ca
204-988-0614

Sophia Cheng
Publicist, Chinese Canadian Museum
Sophia@SophiaChengPR.com
604-828-3102

The Paper Trail to the 1923 Chinese Exclusion Act exhibition is co-hosted by the Chinese Canadian Museum and the Manitoba Museum.

Chinese Canadian Museum logo.

Manitoba Museum bilingual logo.

This exhibition made possible with the support of Canadian Heritage.

Government of Canada logo.

A Planet Worth Celebrating

Posted on by Rebecca Watson
Posted on: Friday April 17, 2026

By Mike Jensen, Science Programs Specialist

 

Every year on April 22, people around the world celebrate Earth Day, a moment to appreciate the wondrous planet we call home. Earth supplies the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the ecosystems that support a mind-blowing diversity of life.

It’s easy to take these systems for granted because they quietly work behind the scenes every day. Forests and wetlands help clean our air and water, oceans and lakes support countless species, and the atmosphere protects life on Earth.

Woman in tall rubber boots with a wide-brimmed hat, large waist bag, and walking stick smiles for a photo among waist high brush with trees behind.

Spring is one of the best times to observe these systems in action. Here in Manitoba, the change in seasons is especially dramatic. The natural world comes alive after a long winter. Melting snow feeds streams and rivers that eventually flow into Lake Winnipeg. Migrating birds return North. Plants begin to grow again.

Earth Day is an opportunity to appreciate this renewal and reflect on how we can help care for the planet. The good news is that even slight actions can make a real difference.

 

Image: Enjoy the great outdoors! Curator of Botany Diana Bizecki Robson hikes – and gathers specimens – in a boreal bog. ©Manitoba Museum

Here are a few simple ways to celebrate Earth Day at home this Spring:

  • Plant pollinator-friendly flowers or native plants.
  • Pick up litter in a local park or along the river.
  • Take shorter showers and turn off lights in empty rooms.
  • Take a hike in a natural space near your community.

 

By learning more about our world and making thoughtful choices in our daily lives, each of us can help keep Earth happy for generations to come.

After all, when it comes to our home planet, every day is a good day to celebrate it.

Four children standing around a round table engaging with exhibit material through with embedded digital screens. A museum staff member guides them through the activity.

Learn what it takes to keep our waterways healthy in the Science Gallery. ©Manitoba Museum/Rejean Brandt

Four yoth stand in front of a pop-up display cart covered in fossils and specimens. A Museum staff member on the other side of the cart talks with them about the artifacts.

Learn more about our world with fun hands-on activities. ©Manitoba Museum

You can also celebrate Earth Days at the Manitoba Museum on April 18 and 19! Explore the Museum Galleries on an Earth Day scavenger hunt. Become a Climate Hero at our Ocean Adventure workshop in the Science Gallery. And take in one of three Planetarium shows, all showcasing our planet.

Learn more about Earth Days programming

A promotional image for Earth Days at the Manitoba Museum. On the right side is an image of a child engaging with a digital display in the Science Gallery. On the left side, next to an illustration of a globe, text reads,

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The Passing of Tannis Richardson

Posted on by Rebecca Watson
Posted on: Thursday April 16, 2026
Young Tannis Richardson sits on the deck of the Nonsuch replica off the coast of British Columbia (Victoria, BC 1972), wearing a dark coat, headscarf, sunglasses, and striped trousers, with rigging and water visible behind.

Today, we join many across our province in mourning the passing of Tannis M. Richardson. A leader whose quiet strength, deep generosity, and commitment to community helped shape Manitoba in meaningful ways.

Tannis’s connection to the Manitoba Museum ran deep. Her family was part of the very foundation of the Museum, with both her husband, George T. Richardson, and sister-in-law, Lorna M. Thorlakson, serving as founding members. Through them and her own support, Tannis helped ensure that the stories, science, and shared history of Manitoba would have a home for generations to come.

Tannis understood that strong communities are built not only through leadership, but through care, continuity, and a belief in the importance of preserving our collective story.

We are grateful for her family’s legacy, and for the role she played in sustaining it.

Our thoughts are with her loved ones, and with all those whose lives she touched.

Image: Manitoba Museum, HBC 015-212 G.

In response to community feedback regarding Yuri’s Night

Posted on by Rebecca Watson
Posted on: Wednesday March 25, 2026

We are truly sorry for any hurt or discomfort that seeing this event advertised may have caused. We care deeply about our community and would never want our actions to cause harm. After listening closely to the extensive feedback shared with us and hearing the concerns raised about Yuri’s Night, we have decided to cancel the event. Concerns from the community were raised related to the name of the event and its association with the Soviet Union and Russia.

The Manitoba Museum values meaningful dialogue and believes it is important to listen, reflect, and take responsibility when our decisions fall short of the expectations of the people we serve. As a museum dedicated to history, nature, and science and as a public space for everyone we are committed to fostering a sense of belonging. Based on what we heard from the community, we understand that canceling this event is the right step and is aligned with the values we strive to uphold.

We also want to acknowledge the many comments shared on our platforms. Each one was read with care. A small number were removed due to concerns about historical accuracy, but we welcome thoughtful and respectful conversation, including perspectives that challenge our own. Creating space for open and constructive dialogue remains important to us.

Thank you to everyone who took the time to share their thoughts and feelings with us. Your voices matter, and your engagement helps guide the Manitoba Museum as we continue to learn, grow, and plan future programs with care and intention.

O Frog, Where Art Thou?

Posted on by Rebecca Watson
Posted on: Friday March 13, 2026

Tracking frogs and toads to monitor environmental change.

March doesn’t seem the ideal month to think about looking for frogs and toads; ponds are frozen and amphibians are hibernating underwater or underground. But at the Museum, we are well into planning spring fieldwork that will map where frogs live, discover any changes in occurrence, and explore what that means for our environment.  Along with scientists at other institutions, Museum curators work to understand past and present distributions of frogs and toads, providing clues about Manitoba’s future.

Close up on a small frog sitting on a person's extended hand. The frog is green with grey patches.

Museum surveys carried out since 2008 suggest that gray treefrogs have been gradually moving north in the Manitoba Interlake region, perhaps in response to climate change. This individual, about 40 mm long, is from the northernmost population near Grand Rapids. ©Manitoba Museum

A brown-grey toad in shallow water with its vocal sac expanded into a semi transparent bubble.

A male Great Plains toad just outside of Melita, its vocal sac expanded while calling for a mate. In Manitoba, they are found only in the extreme southwest. Museum surveys have discovered new locations for this threatened species. ©R. Mooi

Museum Collections and Surveys Fill Knowledge Gaps

Scientists and conservation managers often have surprisingly limited information on many Manitoban animals, sometimes even including where they can be found! Museum collections are valuable because they retain physical records of the occurrence of species over many years, providing data to build distribution maps of less frequently encountered groups, like frogs and toads. Researchers, including those at the Museum, have applied these data to plan surveys to search for undiscovered populations with great success.  The known ranges of some of our frogs have been extended by hundreds of kilometres! Knowing where species live is a critical first step for any conservation strategy.

A man in winter hat, coat, and hip waders at night, holding a flashlight in his right hand and reaching under vegetation in a water-filled ditch to capture a very small frog with his bare, left hand.

Curator of Zoology Randy Mooi capturing a spring peeper on a cold May night at 10 pm near Matheson Island. Frogs and toads call mostly from dusk to dawn and surveys follow that schedule, making for long days. ©P. Taylor

A small brown-beige frog in damp vegetation.

A spring peeper, one of our smallest frogs, only 30 mm long. This one was found 35 km northeast of Flin Flon during Museum fieldwork, and is the most northern record for this species in Manitoba. ©Manitoba Museum

A two-part map with the upper portion showing the lower portion of the province of Manitoba with a blue section highlighted in the lower left corner. Below, a close up of the area around the blue section with six red dots outside the eastern perimeter.

Distribution Studies Monitor Change

The Museum’s research collections and field surveys provide baseline data for where species occur at specific times and places. When surveys are performed over several years, changes in distribution can be monitored.  Because frogs and toads are particularly sensitive to environmental conditions, monitoring their populations can help detect the impact of climate change, habitat loss, or other factors. Museum frog research contributes to understanding Manitoba ecosystems and informs strategies and policies for responsible ecological stewardship.

 

Image: The previously known range of the threatened Great Plains toad (in blue) in extreme southwestern Manitoba. Museum surveys for calling males have found new locations (red dots) to the north and east, contributing to knowledge of its habitat requirements. ©Manitoba Museum

Dr. Randy Mooi

Dr. Randy Mooi

Curator of Zoology

Dr. Mooi received his Ph.D. in zoology from the University of Toronto working on the evolutionary history of coral reef fishes. Following a postdoctoral fellowship in the Division of Fishes of the Smithsonian Institution…
Meet Dr. Randy Mooi

Museum Stories: DYK Discovery

View More
A small open drawer containing index cards, the front of which has a black and white documentation photo of a Chinese Canadian man, identified at GIN Wah Yee (1890-1968).
DYK Discovery
Friday May 8, 2026

A Paper Trail That Speaks Volumes

What can a piece of paper reveal about a life? In May, in honour of Asian Heritage Month, the Manitoba Museum invites you to discover how fragile documents—certificates, photos, and government records…
Read More
Graphic showing five planets, with Earth in the centre of the image, each encircled by dots radiating out from them in varying colours.
DYK Discovery
Friday April 17, 2026

A Planet Worth Celebrating

Every year on April 22, people around the world celebrate Earth Day, a moment to appreciate the wondrous planet we call home. Earth supplies the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the ecosystems that support a mind-blowing diversity of life…
Read More
A man in winter hat, coat, and hip waders at night, holding a flashlight in his right hand and reaching under vegetation in a water-filled ditch to capture a very small frog with his bare, left hand.
DYK Discovery
Friday March 13, 2026

O Frog, Where Art Thou?

March doesn’t seem the ideal month to think about looking for frogs and toads; ponds are frozen and amphibians are hibernating underwater or underground. But at the Museum, we are well into planning spring fieldwork …
Read More
Close-up on a trilobite fossil.
DYK Discovery
Friday February 13, 2026

Discover the Wonders Behind the Scenes at the Manitoba Museum!

The Manitoba Museum is thrilled to introduce Curator Conversations, an exciting new speaker series that brings you face-to-face with the experts who uncover the stories of our province—and beyond.
Read More
Aqua-coloured digital reconstruction of an aquatic predator with two long curving, barbed claws on the front of its face and a round, toothy mouth below.
DYK Discovery
Saturday January 10, 2026

Weird and Wonderful Fossils at the Manitoba Museum

When we think of fossils, dinosaur bones, mammoth tusks, or the corals and shells seen in Winnipeg Tyndall stone building blocks might come to mind. However, under rare circumstances, traces of the soft tissues can be fossilized too!
Read More
Three bags of loose lead tea from Cornelia Bean in Manitoba Museum themed flavours - Aurora Borealis, Nonsuch, and Prairie Grove. In front of the teas are three candles from Leilani Candle Collection in scents of the same themes.
DYK Discovery
Friday December 12, 2025

Our Favourite Things at the Manitoba Museum Shop

The holiday season is upon us once again! Are you looking for unique ideas for loved ones in your life? For gifts ranging from STEM kits for young learners to unique Manitoban-made jewelry, look no further …
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Cleaning Taxidermy

Posted on by Rebecca Watson
Posted on: Thursday March 5, 2026

Taxidermy is a great way to preserve animals. While less popular than it used to be, taxidermied specimens are still found in houses, not just in museums!

The techniques and products used to taxidermy a specimen vary greatly depending on when the taxidermy was done and where. While straw is avoided in modern specimens, it is often found in older ones. Nowadays, shapes are manufactured and taxidermists modify them to fit the specimens. However, in the past, they would use different things to shape the animals’ skin and make a sturdy structure. Most have a metal armature inside, with various materials wrapped around it to create the shape the skin is mounted on.

A taxidermied bull moose specimen in a diorama depicting a rocky outcropping in the boreal forest.

Taxidermy of male moose in the Museum’s Boreal Forest diorama.

A tawny-coloured Gadwall duck specimen taxidermied in a swimming position and posed on a block of ethafoam for conservation work.

Taxidermy of a Gadwall from the Parklands Gallery’s marsh diorama.

While the taxidermy process keeps the skin from rotting, the passage of time still has an impact on it. If kept in too dry of an environment, the skin loses moisture and cracks appear. In really bad cases; pieces of the skin can fall off. The fur or feathers become brittle and will break when touched. To keep that from happening, keep your taxidermies in an environment around 50% relative humidity when possible.

Taxidermies made before the 80s often had arsenic or other pesticides in them. Arsenic based soaps were used during the preparation process to keep insects at bay. It was a way to make the specimens last longer and in better conditions. We have learnt better since, and those soaps and other dangerous pesticides aren’t used in modern taxidermy anymore. Always keep that in mind when interacting with mounts, and avoid touching them if you aren’t certain that they are pesticide free.

Taxidermies should also be cleaned. Letting dust accumulate on them will damage the fur and feathers, and make the specimen look dull. Using cleaning products or liquids should be avoided as they can damage the specimens! You can gently vacuum specimens with fur (if they are in good condition) or use a microfiber cloth to dust all specimens. Always go in the direction of the fur or feathers! Some specimens can have varnish or paint on their eyes to give them a realistic look, therefore, be careful when cleaning them! Liquids or vigorous dusting can damage the surface layer or remove the colour. Dusting them gently should be enough to maintain a natural look.

Looking down at a canister vacuum wrapped with its hose. Next to it is a neon green microfibre cloth.

Vacuum and microfiber clothes for cleaning.

Close up on a canister vacuum control dial turned to the lowest setting of six.

Use the gentlest option on the vacuum to limit potential damage. You can even use mesh on the vacuum head to allow only for dust to be vacuumed.

If you want to keep the colours for as long as possible, keep the specimens out of direct light. UV from light sources and daylight damage the pigments and will cause fading. Some colours fade faster than others so it can take a long time before the colour changes are visible enough for us to see them!

Estelle Girard

Estelle Girard

Assistant Conservator

Estelle Girard holds a B.A. in History as well as a certificate in Art History from Université Laval, and a Masters degree in Conservation Practice from Cardiff University. Estelle’s main duties as Assistant Conservator include…
Meet Estelle Girard

Museum Stories: Collections & Conservation

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Discover the Wonders Behind the Scenes at the Manitoba Museum!

Posted on by Rebecca Watson
Posted on: Friday February 13, 2026

The Manitoba Museum is thrilled to introduce Curator Conversations, an exciting new speaker series that brings you face-to-face with the experts who uncover the stories of our province—and beyond.

Join us as our passionate curators share fascinating insights into the realms of palaeontology, astronomy, botany, history, and zoology. Each session offers a rare opportunity to explore the science, history, and intrigue behind the Museum’s collections and research.

Explore ground-breaking fossil discoveries that reveal life’s earliest chapters; find out how we “curate” the mysteries of the universe in the Planetarium; follow along in the painstaking process of documenting Manitoba’s flora; learn the truth behind cold war preparations in Churchill, Manitoba; and find out the “What, Why, and How” of some of the 125,000 animal specimens in our zoology collection.

Close-up on a trilobite fossil.

March 24

Looking Forward in Deep Time: Palaeontology at the Manitoba Museum

Learn about ground-breaking fossil discoveries with Dr. Joseph Moysiuk.

Learn more
Close-up on the upper end of the planetarium's Zeiss Mark 5-S optomechanical star projector lit in blue hues

April 21

Curating the Universe

Traverse the stars with Planetarium Astronomer Scott Young.

Learn more
Front cover of Volume 1 of Dr. Diana Bizecki Robson's new publication, "Manitoba Flora: A Guide to the Vascular Plants of Manitoba" with forward written by Shirli Ewanchuk/Black Thunderbird. Book cover is atop a backdrop of an illustrated prairie scene from the Manitoba Museum Prairies Gallery.

May 12

Finding Flowers: Creating a New Manitoba Flora

Explore the making of Manitoba Flora with Dr. Diana Bizecki-Robson.

Learn more
An individual standing behind a snowbank wearing a white fur-lined snowsuit holding a gun in front of a snow vehicle with large treads.

September 22

The Cold Cold War: Fort Churchill and the Red Scare

Delve into the Churchill cold war connection with Dr. Roland Sawatzky.

Learn more
A collections storage shelf containing "wet specimens", specimens like fish and reptiles sealed in jars and preserved in liquid.

October 20

The What, How, and Why of the Museum Animal Collections

Take a virtual tour of our animal collections with Dr. Randy Mooi.

Learn more
Word graphic for Curator Conversations at the Manitoba Museum. Below the title, on a red background, text reads,

Curator Conversations will connect you to the stories that shape our understanding of the natural and cultural world. Don’t miss your chance to engage, ask questions, and see the Manitoba Museum like never before!

Click the links above to learn more about upcoming sessions.

Museum Stories: DYK Discovery

View More
A small open drawer containing index cards, the front of which has a black and white documentation photo of a Chinese Canadian man, identified at GIN Wah Yee (1890-1968).
DYK Discovery
Friday May 8, 2026

A Paper Trail That Speaks Volumes

What can a piece of paper reveal about a life? In May, in honour of Asian Heritage Month, the Manitoba Museum invites you to discover how fragile documents—certificates, photos, and government records…
Read More
Graphic showing five planets, with Earth in the centre of the image, each encircled by dots radiating out from them in varying colours.
DYK Discovery
Friday April 17, 2026

A Planet Worth Celebrating

Every year on April 22, people around the world celebrate Earth Day, a moment to appreciate the wondrous planet we call home. Earth supplies the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the ecosystems that support a mind-blowing diversity of life…
Read More
A man in winter hat, coat, and hip waders at night, holding a flashlight in his right hand and reaching under vegetation in a water-filled ditch to capture a very small frog with his bare, left hand.
DYK Discovery
Friday March 13, 2026

O Frog, Where Art Thou?

March doesn’t seem the ideal month to think about looking for frogs and toads; ponds are frozen and amphibians are hibernating underwater or underground. But at the Museum, we are well into planning spring fieldwork …
Read More
Close-up on a trilobite fossil.
DYK Discovery
Friday February 13, 2026

Discover the Wonders Behind the Scenes at the Manitoba Museum!

The Manitoba Museum is thrilled to introduce Curator Conversations, an exciting new speaker series that brings you face-to-face with the experts who uncover the stories of our province—and beyond.
Read More
Aqua-coloured digital reconstruction of an aquatic predator with two long curving, barbed claws on the front of its face and a round, toothy mouth below.
DYK Discovery
Saturday January 10, 2026

Weird and Wonderful Fossils at the Manitoba Museum

When we think of fossils, dinosaur bones, mammoth tusks, or the corals and shells seen in Winnipeg Tyndall stone building blocks might come to mind. However, under rare circumstances, traces of the soft tissues can be fossilized too!
Read More