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Heritage Services

Heritage Services

Operational update

Effective , Halton Region Heritage Services has permanently discontinued all public‑facing operations, including public programming and research services. Donations to the historical collection are also no longer being accepted.

Staff continue to implement the 2020 deaccessioning activities outlined in Report No. LPS83-20 (PDF file) and are collaborating with Local Municipalities and cultural heritage partners to appropriately rehome items of cultural and historic significance that remain in the collection. This work is being completed in accordance with the approach outlined in Attachment #1 to Report No. CA-13-25 – Deaccessioning and Dispersal Approach Summary (PDF file).

To date, Regional staff have had preliminary meetings with cultural heritage partners from all four Local Municipalities. The Region has also retained Know History Inc. to assist with the development of a redistribution plan for the collection. On , an update was provided to Regional Council on the historical collection. The agenda, minutes and recording can be found on the Council and Committee Meetings page.

For inquiries, please email 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.

Accordingly, 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 in Attachment #1 to Report No. CA-13-25 – Deaccessioning and Dispersal Approach Summary (PDF file).

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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