Mineralogy and Museums 2027

The Canadian Museum of Nature is in Canada’s capital city, Ottawa. The main exhibits are housed in the Victoria

Memorial Museum Building (VMMB), a heritage building commissioned in 1901 as a tribute to Queen Victoria. In 1997, a new research and collections facility, the Natural Heritage Campus, was built in Gatineau, Quebec to consolidate all the Museum’s collections, laboratories and administration under one roof. The NHC is host to more than 14 million specimens in the mineralogy, botany, zoology and paleontology collections.

Participants of MM11 will have the opportunity to tour all the exhibits at the VMMB, including the Earth Gallery which will be newly-renovated as of late 2026. We also plan to offer pre- and post-conference tours to the NHC with the opportunity to visit our mineral collection and laboratories.

The Canadian Museum of Nature was born out of the Geological Survey of Canada. In 1856, Sir William Logan, the first director of the GSC, was authorized to establish a geological museum. In 1882, the GSC hired naturalist John Macoun, who led the development of the first natural history collections for the future Museum, commissioned in 1901. The building was completed in 1910 with the help of over 300 Scottish stonemasons and opened to the public in 1912. At that time, it contained natural history collections, historical collections, and art - three museums in one.

From 1916 to 1920, it became the headquarters for Canada’s government after the Parliament Buildings burned down in a fire. In 1927, the National Museum of Canada and the Geological Survey of Canada are formally separated into distinct entities by the federal government. However, the GSC still remained in the VMMB until 1959, at which time it relocated to its current location on Booth Street.

Nestled at the junction of three picturesque rivers, Ottawa is considered one of the world’s most beautiful capitals. The area was made capital of the British colonial Province of Canada in 1857 and in 1969, Ottawa and Gatineau, and their surrounding communities, were formally recognized as Canada’s Capital Region.

The Capital Region has grown and diversified in the past century. Today, with well over a million people living here, Ottawa is the 4th largest urban metropolis in Canada. Its population is highly varied, and its culture is representative of many peoples. Its principal industries - though the federal service and tourism still hold pride of place - are now complemented by a vigorous high-tech sector, six universities and colleges, as well as many award-winning cultural attractions, eight national museums, and beautiful natural sites such as the Rideau Canal, Ontario’s only UNESCO World Heritage site. Ottawa-Gatineau has some of the largest networks of recreational pathways in North America and boasts plenty of green space including Gatineau Park and the National Capital Greenbelt.

The MM11 Host Committee will be working closely with Tourism Ottawa to secure blocks of hotel rooms in the downtown core at reduced rates for the conference. In addition, we will work with Tourism Ottawa to provide transit passes to all participants, and to develop a program of activities for guests who are not attending the conference each day. From museums to galleries to outdoor adventures, to fine dining and shopping, you can be sure that all participants and their guests will find something to remember about our nation’s capital.