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Heritage Services

Heritage Services

Halton Heritage Services update

On July 9, 2025, Halton Region Council provided direction to:

  • deaccession the historical Collection in its entirety;
  • disperse the deaccessioned items from the Collection;
  • cease delivering heritage services as of January 1, 2026; and,
  • work with the Local Municipalities and local community heritage organizations to address any impacts or opportunities resulting from these changes

The approach for this important work can be found here: Attachment #1 to Report No. CA-13-25 – Deaccessioning and Dispersal Approach Summary (PDF file).

While outward facing services will cease as of January 1, 2026, deaccessioning will be ongoing and will extend beyond January 1, 2026 to ensure a careful, measured approach. Regional staff are working with Local Municipalities and cultural heritage representatives to share more about the Collection and discuss impacts and opportunities.

The Region is also seeking the support of a specialist for the development of a redistribution strategy and implementation plan. The redistribution strategy is anticipated to go to Council in Q1 2026.

For any questions throughout the wind-up process, please contact Heritage@halton.ca

Questions and answers

Why is Halton Region ceasing the delivery of Heritage Services?

In 2024/2025, a broader Service Delivery Review was undertaken by the Region and Local Municipalities to address the impacts of changes made by the Provincial Government’s Bill 23: More Homes Built Faster Act, 2022. It was determined that heritage programming would be best delivered at the local level, where residents can engage directly through museums, libraries, and cultural organizations.

What is in the Region’s historical Collection?

The Region’s collections management database contains approximately 34,500 records in total. Of this total, about half (18,400) are “object records”. These can be artifacts, natural history specimens, archaeological materials, or works of art. The remaining records are photographs (3,100) and archival materials (13,000). 

The 18,400 “object records” are categorized as follows: 

  • 32% general tools and equipment 
  • 15% textiles
  • 12% miscellaneous artifacts, specimens, and works of art 
  • 9% communication tools and equipment 
  • 7% furnishings 
  • 7% personal items 
  • 6% medical science tools and equipment 

Not all items relate directly to Halton Region or have known provenance due to collecting practices and standards common for community museums that started in the 1960s.

What is the status of the deaccessioning approved by Council in 2020?

In 2020, through Report No. LPS83-20 (PDF file), Council approved the deaccessioning of approximately 8,000-10,000 items from the Collection. Although efforts were slowed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the dispersal of these deaccessioning items is underway. Staff have been working with a wide range of partners and community heritage organizations on item transfers.

Visit a local heritage destination

Use our interactive map to find heritage organizations across the region. 

Discover Halton's history

If you are interested in learning more about local and family history in Halton, check out these resources:

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