As summer vacation brings more vacationers and travellers through Saskatchewan, an attraction usually thought to be solely for travellers is convincing Canora residents to come be tourists in their own town.
The Visitor Information Centre and CN Museum, located on 100 Railway Avenue East, opened on June 13, and will be open regularly until the end of August to provide information, souvenirs, and a fun learning experience for tourists and townspeople alike.
The centre, which is run by Joy Stusek and her granddaughter, Jenna Stusek, is open daily to provide general information about Canora and the surrounding area. Brochures provide information on attractions, accommodations, campgrounds, and major roads and highways. Souvenirs such as T-shirts, water bottles, and books are available, and many of the products are locally made, like the ceramics provided by Stella Melanowich of Harstel Enterprises Ltd.
The Visitor Information Centre is connected to a museum, which was renovated in 2013 and details the history of the Town of Canora. There is information on the forts that were originally built in the area, the land company that eventually settled the town and named it after the Canadian Northern Railway, and the people that worked here, from ranchers to factory workers. Information on notable people and artifacts are also available.
The visitor centre has seen a steady flow of people from B.C. and Alberta, as well as tourists from as far as Idaho, USA and Sydney, Australia, but Joy Stusek made it clear the attraction is one she wants people who were raised here to visit, as well.
“Canora residents need to know the history of the town, and the diversity of the people who settled here,” she said. “Most people just think the only people here were Ukrainians, but that’s simply not true.” Immigrants from Ukraine were just one group who settled around the area with fur traders, ranchers, and Indigenous people, she confirmed.
The museum is also connected to a VIA Rail Canada station, which allows for travel to Churchill, Winnipeg, and The Pas. The Visitor Information Centre and CN Museum is open Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and on Saturday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. until September 1.
