News release details

Interested in what is taking shape at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights construction site? Ever wonder what you are looking at when walking or driving by the historic parcel of Treaty One land where the Red and Assiniboine Rivers meet in the heart of Winnipeg, the geographic heart of Canada? Take advantage of these free guided perimeter tours of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights construction site until September 4, 2011 by coming to the Forks to learn more.

"Guided summer tours of the perimeter of the construction site proved immensely popular last year so we are extremely pleased to offer the free tours again this summer in addition to the new self‐guided tours using QR barcode technology," said Stuart Murray, President and Chief Executive Officer of the CMHR. "These tours have proven to be a terrific opportunity for Winnipeggers, Manitobans and visitors to the city to watch first hand as this iconic building takes shape."

The self‐guided tours have already attracted 195 virtual tours since its introduction on July 1, 2011. By simply using your smart phone to scan the Quick Response code signs (QR barcode), you can access an audio tour, sharing details about the global institution that will soon redefine Winnipeg's skyline. QR tours begin at stop 1 which is located on the South‐western part of the perimeter fence and proceeds eastward for a total of five stops.

Since the kick off of the guided tours on May 28th, 2011, more than 675 visitors have witnessed change taking shape. Some of these visitors came from across Canada and as far away as Australia, Turkey, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Hungary, Taiwan, England, and the United States.

Guided tours begin at the Explore Manitoba Centre at the Forks, last approximately 45 minutes, are free, and run Thursday through Sunday until September 4th, 2011. ASL interpretation is available upon request. (72 hours notice is requested) For more information or to reserve a spot on a tour, contact the CMHR at 204–289-2016 or tours@humanrightsmuseum.ca.

Tours are conducted on pavement and accessible for wheelchairs or motorized carts and are available in French or English.

Did you know?

The Canadian Museum for Human Rights is the largest facility of its kind, ever, dedicated to the cause of human rights. To put the museum's size into perspective, if all the concrete used in the museum were brought to the construction site at one time, it would take 2,125 fully loaded cement trucks to deliver it. The building's skeleton has the same amount of steel as 27 diesel‐electric locomotives, and the museum's floor plan will be equal in size to four CFL football fields combined. When complete, the museum's glass‐encased Tower of Hope will stand at similar height to the Peace Tower on Parliament Hill.

- 30 -

About the Canadian Museum for Human Rights

The Canadian Museum for Human Rights (CMHR), currently under construction in Winnipeg, Manitoba, was established to provide a place for Canadians, and the world, to explore the subject of human rights and to encourage human rights action. With construction slated for completion in 2012, the CMHR is the first national museum to have been established in over 40 years, and the first national museum to be located outside the National Capital Region. For more information about the CMHR please visit http://humanrightsmuseum.ca/ or follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/cmhr_news and on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/canadianmuseumforhumanrights.

For more information contact:

For tours information contact:
269 Main Street
Winnipeg, MB R3C 1B3
T: (204) 289‑2016
tours@humanrightsmuseum.ca

Media inquiries contact: