On October 20, MVCA’s Board of Directors approved a Transition Plan for reassigning ownership and management of the R. Tait McKenzie and James Naismith collections by January 1, 2029.   Phase 1 provides until summer 2026 for various options to be considered and reflects MVCA’s continued commitment to honor the men, their contributions, their legacy, and to preserve Canada’s heritage.

To achieve this, a Working Group will be established for community members and museum experts to work with MVCA to identify a financially sustainable solution for retaining the collections of at the Mill of Kintail Conservation Area.  Thirteen organizations/individuals will be invited to participate, and a third-party facilitator will be retained to support the group and provide members with the best opportunity to find a feasible solution.  Bev Holmes, Mississippi Mills councillor and MVCA board member was approved to sit on the Working Group.

MVCA’s Board approved the following assumptions to support analysis by the Working Group:

1. A third-party will assume ownership of the collections, which may choose to contract with others to manage the collections and operate the museum.
2. Use of MVCA facilities will be subject to a lease agreement.
   1. At minimum, the lease will contemplate use of the Grist Mill, the adjacent lawn to the east, and the Gate House Archive.
   2. As with other Mill of Kintail CA tenants, any proposed activities to occur outside those areas or outside MVCA’s normal working hours will be subject to the lease agreement and/or MVCA site rental agreements and fees.
   3. A portion of capital renewal costs will be factored into lease costs.
   4. Sharing of promotional costs may be considered.
   5. Sharing of MVCA gate fees may be considered.
   6. Sharing of Tenant revenues may be considered.
3. A lease agreement in excess of 5-years will require provincial approval.

MVCA is planning an Information Session for November 2025 to support the community in identifying potential ownership/management options for the collections.  Contact info@mvc.on.ca if you would like to be notified of event details once confirmed and to receive further updates regarding Transition Plan activities.

In the meantime, MVCA will be reaching out to provincial and federal decision-makers to work with the community and MVCA to find financial solutions.

Watch/Listen to the Board of Director’s meeting held October 20, 2025 (Starting at 1:21:34 time mark)