VIDEO: Military museum in Oshawa to get new name, new national identity in $30 million expansion

It’s always been the ‘Tank Museum’ to locals. Now, with a major expansion on the way – both in size and in scope – it’s official.

The Ontario Regiment RCAC Museum, which houses North America’s largest collection of operational historical military vehicles (including a battalion of tanks), is undergoing a re-brand as part of a $30 million expansion and will now be known as the Canadian Tank Museum.

The announcement came as the museum kicked off a fundraising campaign and the vision for the new complex, which will include a new building on the north side of the museum campus that will house the current collection in a way that will be “more accessible” to visitors.

“As our museum has grown and been recognized both Nationally and internationally, it was time to highlight that this has become a great Canadian institution in a global context,” said museum president Alan Duffy. “We are moving from our regional identity and focus to a national identity that is more inclusive of the stories these vehicle artifacts tell, well beyond that of our local regiment”

The new museum grounds will encompass the existing structures and Oshawa’s Heritage Conservation District, which contains the last Second World War buildings at the Oshawa Executive Airport, into a larger curated heritage complex.

The Ontario Regiment Museum will remain a component of the larger overall museum and continue to house and protect the artifacts and heritage of the Ontario Regiment RCAC. The regimental museum will be an integral part of the enlarged museum facility but will be alongside other galleries and displays including the extensive collection of military vehicles and tanks.

“We aim to break ground in three to five years,” said museum executive director Jeremy Neal Blowers, who added the museum collection continues to grow year, with “ongoing” site improvements.

The museum will continue to house the history and artifacts of the Ontario Regiment, he said, but visitors will experience the collection in a way that “better tells the story” of the Royal Canadian Armoured Corps that is spread across this country.

“All of our armoured regiments and the equipment they served in during our long proud history as a nation will be on display and interpreted to the public. A national rather than regional focus.”

Museum Executive Director Jeremy Blowers giving a sneak peek of the new name before the announcement

The purpose-built exhibit building will be two floors with a 3,500 sq/foot footprint, which will be reserved exclusively for exhibit and display space, with the existing building transitioning to maintenance, storage and administration, Blowers explained. “The exterior grounds and outdoor space are also key to the expansion; providing an open air exhibit and public programming space.”

The current museum is composed of a static section tracing the history of the Ontario Regiment, which saw extensive action in the Second World War, primarily in Italy, and a ‘Vehicle Section’ with more than 100 operational military vehicles, including jeeps, trucks and tanks.

The new name will take effect immediately but Blowers said the museum will be operating under both names until the transition is complete. “It will take some time for a full transition,” he noted. “A re-brand is a complex and lengthy process.

The capital campaign received a major boost on its first day with the Dunkley Charitable Foundation, which has helped the museum purchase several vehicles in the past – including a 1943 GM FOX armoured reconnaissance car last fall and a rare WW2 Howitzer Motor Carriage M7B1 (better known as the ‘M7 Priest’) in 2022 – pledging to match the first $4 million raised. Another $1 million in donations will be matched by Duffy himself.