Heritage Registers & Public Art
47 curated official resources. Search and filter these in the directory →
Federal
- Artefacts CanadaSearch 4 million object records and 1 million images contributed by museums across Canada, maintained by the Canadian Heritage Information Network.
- Canadian Conservation Institute — Agents of DeteriorationComprehensive illustrated reference on the 10 primary agents of deterioration (light, pests, water, theft, fire...) threatening heritage collections, with risk-assessment and prevention guidance.
- Canadian Conservation Institute — Light Damage CalculatorEstimate how colourants and museum collections fade under any lighting scenario: pick a colourant or collection type, set lux/hours, view predicted colour swatches. Three interactive variants.
- Canadian Heraldic Authority — Public Register of Arms, Flags and BadgesSearch 6,700+ officially granted Canadian coats of arms, flags, and military badges, with images and blazons, from the Canadian Heraldic Authority.
- Canadian Register of Historic PlacesPan-Canadian register (federal-provincial partnership) documenting 12,000+ recognized historic places: federal heritage designations, provincial registers, and municipal landmarks with statements of significance.
- Canadian War Museum — Online ExhibitionsTwo dozen free online exhibitions from Canada's national military museum: veterans' oral histories, D-Day, First World War, war art, naval history, medals and propaganda poster archives.
- CHIN — Nomenclature for Museum CatalogingSearch and browse North America's standard object-name thesaurus for museum cataloguing; bilingual terms plus SPARQL/LOD endpoint and reconciliation API.
- Library and Archives Canada — Aurora CatalogueSearch LAC's published holdings—books, newspapers, magazines, official publications, maps, music and theses—via the national bibliography (WorldCat Discovery).
- Library and Archives Canada — Canadian Directories Collection (1790–1906)Full-text keyword search across ~95 digitized pre-1901 Canadian city, county and provincial directories (incl. Ottawa and Halifax runs); hits link directly to scanned directory pages.
- Library and Archives Canada — Census RecordsFree searchable Canadian census records from 1825 to 1931, searchable by name, province and district — the backbone of Canadian genealogy research.
- Library and Archives Canada — Co-LabTranscribe, tag, translate and describe digitized LAC archival records — WWI personnel files, Treaty 9 photographs, Expo 67 — opening Canada's digital collection to search.
- Library and Archives Canada — Collection SearchSingle search across 26+ LAC databases: archival documents, genealogy sources, military service records, published books, maps, images and sound recordings.
- Library and Archives Canada — Government of Canada Web ArchiveSearch and browse 35+ TB of preserved Canadian websites since 2005: federal sites, COVID-19, TRC, royal commissions, and historical .ca domain crawls.
- Library and Archives Canada — Home Children Database (1869–1932)Search 245,000+ indexed names of British Home Children by surname, given name, ship and year of arrival; entries link to passenger lists, inspection reports and Immigration Branch files.
- Library and Archives Canada — Land Grants of Western CanadaSearch 670,000+ letters patent for homestead land grants in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and the BC railway belt (1870–1930) by name, location or keyword.
- Library and Archives Canada — Naturalization Records (1915–1951)Search 200,000+ people who became naturalized Canadians between 1915 and 1951 by name or country of origin, with digitized Canada Gazette pages and file references.
- Library and Archives Canada — Passenger Lists (1865–1935)Search 4.8 million names from ship passenger lists arriving at Quebec, Halifax, Saint John, Vancouver and Victoria, 1865–1935 — core records of immigrant arrivals.
- Parks Canada — Directory of Federal Heritage DesignationsSearch 3,600+ federal designations — national historic sites, persons, events, heritage railway stations, lighthouses and federal heritage buildings — with plaque texts and photos.
Provincial
- Alberta Register of Historic Places (HeRMIS)Search or map-browse every Provincial and Municipal Historic Resource in Alberta, with statements of significance, locations and photos.
- Provincial Archives of AlbertaAlberta's provincial archives — search millions of photographs, films, and government and private records
- BC Archives — Genealogy SearchRoyal BC Museum's searchable indexes of BC births (1854-1904), marriages (1871-1950) and deaths (1872-2005), with digitized registration images attached.
- Heritage Branch — BC Register of Historic PlacesSearch 5,000+ provincially, municipally and federally recognized historic places by name, address or map; download filtered records as CSV or shapefile.
- Archives of ManitobaManitoba government records and the Hudson's Bay Company Archives — keyword search and online finding aids
- Provincial Archives of New BrunswickSearchable genealogical databases, land petitions, and historical images from New Brunswick's archives
- Heritage NL — Provincial Register of Historic Places SearchFilterable register of 995 designated heritage properties province-wide: Registered Heritage Structures and Districts, municipal designations, fisheries heritage buildings and Century Farms, by type and region.
- NWT ArchivesThe Northwest Territories Archives at the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre: territorial government and private records, photographs, and research services for Northern history.
- Nova Scotia ArchivesThe Nova Scotia Archives in Halifax: the province's archival records, digitized collections, virtual exhibits, and genealogy and research services.
- Nova Scotia Archives — Vital Statistics SearchFree search of historical Nova Scotia births (1864-1876, 1909+), marriages (from 1763 bonds) and deaths, every name linked to the digitized original record.
- Ontario — Archives of Ontario Collection SearchSearch descriptions of Ontario's archival, library and art collections — records, photographs and maps — then request items or order reproductions.
- Répertoire du patrimoine culturel du QuébecOfficial register of Quebec's cultural heritage: classified and recognized buildings, archaeological sites, heritage districts, and intangible heritage, with legal status maps per municipality.
- Ministry of Parks, Culture and Sport — Searching Saskatchewan PlacesSearch 13,000+ geographic names and historic places designated under The Heritage Property Act by name, type, designation or municipality, with interactive GIS maps.
- Saskatchewan — Provincial Archives Collection SearchSearch hundreds of thousands of descriptions in Saskatchewan's Permanent Collection — photos, maps, local histories, film and government records back to the Territorial era.
- Yukon ArchivesThe Yukon Archives in Whitehorse: the territory's documentary heritage, with archival records, photographs, and research services for Yukon history and genealogy.
Municipal
- Burlington Heritage RegisterBurlington municipal heritage register of designated and listed properties with conservation district information.
- Calgary Heritage InventoryInventory of evaluated heritage resources in Calgary — search historic buildings and sites on Open Calgary.
- Cornwall Heritage Designated Sites Open DataGIS layer of Heritage Cornwall designated properties — map, filter, and download designated sites with by-law references via open data portal.
- Edmonton Register of Historic ResourcesSearch Edmonton's Register of Historic Resources for municipally designated and inventoried heritage properties.
- Hamilton Heritage Properties — Open DataDesignated and listed heritage properties in Hamilton as a downloadable GIS dataset on Open Hamilton.
- Kingston Heritage RegisterCity of Kingston heritage property register under the Ontario Heritage Act — designated, listed, and conservation district properties.
- London Register of Cultural Heritage Resources — CityMapInteractive map of London’s Register of Cultural Heritage Resources — designated properties, listed properties, and heritage conservation districts.
- Montreal Protected Heritage SitesGeographic and descriptive data on buildings and sites under Quebec Cultural Heritage Act on Montreal territory — polygon boundaries with RPCQ links.
- Ottawa Heritage Register (Not Designated)Query heritage register properties not yet designated — includes heritage statements, recognition status, and legal descriptions via Planning GIS.
- SooMaps Heritage Sites DataWeekly-refreshed CSV/JSON extracts of Sault Ste. Marie heritage sites from official GIS — sourced from city SooMaps open data program.
- Thunder Bay — Heritage Register CSVCSV download of heritage-registered properties in Thunder Bay, including addresses, designation status, and heritage attributes. Useful for preservation research, development planning, and property due diligence.
- Toronto Heritage Register (Map)Interactive map of properties on the City of Toronto Heritage Register — search by address for listed and designated sites.
- Vancouver Heritage SitesOpen data listing of Vancouver Heritage Register buildings, streetscapes, and landscape resources with evaluation categories.
- Winnipeg — Cemetery Burial SearchSearch 124,000+ interment records from Winnipeg's three municipal cemeteries (Brookside, St. Vital, Transcona) with dates and exact section-lot-grave locations.