WAKAW — The Wakaw Heritage Museum building is compromised, and everything needs to be moved out. That process began just over two weeks ago, with trucks moving items to the arena to prepare for the next phase of the Wakaw Living Museum project and the ultimate deaccession and disposal of artifacts.
In 2024, the main museum did not open to the public due to a roof leak, which damaged tiles on both the main floor and the lower level. Despite the closure, summer students were hired to continue work on cataloguing the collection. The Bonne Madonne room and the Diefenbaker Law Office remained accessible. The museum remained closed following an inspection that revealed the presence of asbestos. While the asbestos poses no health concerns as long as it remains undisturbed, the damage to the tiles from the leaking roof and the opening of ceilings for inspection purposes disturbed the asbestos in the building’s envelope. This situation necessitated continued closure in 2025 and discussions regarding the future course of action and ways to maintain community engagement with the collection. The museum is now permanently closed.
As museums grow and evolve to meet the needs of their communities, or circumstances change, they can find themselves with artifacts that need to be deaccessioned (removed) from their collection for various reasons. In 2025, the museum board entered a five-year loan agreement with the Wheatland Express Museum. More than 400 carefully catalogued artifacts are currently in their care for display in their building at the east end of 1st Street South in Wakaw.
According to the Museum Association of Saskatchewan, a museum can only deaccession an artifact when it holds legal title, with proper supporting documentation regarding its ownership. This means that a gift agreement or transfer of ownership form has been signed. Gift agreements or transfer of ownership forms should include the following or a similar clause.
I (we) unconditionally give to the museum the property described above which I (we) own, and transfer full title and all privileges of ownership.
The Museum reserves the right to display, loan, use or dispose of (deaccession) the property at its own discretion.
The Museum acknowledges receipt of the property and accepts unconditional ownership of the property described herein.
If there is any ownership question, the museum cannot deaccession the artifact. This also applies to artifacts that have been loaned to the museum, including those on “permanent” or “indefinite” loan. If a museum is in this position, it must attempt to return the unwanted object to its owner or their heirs.
Once the museum’s legal ownership has been established, the museum’s Board of Trustees and/or Collections Committee must agree that the item can be deaccessioned. Once permission is received, the artifact can be deaccessioned and disposed of. (https://saskmuseums.org/deaccessioning-artifacts-from-your-collection/)
The Wakaw Heritage Museum sits at 1st Street South and 3rd Avenue in the former Wakaw School building. In 1980, Mr. Emil Schneider’s estate donated over 1000 artifacts to the museum. The museum committee discussed acquiring the building, which had served as a school for 32 years, in 1982. The Wakaw Heritage Society was formed on December 6, 1982, to oversee the museum as a non-profit and registered as a charity with the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). Renovations began in winter 1982, and with community help, the museum opened in August 1984.
A comment from the Town of Wakaw included the following:
By legislation, donated museum artifacts have to be offered by public sale.
We are still trying to place as many artifacts as possible to display throughout town. We will start getting artifacts out this month.
It has been emotional for the community and donors. Donors will have an option to get their family artifacts back. I’m not sure how that looks yet.
Museums holding charitable status cannot return deaccessioned artifacts to the original donor or their descendants. The Canadian Customs & Revenue Agency publication Registered Charities and the Income Tax Acts states that “in most cases, a registered charity cannot return a donor’s gift. At law, a gift transfers ownership of the money or other gifted property from the donor to the charity. Once the transfer is made, the charity’s governing documents oblige it to use the gift in carrying out its charitable purposes.” (https://www.canadiancharitylaw.ca/uploads/RC4108_Registered_Charities_and_the_Income_Tax_Act.pdf.)
Proceeds from the sale of artifacts will go into reserves for culture and recreation.
