Canadian Museum for Human Rights — Attraction in Winnipeg

i wasn’t sure what to expect. My daughter had gone and had asked me to go when i had an opportunity. so when i was in Winnipeg with an afternoon to spare i decided to take a look. i first went to the web page to get some info on entry cost and parking. i found the admission info but the parking information was lacking. when i arrived i found the parking area was actually torn up with construction and if i wanted to park further down towards the Forks it looked like it would result in a walk back to the museum through a tent city homeless encampment. I luckily found a parking spot on the side of the road with a pay terminal. i tried to used my card but the terminal was broken. i tried to use the webpage listed but the site was full of adware and tried to spoof for my credit card number. eventually i realized i would have to download an app and then register and then pay for parking. that done it was time to check out the museum. Admission seemed to be a bit pricy for a weekday afternoon at about $20 a person. You buy your ticket but then you have to walk about 10 steps for another employee to actually scan your ticket then it’s into the museum if you know where you are going. i don’t and started off the wrong way but figured it out. it seems to be various floors of circular exhibits connected my various ramps. think the stair cases in Hogwarts and you will better understand the crisscrossing ramps. i found the various options to access the information at each exhibit to be very inclusive. audio with various languages and tactile buttons as well as touch screens. each floor seems to have a circular batch of exhibits with a centre small amphitheater with info movies playing. during my visit i was almost the only visitor. all the movies were playing in french and as my comprehension is minimal i avoided these theatres. there is a fair amount on aboriginal issues and also information on the slave train and how blacks were treated in canada. as i progressed through the floors i found the holocaust exhibit to be excellent and the information on various world genocides yo be very i formative. i should mention the staff… each floor appeared to have an information desk and a staff member. i could see any direction signs and on a couple floors i had to inquire on the way to the next floor or exhibit. there was one excellent staff member who took the time to show me how to use the touch screens and the other features. i was able to get so much more out of the experience after she have me some of her time and she was the highlight of the time there. i wish all the staff were like her because i only encountered her on the last few floors. she also told me they can start the movies from the beginning and have them play in english…. which would have been helpful to know starting off. i was very curious about how the museum was going to treat canada’s contribution to peacekeeping and our soldiers fight for human rights across the globe. Canada had a well deserved reputation of standing up for human rights all over the world and sending our soldiers into very dangerous places to help the UN combat genocide… well apparently that never occurred. no mention of it whatsoever that i could find. I saw lots of what we have done wrong in our county but why can’t this museum also celebrate our many positives in relation to human rights…. my next exhibit floor was the final one. i entered the floor and was faced with a strange sculpture and a screen telling me about how white shopping plastic bags are tied to human right around the world…. at this point i was not in the mood for that so i decided to find my way out. i don’t see any signage so i took an elevator down. it stopped at the third floor and didn’t go further. there was a small cafeteria and i may have stumbled into the office area of the museum…. officers and cubicles. Another elevator got me to the ground floor and luckily i found a staff member to tell me...

This is an outstanding museum, in terms of its architecture, exhibits, and people, and yet I find it overlooked beyond Winnipeg. It makes Winnipeg a must-visit city!

It’s hard not to be awed by the museum’s architecture, both from afar and close-up. I didn’t see photos of the museum’s interior before my visit and I was so amazed by the criss-crossing, gently ascending and illuminated stair design and how that is woven into the museum visiting experience as you are taken from one exhibit to the next. And when I got to the atrium, my jaws just dropped. Overall, the museum is a great place for architecture photography! As an architecture enthusiast, I feel that if the same building is placed in cities such as New York, Barcelona or Singapore, it would have received a lot more well-deserved fanfare. However, I am glad it is situated in Winnipeg as it is a marvelous centrepiece of the city.

The museum’s stunning architecture brings attention to its excellent and rich exhibits. There are several galleries, each with a different theme. I really liked the permanent exhibit that reflects on the experiences and discrimination felt by different groups of people in Canada. I felt that it should be an ever-growing exhibition as our values and the meaning of human rights continue to develop. The Holocaust exhibit is also impressive and sombre, and extremely timely. There are also a lot of interactive and multimedia elements to make the visit more engaging. For example, I really liked the area on the upper levels where visitors are invited to write and post notes on what human rights mean to them. Note that the exhibits are very dense and I felt that I only scratched the surface by viewing and reading, so I might try joining a guided tour during my next visit to learn more.

A visit to the museum would be incomplete without checking out the observation area in the spiral, which is accessible by stairs and elevator. It has great views of the Forks, St Boniface and other parts of Winnipeg, so make sure you budget time for that. I also love how the museum has plenty of seating spaces, especially the reflection area and the cafe. If I were living in Winnipeg, I would purchase a membership in a heartbeat and visit these areas in the museum for quiet reading or studying. Last but not least, the museum staff I’ve encountered and spoken with were all really friendly, just like most other people I’ve met in Manitoba. The human aspect makes the visit stand out just...

This building is fabulous. The architecture is inspiring and dramatic. The walkways through the building and up to the top are lite beautifully. The exhibits include native stories about Canada and some of the trials we have gone through over our history. Me must remember the past but focus on a brighter future. The blanket to remember residential schools brought tears to my eyes. My favourite great uncle Andy Petiquan and his siblings were taken from their homes and put in MacIntosh residential school. They had needles put through their tongues for speaking the language. One day they escaped and made a perilous three day journey home. My uncle Andy and his brother braved the elements. My uncle survived but his brother died due to exposure from the trip. At least he died at home and not in an unmarked grave. I want to forgive and get over this atrocity but it hurts so bad. The kind of people you meet at this museum are different. They are friendlier, kinder and seem genuinely more understanding. It’s just got a totally different vibe as soon as you enter. The coffee shop upstairs would be a great place to take a date. The tickets are inexpensive and affordable at under $20. Take the walk and stairs to the top of the building for a romantic view. If you don’t like stairs or are handicapped there’s an elevator. What a lovely view of Winnipeg. The museum attracts a trendy crowd. This is one of the best places to visit in Winnipeg. The staff are very knowledgeable and friendly and courteous. There is even a level to sit quietly for people who need time to recover from the emotional exhibits. The level is called the garden of contemplation; you can hear water trickling as it runs through the stone ponds. It’s got a colourful souvenir shop. There is a coat check for those who are dressed heavily for the winter. There’s a place to get coffee and snacks and also to eat outside. I highly recommend this Winnipeg attraction for a date, family outing or just something to enjoy for yourself. There’s lots of parking across the street in the paid parking lot. There’s lots of room for buses and the parking is fair. Warning, some of the exhibits are very stirring emotionally. We have a disgraceful past as a country. It’s something we must grow through and learning more about it is part of that process. I couldn’t help but cry watching the residential school videos and viewing the blanket and the making of it… I left feeling hopeful and optimistic for a...