Can I come prior to the program to visit the Cannery?
Yes! Teachers & Education Assistants from within the Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley can book a tour with our Education Programs Coordinator to learn about our site and programs by emailing bookings@gogcannery.org or calling 604 664 9261. Booked tours are available Monday-Friday, excluding statutory holidays, from 10am-4pm.
School programs are specifically designed to meet current BC curriculum objectives. Customized programs requiring additional staff preparation may be possible at an additional cost. To enquire about program customizations, please send an email to bookings@gogcannery.org.
Our online programs and education kits are currently in development. To enquire about future offerings, please send an email to bookings@gogcannery.org.
Beginning January 1, 2025, all new bookings for School Programs will be charged at a per-class rather than per-student rate. The cost will be $270.50 for 105-minute programs, and $235.25 for 90-minute programs, for up to 30 students. Any bookings for the 2024-25 school year confirmed by December 31, 2024 will be charged at the current rate of $7.75/student.
Youth groups (up to 17 years old) will receive 1 free adult chaperone for every 5 participants. Chaperones are expected to stay with the group during the program and assist as necessary in overseeing the behaviour of the participants.
Any additional chaperones above the 1:5 ratio will be charged $7.75 each. Education Assistants and support staff are always free, in addition to your complimentary adult allotment.
As our programs are built for a specific group size and age range, we are unable to accommodate siblings as part of the tour group. Drivers who must bring a sibling or other non-chaperone with them may choose to pay admission and visit the site, or explore Steveston Village and rejoin the group at the end of the program.
Payment for programs must be made on the day of the program, in one lump sum. Payment may be made by cash, Visa, MasterCard, Debit, or School cheque (made out to: “Gulf of Georgia Cannery Society”). We are unable to provide change for pre-written cheques, so please ensure that all totals are up to date. Credit card payment may also be pre-authorized in advance of the program.
Email us at bookings@gogcannery.org or call 604 664 9261 during weekdays. Cancellations made within two weeks of the program date will be charged a $75 cancellation fee per program, and “no-shows” or arriving for your scheduled program with less than half of the booked number of participants will be billed for the full price of the program.
The Cannery is an historic site and does not have heating in exhibit areas. Please dress warmly! It can be very cold indoors even when the temperature is mild outdoors.
Our program times run between 75-105 minutes in length. Please note that the times quoted on our program pages indicate the length of the program content and do not include time to gather/have a snack/use the washroom prior to the tour/program or time to collect belongings following the program. Please note that our programs do not include general time to explore the Cannery and/or giftshop. If you would like your class to have additional time to explore, please let us know as soon as possible.
In order to provide the best experience, we recommend arriving 10-15 minutes before your indicated program start time in order to use the washrooms and/or have a quick snack. In case of late arrival, the program will be modified in order to end on time. If you are arriving by bus, please include additional time after the indicated program end time to return to the bus, and confirm with your driver what time the bus will need to depart.
Both cars and school buses may park in the Gulf of Georgia Cannery National Historic Site parking lot on the north side of the Cannery building. The entrance to the parking lot is off Chatham Street at Fourth Avenue.
We will provide free parking passes for booked programs. Vehicles transporting program participants will be provided a complimentary parking pass at time of check-in, at Front Desk. **Please request number of required parking passes in advance via our booking request form or by replying to your confirmation or reminder emails.
Call the Front Desk at 604.664.9009 as soon as possible. If you happen to reach our voicemail, please leave a message with your cell phone number.
There is space outdoors in front of the Cannery, and open space at Garry Point Park, or a playground at the Steveston Community Centre, both within 5 minute walking distance, if the weather is nice. If it is raining, our classroom may be used as a lunch space up to a maximum of 50 people at the same time. **Lunch space is subject to availability. Please request lunch space in advance via our booking request form.
Photography is permitted in the Cannery. However, we recommend that children and youth do not take photos during the program, as it may cause distraction. Time may be set aside for photos at the end, at the group leader’s request. Teachers, chaperones, and leaders are welcome to take photos throughout the program, but are asked to be mindful of the privacy of other public visitors. Please advise your group leader if your class has a specific photo assignment during their visit.
Yes, access into and throughout the majority of the Cannery is wheelchair accessible, but wooden floorboards are uneven in some places. Due to the historic construction of the entire building, there are two sections (Vitamin Oil Shed and Wheelhouse) which have steps and are not wheelchair accessible. The Vitamin Oil Shed is currently not used in our school programs, and the Wheelhouse is only used for Fishy Business but can be removed upon request.
At the Gulf of Georgia Cannery National Historic Site, we remain vigilant in keeping our location healthy and safe for visitors and employees. With that in mind, we ask attendees to self-monitor for signs and symptoms of a communicable disease, (for example, fever and/or chills, recent onset of coughing, diarrhea), and where symptoms are present please remain at home. Do not hesitate to contact our Education Programs Coordinator if rescheduling is necessary.