After establishing its first Canadian plant in Windsor in 1904, Ford soon began setting up other plants across Canada, and had assembly plants in Vancouver, Winnipeg, London, Toronto, Montreal, and – briefly – in Saint John, New Brunswick. These century-old buildings are still standing. Automotive author and award-winning journalist Dale Edward Johnson shares the stories of these Ford plants – why they were built, why they were shut down, and what they’re used for today - as well as facilities in Windsor and Oakville.

This online talk will take place over Zoom and is part of the Canadian Automotive Museum's Third Thursday lecture series. These online talks are free and open to the public, but registration is required. The Canadian Automotive Museum is a registered Canadian charity and a suggested donation of $10 goes toward covering the cost of hosting these virtual events. Donors who make an annual contribution of over $25 will receive a charitable tax receipt. 

About our speaker:

Dale Edward Johnson has written more than 1,000 car articles and columns for magazines, newspapers, radio and websites. He writes regular columns for the Regina Leader-Post and Old Autos, and also writes for CAA Magazine, Collectible Automobile, High Performance Pontiac, and Old Cars Weekly. His articles have also appeared in the National Post, the the Ottawa Citizen, the Toronto Star, and the Vancouver Sun.

There is a prevailing myth, fueled by companies like Sinclair Oil, that oil comes from dinosaurs. Oil is actually generated by the fossils of microscopic animals while gas is sourced from fossil plants. Once fossilized, a specific chain of geological events needs to occur to turn them into hydrocarbons. Join us for an evening of palaeontology (we will even throw in a few dinosaurs!) and some organic geochemistry to find out what fuels your vehicle.

This online talk will take place over Zoom and is part of the Canadian Automotive Museum's Third Thursday lecture series. These online talks are free and open to the public, but registration is required. The Canadian Automotive Museum is a registered Canadian charity and a suggested donation of $10 goes toward covering the cost of hosting these virtual events. Donors who make an annual contribution of over $25 will receive a charitable tax receipt. 

About our speaker:

Jon Noad graduated in 1985 and started working as a mining geologist in South Africa. He returned to the UK to work in marine cable laying and completed a Masters in Sedimentology at evening classes. This led to a full time PhD, working in eastern Borneo, after which he joined Shell International working Middle East exploration and in several production roles. He moved to Shell Canada in Calgary in 2006, followed by senior geoscience roles at several other oil companies. Jon started a consultancy in 2017 and has run more than 50 field trips and courses for industry as well as teaching at several universities. He joined Stantec as a qualified Palaeontologist in 2022 and now undertakes site monitoring for new pipelines and construction projects.

Join The Paranormal Seekers for an exclusive evening investigating the Canadian Automotive Museum. Get hands-on experience learning paranormal investigation techniques while gaining insight into the museum's past. This event is a single five-hour investigation session and is limited to twelve participants. Light refreshments will be provided. The price is $60 per person, $50 for CAM members.

Family Day 2024 is filled with fun kids activities and photos with special guest, Lightning McQueen. Kids will receive a new activity book (ages 6+) that explores the latest exhibit, Exit the Horse: The Early Years of Canadian Motoring. Several activity tables will be set up around the gallery including balloon creations from Balloons with at Twist (all ages, 10am to 3pm) and a toy train craft from Metrolinx (ages 3+). All activities are included with admission. The museum will be open extended hours on Family Day, 9am to 4pm.

Show your PRESTO card and receive 15% off tickets onsite and online!

As early as 1910 Canadians recognized that cars were easy to steal and, once stolen, hard to find, especially since cars looked much alike. Model styles and colours eventually changed, but so did the means of making a stolen car disappear. Though changing license plates and serial numbers remain basic procedure, thieves have created highly sophisticated networks to disassemble stolen vehicles, distribute the parts, and/or ship the altered cars out of the country. Stealing cars has become as technologically advanced as the cars themselves. Join John Heitmann as he covers this intriguing and relevant part of automotive history.

This online talk will take place over Zoom and is part of the Canadian Automotive Museum's Third Thursday lecture series. These online talks are free and open to the public, but registration is required. The Canadian Automotive Museum is a registered Canadian charity and a suggested donation of $10 goes toward covering the cost of hosting these virtual events. Donors who make an annual contribution of over $25 will receive a charitable tax receipt. 

About our Speaker

John A. Heitmann is Professor Emeritus of History at the University of Dayton. His books include two editions of The Automobile and American Life (McFarland, 2009 and 2018), and with Rebecca Morales, Stealing Cars: Technology and Society From the Model T to Gran Torino. A former President of the Society of Automotive Historians, he is currently working on a history of post-WWII automotive journalists.

As an important precursor to automobiles, horse-drawn vehicles were both numerous and diverse in Canada. Join Ashley Hardwick from the Remington Carriage Museum as she explores the impacts of transportation fueled by literal horsepower at the turn of the 20th century.

This online talk will take place over Zoom and is part of the Canadian Automotive Museum's Third Thursday lecture series. These online talks are free and open to the public, but registration is required. The Canadian Automotive Museum is a registered Canadian charity and a suggested donation of $10 goes toward covering the cost of hosting these virtual events. Donors who make an annual contribution of over $25 will receive a charitable tax receipt. 

About our Speaker

Ashley Hardwick is the Curator at the Remington Carriage Museum in Cardston, Alberta. With a B.A. in Anthropology from the University of Lethbridge, and a passion for Canadian history, she has the privilege of working with the largest museum collection of horse-drawn vehicles in the world.

Since the production of their first electric sports cars in 2004, American auto manufacturer Tesla has become a household name. Their products have made headlines, but not always in the right reasons. In a country like Canada, electrics, which suffer from range limitations and poor cold-weather performance, have always had their flaws. Join Autumn Nyiri and Leslie Kendall from the Petersen Automotive Museum as they discuss the history of this electric car giant, and its successes and failures on Canadian roads.

This online talk will take place over Zoom and is part of the Canadian Automotive Museum's Third Thursday lecture series. These online talks are free and open to the public, but registration is required. The Canadian Automotive Museum is a registered Canadian charity and a suggested donation of $10 goes toward covering the cost of hosting these virtual events. Donors who make an annual contribution of over $25 will receive a charitable tax receipt. 

About our speakers:

Born and raised in Southern California, Autumn Nyiri headed to the east coast to attend Columbia University’s masters program in Museum Anthropology. She worked her way up through the curatorial department at the Museum of the City of New York over the course of 15+ years, eventually becoming Director of Curatorial Affairs. In 2019 she returned to Los Angeles to serve as Associate Curator at the Petersen Automotive Museum, where she channels her love of history and culture into telling the stories of automobiles.

Born in San Diego, California, Leslie Kendall has had an insatiable, life-long interest in automotive history. After earning an MBA that led to an unfulfilling career in mortgage banking, he left to volunteer full-time at the San Diego Automotive Museum where he was hired on as curator after only eight months. Kendall was invited to join the Petersen Automotive Museum implementation team in April 1993 and in October 1995 was named Chief Curator. Now the museum’s Chief Historian, he is an author; a regular contributor to automotive media outlets; a concours d’Elegance judge at events around the country; and a frequent consultant on automotive history-related public- and private-sector projects.

Who drove the first Canadian car? Who built the first Canadian car? How did Canada, as a country, come to rely so much on cars and trucks to get around? The answers depend on where in Canada you are. Every Canadian community has their first car story, events that became lodged in public consciousness or local legend. The history of motoring in Canada goes back a long way. The latest Canadian Automotive Museum exhibition, Exit the Horse: The Early Years of Canadian Motoring, explores the origins of the automobile in Canada.

This member's reception will take place on Friday, November 17, 2023 from 6-8pm. Remarks will take place at 7pm. This event is free and open to CAM members and supporters.  Refreshments and a cash bar will be available. 

During the remarks at 7pm there will be a special announcement related to the restoration of Lester B. Pearson's 1963 Buick.

Exit the Horse is a traveling exhibition funded by the Government of Canada through the Museum Assistance Program.

As Canada’s 14th Prime Minister, Lester B. Pearson is best-known for his work as a diplomat and peacekeeper, and for winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 1957. In the automotive world, he is largely responsible for the Canada-US Auto Pact, which changed the face of the Canadian car-building industry forever. Auto historian Dimitry Anastakis explores Pearson’s relationship with cars and the auto industry, and how the Auto Pact affects Canada to this day.

This online talk will take place over Zoom and is part of the Canadian Automotive Museum's Third Thursday lecture series. These online talks are free and open to the public, but registration is required. The Canadian Automotive Museum is a registered Canadian charity and a suggested donation of $10 goes toward covering the cost of hosting these virtual events. Donors who make an annual contribution of over $25 will receive a charitable tax receipt. 

About our speaker:

Dr. Dimitry Anastakis. is the L.R. Wilson/R.J. Currie Chair in Canadian Business History at the University of Toronto in the Department of History and the Rotman School of Management, where he teaches about business, the state and politics, and globalization, particularly in the post-1945 period in Canada. His next book is Dream Car: Malcolm Bricklin’s Fantastic Safety Vehicle-1, and the End of Industrial Modernity.

Between 1963 and 1998 Volvo produced over 300,000 cars in Canada from an assembly plant on the outskirts of Halifax. Join Andrew Philips from the Nova Scotia Museum of Industry and Neville Britto as they explore why a Swedish car manufacturer decided to open their first overseas plant in the Maritimes, and how the Halifax Assembly produced some uniquely Canadian cars. 

This online talk will take place over Zoom and is part of the Canadian Automotive Museum's Third Thursday lecture series. These online talks are free and open to the public, but registration is required. The Canadian Automotive Museum is a registered Canadian charity and a suggested donation of $10 goes toward covering the cost of hosting these virtual events. Donors who make an annual contribution of over $25 will receive a charitable tax receipt. 

About our speakers:

Andrew Phillips

Mr. Philips' interest in Nova Scotia’s history started early with family trips to local museums. While attending Dalhousie University he started working at the Halifax Citadel, first as a military re-enactor, and later as a heritage interpreter. He has also worked at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic and Prescott House Museum. Since 2005 he is the Curator of Education and Public Programs at the Museum of Industry. He loves working in a field that gives him the opportunity to tell good stories about Nova Scotia’s heritage.

Neville Britto

A life-long Volvo enthusiast and part-time historian, Neville Britto is a proud graduate of the University of Toronto’s Political Science and History program. Passionate about history from a young age, his typical areas of study and research include Canadian political history, post-1945 Canadian history with an emphasis on the North American auto sector and Cold War industrial and cultural periods. 

Neville is an expert on Volvo’s Halifax Operations and has spent the past decade compiling artifacts, extensively researching and interviewing former employees for an upcoming book he is writing on the plant. In addition to this, Neville has served on the board of several organizations, including most recently as an Executive Board Member and Special Events Coordinator for the Canadian Volvo Club. 

He has also assisted the Canadian Museum of Science and Innovation with their Volvo exhibit, Volvo Canada and Volvo’s Heritage Services Division in Gothenburg, Sweden with compiling information on Volvo’s Halifax Assembly operations. Residing in Scarborough, Ontario he is an expert on Canada’s auto sector and is currently employed as a Senior Sector Advisor with the Ontario Ministry of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade’s Automotive Unit.

Rally Durham is the Canadian Automotive Museum’s signature annual social and fundraising event.

This year we'll be reducing our environmental footprint, focusing on Canadian car content, and building social connections.

The day starts off at the Canadian Automotive Museum (99 Simcoe St. South, Oshawa, ON L1H 4G7) in downtown Oshawa at 10am and ends at Castle John's in Port Hope (43 Peter St, Port Hope, ON L1A 1C2) at 5pm. In between there will be a fun day of touring scenic Durham Region and Northumberland County, tasty treats, and several fun activities. Participants will collect points along the way with prizes awarded at the end of the day.

The ticket price of $300 ($250 for CAM members) covers entry for two participants in one vehicle (must have a driver and co-driver). Tickets include meals (boxed lunch and dinner), several fun stops*, plus many prizes to be won!

A charitable tax receipt for $50 will be issued, which supports the museum's charitable activities.

Registration deadline is September 22, 2023 at 5pm.

Space is limited to 25 vehicles so please book early to reserve your space.

*Contact the CAM team at office@canadianautomotivemuseum.com if you'd like more information about the stops and activities. Otherwise we'll keep our itinerary a fun surprise! 

Our September Kids' Day is sponsored by the GM Oshawa Assembly Plant. Children 17 and younger will receive free admission and can make their own electric car model to take home. Model car kits include wheels, a battery, a small motor, wires and a cardboard base to build upon. Volunteers will be available to help out throughout the day or you can take the kit home to complete. This activity is appropriate for ages 7 and up. No registration required.

Today, the Canadian Automotive Museum is home to the world's most significant collection of Canadian cars, but when the museum opened in 1963, the organizers needed to rent cars to fill out the displays. Over the course of 60 years the collection has grown and evolved into the world-class collection visitors can view today. Join curator Alexander Gates for a tour of the collection where as he explores how the collection of the Canadian Automotive Museum came together and what the future holds for collecting Canadian vehicles.

Today, the Canadian Automotive Museum is home to the world's most significant collection of Canadian cars, but when the museum opened in 1963, the organizers needed to rent cars to fill out the displays. Over the course of 60 years the collection has  grown and evolved into the world-class collection visitors can view today. Join curator Alexander Gates as he explores how the collection of the Canadian Automotive Museum came together and what the future holds for collecting Canadian vehicles.  

This online talk will take place over Zoom and is part of the Canadian Automotive Museum's Third Thursday lecture series. These online talks are free and open to the public, but registration is required. The Canadian Automotive Museum is a registered Canadian charity and a suggested donation of $10 goes toward covering the cost of hosting these virtual events. Donors who make an annual contribution of over $25 will receive a charitable tax receipt. 

About our speaker:

Alexander Gates is the executive director and curator of the Canadian Automotive Museum in Oshawa, Ontario. Since 2014, he has focused on Canadian content in the collection and has overseen the reinterpretation of the cars on display. He previously served as the Director and Curator of the North Berrien Historical Museum in Coloma, Michigan. Gates holds a B.A. in International Relations and History from Drake University, a Masters of Museum Studies from the University of Toronto, and studied French at the Sorbonne in Paris while he was a tour guide on the Eiffel Tower. His award winning exhibits include Women in Baseball: Bloomer Girls of Berrien County & Beyond (2011) and Oshawa's Automotive Community (2021). 

Join MPP Jennifer French on August 25 as she formally announces a $22,300 grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation. The Resilient Communities Fund grant supports the recruitment and training of museum volunteers following the Covid-19 lockdowns. With OTF support, the museum will grow its team of volunteers who provide tours of, assist with programs, and care for the collection. This event is free and open to the public. No registration required. 

Bring the family for a Summer Kids' Day at the Canadian Automotive Museum. Families can take part in a racing themed scavenger hunt and then make their own race car driver craft. All activities are included with admission and are appropriate for ages 5 and up. No registration required.

Travel back to the 80s/90s for a day with our friends at OBLIVION's main event, this year with a retro 80’s/90’s wedding backdrop!  Complete with period architecture, vintage limo, and of course a bride and groom dressed for the decades!  A day of retro cars, video games and food trucks conveniently located in Oakville and minutes off the QEW.

Exclusively for friends of the Canadian Automotive Museum, you can save $7 off vehicle registrations, spectator tickets, and parking using code CAMPROMO23 when you purchase your tickets at www.oblivioncarshow.ca. 

Want to win free tickets? Enter to win admission and parking for you and a carload of your friends using the ballot box in the lobby of the Canadian Automotive Museum - a $75 value! 

When: Sunday August 13, 2023
Time: 12:00pm to 5:00 pm, CAM members meetup at 1pm
Where: St. Volodymyr Cultural Centre, 1280 Dundas St W, Oakville, ON L6M 4H9

We'll have a meetup at 1pm at the arcade for CAM staff, members, volunteers and friends. Looking forward to seeing you there. 

Our July Summer Kids' Day is sponsored by the GM Oshawa Assembly Plant. Children 17 and younger will receive free admission and can make their own electric car model to take home. Model car kits include wheels, a battery, a small motor, wires and a cardboard base to build upon. Volunteers will be available to help out throughout the day or you can take the kit home to complete. This activity is appropriate for ages 7 and up. No registration required.

Join us this Father's Day at the Canadian Automotive Museum for tours and family activities. Kids can make a race car driver craft to take home, take their picture with Lightning McQueen, and explore the galleries with an engaging scavenger hunt.

Join us for a 90-minute downtown Oshawa walking tour combined with a tour of the Canadian Automotive Museum's collection of vehicles built in Oshawa. Oshawa has been home to the McLaughlin Carriage Company, McLaughlin Motor Car Company, and General Motors of Canada, but today only a few remnants of the city’s former industrial past remain in the downtown core. Expert guides will explore the streetscape and bring to life the people and places that made Oshawa “Canada’s Motor City” and along the way you'll discover downtown Oshawa's businesses, history, and public art. The tour will conclude at the Canadian Automotive Museum with an overview of the cars manufactured over the last 100+ years in Oshawa such as McLaughlin-Buicks, Oldsmobiles and Chevrolets.

This event is includes admission to the museum following the tour, members free.

The Canadian Automotive Museum’s 2023 walking tours are sponsored by the City of Oshawa and Pathwise Credit Union. Thank you to our National Media Partner, The HISTORY Channel.

The Canadian Automotive Museum’s third annual Park & Picnic is on Sunday, June 4, 2023. We'll meet at the Canadian Automotive Museum (99 Simcoe St. South, Oshawa) and then take a scenic drive to Stouffville, Ontario, where we will enjoy a guided tour of the Stouffville Museum followed by a picnic lunch from Berry Hill Food Co.

When: Sunday June 4, 2023
Time: 9:30am to 1:00 pm
Where: Meet at the Canadian Automotive Museum and depart at 10am toward the Stouffville Museum (14732 Woodbine Ave, Whitchurch-Stouffville, ON L4A 2K9)
Cost: $45/person (members) or $60/person (non-members)
Additional charitable donations to the Canadian Automotive Museum are greatly appreciated

Tickets include lunch and a guided tour of the Stouffville Museum. Remember to bring a blanket, lawn chair, and other picnic accessories! In case of poor weather we'll have lunch inside of the museum. Participants can bring a classic car or their daily driver as everyone is welcome. On view at the Stouffville Museum is a special version of the Canada's Car Stories exhibit, developed by the Canadian Automotive Museum to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Stouffville Museum's annual car show.

About the Stouffville Museum

The Stouffville Museum opened in 1971 and is nestled in a serene park setting. The site has grown over the years and in 2012, welcomed the addition of a Community Centre that blends the old with the new. Historic buildings on site include the Bogarttown Schoolhouse (1857), the Vandorf Public Schoolhouse (1870), the Pioneer Log Cabin (1850), a Victorian Farmhouse (1857) and an historic Barn.

2023 Annual General Meeting

Members are invited to the Canadian Automotive Museum's 2023 Annual General Meeting on June 1, 2023 at 7pm. This year's meeting will once again take place at the Canadian Automotive Museum with an online option for those unable to attend in person.

A short business meeting will be followed by a presentation highlighting the accomplishments of the previous year, as well as outlining the Canadian Automotive Museum's future endeavours. Members will be sent a Zoom link prior to the meeting.

Want to join? Become a member today.

www.CanadianAutomotiveMuseum.com/membership

Join us for a 90-minute downtown Oshawa walking tour combined with a tour of the Canadian Automotive Museum's collection of vehicles built in Oshawa. Oshawa has been home to the McLaughlin Carriage Company, McLaughlin Motor Car Company, and General Motors of Canada, but today only a few remnants of the city’s former industrial past remain in the downtown core. Expert guides will explore the streetscape and bring to life the people and places that made Oshawa “Canada’s Motor City” and along the way you'll discover downtown Oshawa's businesses, history, and public art. The tour will conclude at the Canadian Automotive Museum with an overview of the cars manufactured over the last 100+ years in Oshawa such as McLaughlin-Buicks, Oldsmobiles and Chevrolets.

This event is includes admission to the museum following the tour, members free.

The Canadian Automotive Museum’s 2023 walking tours are sponsored by the City of Oshawa and Pathwise Credit Union. Thank you to our National Media Partner, The HISTORY Channel.

Since Georges-Antoine Belcourt drove P.E.I.'s first steam car in 1866, the Maritime provinces have had a long and colourful automotive history. Some of the first cars to hit Canadian roads were designed and built in or imported through the great seaports of the East Coast, and the wealth and industry of the Maritimes would join in the auto boom of the early 20th century. Join auto historian Bill Jarvis as he explores the huge range of cars made and driven throughout the history of the Maritimes, from familiar brands like Ford and Volvo, to forgotten pioneers like the Victorian, McKay and the Maritime Singer.

This online talk will take place over Zoom and is part of the Canadian Automotive Museum's Third Thursday lecture series. These online talks are free and open to the public, but registration is required. The Canadian Automotive Museum is a registered Canadian charity and a suggested donation of $10 goes toward covering the cost of hosting these virtual events. Donors who make an annual contribution of over $25 will receive a charitable tax receipt. 

About our speaker:

Bill Jarvis of Moncton has been interested in cars since he was a young child. He has been active in the antique auto hobby since 1970. In 1973, he purchased a 1947 Studebaker Champion sedan which he still drives. At present Bill is the Provincial Treasurer of the N.B. Antique Auto Club Inc., and is the Regional Manager for the Atlantic Provinces and Québec of the Studebaker Drivers Club Inc. After a varied career in the business world, Bill is retired. He and his wife Karen enjoy travelling by car. Car trips in 2018 took them from Moncton to Cape Race and St. Lunaire-Griquet NL and in 2019 to Tofino and Victoria BC. Previously they had toured Scotland and southern England by car. In 1968 Bill and a friend drove from Halifax to Tehuantepec, Mexico. Other interests include genealogy, photography and square dancing.

To celebrate the coronation of King Charles III, the Canadian Automotive Museum will have a special Kids Activity Day on Sunday, May 7, 2023. Visitors can make their own paper crown to take home using supplies available in the gallery. This activity is included with general admission and children 5 and under are admitted free.

For more information on Royal Symbols and the Canadian Car, visit our virtual exhibit.

Doors Open Ontario is a province-wide celebration that provides a unique opportunity to explore and enjoy sometimes hidden and always interesting places and spaces in cities across Ontario - all free of charge! Explore Doors Open Ontario 2023.

Doors Open Oshawa is an annual event where you can explore Oshawa's diverse heritage and cultural sites. Spend a day discovering local history first-hand and celebrating our community heritage. The 2023 event will be in-person and virtual.

The Canadian Automotive Museum will be open for free on Saturday, May 6, 2023 from 10am to 4pm as part of Doors Open Oshawa.

Join us for a 90-minute downtown Oshawa walking tour combined with a tour of the Canadian Automotive Museum's collection of vehicles built in Oshawa. Oshawa has been home to the McLaughlin Carriage Company, McLaughlin Motor Car Company, and General Motors of Canada, but today only a few remnants of the city’s former industrial past remain in the downtown core. Expert guides will explore the streetscape and bring to life the people and places that made Oshawa “Canada’s Motor City” and along the way you'll discover downtown Oshawa's businesses, history, and public art. The tour will conclude at the Canadian Automotive Museum with an overview of the cars manufactured over the last 100+ years in Oshawa such as McLaughlin-Buicks, Oldsmobiles and Chevrolets.

This event is includes admission to the museum following the tour, members free.

The Canadian Automotive Museum’s 2023 walking tours are sponsored by the City of Oshawa and Pathwise Credit Union. Thank you to our National Media Partner, The HISTORY Channel.