Families were squeezing in one more museum visit in the national capital region as the Canada Strong Pass entered its final weekend. For Rouzbeh Zorin, visiting Ottawa from Regina with his three-year-old son Liam, that meant a trip to the Canadian Museum of Nature to see the dinosaurs and fossils. With the cost of many family activities adding up, Zarin said being able to bring his son into the museum for free makes a difference. “During these days, everything is super expensive. So, we definitely prefer not to pay,” Zorin said. The Canada Strong Pass has offered free general admission to participating museums and galleries for children and teens 17 and under since June 19, while visitors between the ages of 18 and 24 receive a 50 per cent discount. The program ends Monday, Sept. 7, with regular admission prices returning Tuesday. For some families, the savings have meant more than a single trip. Sumiya Nur brought her children to the Museum of Nature after spending much of the summer exploring museums through the program. “We’ve been taking advantage of it all summer long, trying different museums that we’ve never been to before,” Nur said. “The kids love it, just a nice experience knowing that you don’t have to pay.” Nur said the family has been visiting a museum roughly every second weekend, sometimes returning to the same one more than once. “It means that we have some sort of financial relief, and not to stress about what we’re going to be doing over the summer,” she said. “It’s easy, it’s fun, and the kids always have a good time.” She would like to see the program continue. “We love going to the museums. It’s our weekend tradition,” Nur said. “If they continue doing that, it’d be so good for me and my family.” The Canada Strong Pass was first introduced in 2025 and returned this summer. The federal program also includes free admission to Parks Canada sites, discounts on overnight stays and reduced Via Rail fares for young people. No physical or digital pass is required to access the benefits. The federal government says more than 2.3 million people visited participating Canadian museums during the summer 2025 program, including nearly 580,000 children who received free admission and more than 115,000 young adults who received discounted admission. About 30 per cent of museum visits during that period were either free or offered at a reduced price. Updated attendance figures for the 2026 summer period have not yet been finalized. At the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau, Katie Wilson-Ditner and Steve Ditner were also taking advantage of the program with their daughter. The family, visiting from Guelph, Ont., had already visited the Children’s Museum and said the pass made it easier to build family outings around attractions they might otherwise have to pay for individually. “I think it gives our daughter experience to see different parts of the province and different venues,” Steve Ditner said. “And we can do it as a family. It’s a lot of fun and it’s a good experience.” Wilson-Ditner said she would also like to see the program extended, pointing to its Via Rail discount as another way families could plan trips around it. For Zarin, the value goes beyond the price of admission. He said museums and science centres give children opportunities to learn about animals, history, and the world around them, experiences he believes should be accessible to more families. “I prefer to have this free,” he said, “so that helps lots of families to come and visit these places.”
