Manitoba Museum announces free visual interpreting service for visitors

(Treaty One Territory – Winnipeg, Manitoba – January 15, 2026): The Manitoba Museum is pleased to announce the availability of Aira Explorer, a visual interpreting service, free for use by all Manitoba Museum visitors.

Aira Explorer is an app that connects blind or low-vision users to professional visual interpreters at the tap of a button. Interpreters use a caller’s phone camera and microphone to make visual information more accessible; they can describe surroundings, navigate, read aloud, and assist with a vast range of tasks. Visual interpreters can be reached 24/7/365, and no advance bookings are required.

Aira Explorer can be used by the blind and low-vision community to more fully engage with exhibits and experience the Manitoba Museum more independently.

“Implementing Aira at the Manitoba Museum is an important step toward making our galleries more accessible to everyone. Blind and low-vision visitors who may not have considered visiting before can now explore Manitoba’s history with greater independence. Seeing guests use Aira and hearing their positive feedback truly warms my heart. We look forward to welcoming more members of the community who can now experience the galleries in a way that works for them.” – Rhiannon Leier-Blacher, Director of Marketing, Sales, & Visitor Experience at Manitoba Museum.

The Manitoba Museum soft-launched Aira Explorer in December 2025 and invited a group of low-vision and blind visitors to test the app’s effectiveness and ease of use in Museum spaces. Reviews from the testing group were overwhelmingly positive, encouraging the Museum to proceed with implementing the Aira Explorer app for all Manitoba Museum visitors.

“Aira levels the playing field for persons who are blind to enjoy the Museum, especially when travelling alone. Aira provides the assistance to allow the person with no vision to not only navigate the Museum safely, but also allows the visitor to focus on the [Museum exhibits] rather than [focusing on] getting from point A to point B. Public areas that provide this level of technology open up a world to the blind person that is not normally available to them.” – Tanis Woodland, Aira Explorer user on her visit to the Manitoba Museum.

Anyone visiting the Manitoba Museum, Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre, or Centennial Concert Hall can use the Aira Explorer App to connect with a visual interpreter at no cost. At this time, Aira Explorer is not available for use in the Planetarium; within the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre and the Centennial Concert Hall, Aira is currently available for wayfinding purposes only. Visitors can download Aira Explorer in the iOS App Store and Google Play Store.

This accessibility improvement is made possible through a grant provided by the Province of Manitoba.

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About the Manitoba Museum

The Manitoba Museum is the province’s largest, not-for-profit centre for heritage and science learning. Renowned for its vivid portrayal of Manitoba’s rich and diverse history, the Museum is home to nine interpretive Galleries, a full-dome Planetarium, and a hands-on Science Gallery. The Manitoba Museum plays a pivotal role in showcasing the rich heritage and natural wonders of our region. Our collections encompass both cultural artifacts and scientific specimens and are a testament to the diversity of life and the importance of preserving our past for future generations. We strive to conserve, collect, and share knowledge, while encouraging intercultural dialogue and understanding within our communities, showcasing diverse perspectives, and promoting inclusivity within our society.

About Aira

At Aira, we believe access to information is a human right. Aira breaks down accessibility barriers by providing on-demand video remote interpreting for both the blind and low vision community, and the Deaf and hard-of-hearing community. People can download the Aira Explorer app or the Aira ASL app and be instantly connected to a highly-trained professional interpreter. Available 24/7/365, interpreters work with callers to facilitate more efficient communication and accomplish tasks together. Aira’s services are offered by leading companies globally, and our commitment to accessibility has garnered substantial recognition including a 2025 Golden Apple Award from AppleVis. Learn more about Aira Access here.

To arrange interviews, please contact:

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

(Treaty One Territory – Winnipeg, Manitoba: December 9, 2025) – The Manitoba Museum’s Curator of Palaeontology & Geology has been busy bringing the past into the present. Dr. Joseph Moysiuk has had an action-packed year, considering that his area of expertise took place over 450 million years ago. Moysiuk is excited to share some key areas of his work with two brand-new exhibits opening this December at the Manitoba Museum.

Earlier this year, Dr. Moysiuk and Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) colleague Dr. Jean-Bernard Caron made headlines with the release of a paper announcing their discovery of a remarkable new 506-million-year-old predator, found in British Columbia’s Yoho and Kootenay National Parks. Mosura fentoni caused quite a stir in the palaeontological field due to its unique body segmentation, which differentiates it from other members of its group, knows as the radiodonts.

“Radiodonts were Earth’s first large predators, with some species reaching up to a meter or more in length. They’re arguably some of the strangest-looking fossil creatures ever found, but it turns out they’re also crucial for understanding how modern insects and spiders evolved” says Moysiuk. “We’re excited to be able to share these globally significant fossils with the public, for the first time in Manitoba.”

Visitors to the Manitoba Museum can see fossils and 2D & 3D representations of Mosura fentoni and related species in a brand-new temporary exhibit. These specimens, on loan from Parks Canada and the ROM, come from the Burgess Shale, which is part of the UNESCO Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks World Heritage Site in British Columbia.

“We are really excited to launch Dr. Moysiuk’s first exhibit at the Manitoba Museum, which is based on his doctoral research and strong partnerships with the ROM. I think our visitors will really enjoy a view into current paleontological research and some interesting and unique specimens that we would not typically learn about from Manitoba’s fossil record” says Dr. Amelia Fay, Director of Research, Collections, and Exhibitions.

Weird Wonders from the Dawn of Complex Life will be on display in the Museum’s Foyer starting December 9.

The Manitoba Museum’s Earth History Gallery will be home to a brand-new mural, depicting a verdant scene from a warmer phase of the ice age, when muskoxen, woolly mammoths, and giant beavers roamed the land. Fossil evidence for these ice age inhabitants has been found throughout southern Manitoba and adjacent regions, notably near Grunthal, Manitoba.

“This wonderful artwork brings some of Manitoba’s most charismatic prehistoric creatures ‘back to life’ and showcases how much this landscape has changed over time. I think people will be surprised and amazed to learn about some of the fossil finds that have been made, practically, in our own backyards.” adds Moysiuk.

The mural, created by Canadian paleoartist and natural history illustrator Julius Csotonyi, is based on fossils finds in Manitoba and adjacent areas, particularly around Grunthal. This area has proven to be a trove of fossils, dating back at least 40,000 years, and is still the site of ongoing exploration and scientific work. The Manitoba Museum collection includes fossils found and donated by quarry workers, although at this time they will not be available for display.

The mural can be explored in the Manitoba Museum’s Earth History Gallery.

These exciting projects were funded by the Manitoba Museum Foundation Legacy Fund. Donations to this endowment fund help us continue to update our galleries, bringing Manitoban stories forward and ensuring that future generations can learn and grow at the Manitoba Museum.

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To arrange interviews, please contact:

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

Image Captions: 

1. Life reconstruction of Mosura fentoni. Art by Danielle Dufault © ROM
2. Small section of the new Ice Age Mural, Earth History Gallery, Manitoba Museum, showing a woolly mammoth reconstructed in the Grunthal area. Art by Julius Csotonyi. © Manitoba Museum

(Treaty One Territory – Winnipeg, Manitoba: December 4, 2025) – An $18 million bid for the Hudson’s Bay Company Royal Charter, made jointly by the Weston family and David Thomson, through their respective holding companies, has been accepted. The Charter will be donated in equal parts to a Consortium of four public institutions: the Manitoba Museum, the Archives of Manitoba, the Canadian Museum of History, and the Royal Ontario Museum.

The Consortium will receive the Charter as co-custodians on behalf of all Canadians, with the responsibility to undertake a national consultation on its future, including conservation, interpretation, exhibition, and community engagement.

The Hudson’s Bay Company Royal Charter was issued by King Charles II in 1670, granting the Hudson’s Bay Company a massive land grant that encompassed the entire Hudson Bay watershed – an area roughly two-thirds of what we now call Canada – and which included exclusive trading rights. The Royal Charter reflects the belief that this land was vacant and free for the taking, ideas that today we know are wrong, and thus it is a significant document for Canada, and an important part of our colonial history.

“Placing the HBC Charter in the hands of Canadians marks a monumental step toward Truth and Reconciliation,” says Dorota Blumczyńska, CEO of the Manitoba Museum. “The Manitoba Museum is profoundly honoured to serve as a Public Custodian, recognizing both the privilege and the immense responsibility this role carries. We are committed to ensuring that this historically complex document is preserved while also being placed in service to communities, becoming part of the foundation for healing and a brighter, more just future.”

The Manitoba Museum is home to the HBC Museum Collection. Comprised of 28,000 artifacts and belongings originating from coast to coast to coast, the HBC Museum Collection includes items and stories of great national significance, dating back to the mid-17th century. The Hudson’s Bay Company gifted the collection to the Manitoba Museum in 1994.

“The HBC Museum Collection was originally compiled in the 1920s to celebrate the Company’s 250th anniversary, but over the past century it has grown and flourished after finding a permanent home at the Manitoba Museum in 1994,” says Amelia Fay, Director of Research, Collections, and Exhibitions at the Manitoba Museum. “We work diligently to ensure the long-term preservation of this internationally significant collection, deemed a gift to the nation, as part of our daily work, and enjoy sharing the Collection with visitors through programs, exhibits, and tours.”

This past October, the Museum established the Manitoba Museum HBC Collection Endowment Fund with the goal of providing long-term, sustainable financial support for the HBC Museum Collection.

“This endowment represents a commitment to honouring and protecting one of Canada’s most significant historical collections,” says Charwin Dahl, Director of Development at the Manitoba Museum. “It reflects our responsibility to ensure that the stories within the HBC Museum Collection continue to inspire learning, reflection, and connection for generations to come.”

The Manitoba Museum HBC Collection Endowment Fund held at The Winnipeg Foundation will support conservation, exhibition, research, and community engagement.

The Manitoba Museum is deeply grateful to the Weston Family and David Thomson for their visionary leadership in this exciting moment in Canadian history. Their generous contributions guarantee that this nationally significant artifact will increase understanding of the founding story of Canada and guide us along our shared journey of Truth and Reconciliation.

We invite visitors to come explore the HBC Museum Collection today and look forward to working collaboratively with the Consortium as begin a national consultation on the Charter’s future.

To help us ensure the long-term future of this irreplaceable collection, we invite community members to support the Manitoba Museum HBC Collection Endowment Fund. Please make your donation through the Manitoba Museum website.

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To arrange interviews, please contact:

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

(Treaty One Territory – Winnipeg, Manitoba: November 27, 2025) – This GivingTuesday we celebrate how Manitobans have shaped the Manitoba Museum to what it is today, and the inspiring progress still ahead.

Every corner of the Manitoba Museum tells a story. From the smallest artifact to the largest gallery, our work is made possible by the generosity of our community.

Thanks to our supporters, this year the Manitoba Museum:

• Cared for almost 3 million artifacts
• Welcomed over 10,000 people to Orange Shirt Days to foster learning and reconciliation
• Connected with 75,000 young minds through school visits and virtual field trips
• Gave 46,921 community members free admission through our Access for All initiative, including First Fridays

Together, we achieve the extraordinary, and your support makes it all possible. When you support the Manitoba Museum, you’re not just preserving history, you’re helping create our next chapter. From the northern lights in our Planetarium to our prairie roots showcased in our Museum Galleries, your gift shares Manitoba’s magic with visitors of all ages.

“The Manitoba Museum is more than a building, it is a living collection of Manitobans’ memories and heritage,” said Dorota Blumczyńska, CEO of the Manitoba Museum. “Every donation and act of support helps us write the next chapter, preserving Manitoba’s past while opening doors to new stories for future generations.”

This GivingTuesday join us in celebrating everything Manitobans have built together, and help keep the Museum a place where curiosity, adventure, and discovery thrive for a lifetime.

Your generosity ensures that Manitoba’s past, present, and future remain connected, so every Manitoban can see themselves reflected in the story of this remarkable place we call home.

Make your GivingTuesday gift by phoning 204-988-0571, or online at  www.manitobamuseum.ca.

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To arrange interviews, please contact:

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