(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