SHERBROOKE — Sherbrooke Village will offer free and reduced admission as part of the new Canada Strong Pass initiative offered by the federal Department of Canadian Heritage that launched across the country on July 2.
“Museums in the Nova Scotia Museum family, including Sherbrooke Village, have been invited to participate,” said York Lethbridge, executive director of Nova Scotia’s largest living museum. “This is an exciting new national initiative aimed at enriching the lives of young Canadians and strengthening access to arts and heritage across the country.”
Through the program, Sherbrooke Village will provide free admission for children and youth under 18 and a 50 per cent discount on general admission to young adults, ages 18-24, from June 20 until Sept. 2. No physical pass or registration is required, but proof of age may be requested at the entrance.
Noting that this is an important national initiative “to celebrate Canada’s history and culture and promote sites that tell those vital stories,” Lethbridge added that increases in visitation are anticipated as the federal government “promotes Canadians to experience our great country.”
To support the initiative, Canadian Heritage is providing funding through the Museums Assistance Program to participating museums and heritage sites – such as Sherbrooke Village and others in the Nova Scotia Museum family – to help offset the cost of offering free or discounted admission. The Nova Scotia Museum will administer the program for all provincial sites using a formula based on 2024 admissions.
Sherbrooke Village has had success with its golden-ticket program – a similar promotion issued by direct mail and at cultural festivals – that has contributed to increasing visitation over the past two years. “We have excellent awareness with adults aged 65 years and older who have received a 25 per cent discount on regular adult admission,” Lethbridge said. “We hope the CSP program will aid in boosting awareness and participation of youth, young adults and families in our living-history programs.”
According to the federal government, the Canada Strong Pass offers free admission to all national historic sites, national parks and national marine conservation areas administered by Parks Canada. The program includes discounted rates on camping, roofed accommodation and historic stays with Parks Canada; it does not include provincial, municipal or private parks. Where Parks Canada locations are operated by third parties, visitors will be required to pay applicable fees.
Anyone who purchased a Parks Canada Discovery Pass that includes coverage during June, July and August will have the pass automatically extended by an additional three months. Those who paid for a Parks Canada campsite reservation between June 20 and Sept. 2 will receive an email closer to their reservation date with instructions on how to claim a pro-rated refund.
Further information on the Sherbrooke Village program is available at sherbrookevillage.ca.
For more on the Canada Strong Pass in Parks Canada locations, visit parks.canada.ca.
