Middlesex County Approves Feasibility Study for County Archives
In a landmark and unanimous decision, Middlesex County Council has voted to move ahead with a Middlesex County Archives Feasibility Study, marking the most significant progress to date toward establishing a permanent county-wide archives.
In November 2025, the motion—brought forward by Mayor McMillan and seconded by Mayor DeViet—sparked thoughtful questions around the council table, with councillors expressing both strong support and prudent concern for the project’s long-term sustainability. Following discussion, the vote passed unanimously, prompting applause from the gallery filled with advocates, historians, and community supporters.
For the Committee to Establish a Middlesex County Archives (CEMCA), this moment represents a breakthrough many years in the making. The idea of a county archives has circulated for decades. CEMCA has spent the past several years building awareness, engaging municipalities, and championing the need for proper stewardship of Middlesex County’s more than 225 years of documentary heritage.
While the vote does not commit the County to building an archives at this stage, it does confirm the County’s intention to undertake a comprehensive, professionally guided study. This study will assess needs, gaps, costs, and opportunities—ensuring that decisions about preserving local history are grounded in strong evidence and reflect today’s economic realities.
CEMCA emphasizes that all heritage, cultural, and community organizations throughout Middlesex County will be encouraged to participate in the study process if invited. Broad input will be essential to reflect the diversity of local collections, stories, and archival needs.
This important step could not have happened without the many residents, volunteers, historians, journalists, and local groups who wrote letters, attended meetings, raised awareness, and kept the conversation alive.
CEMCA extends heartfelt thanks to all supporters and media partners.
The work continues—but the door is now open.
Mary Simpson, President, 2024-2026, Glencoe & District Historical Society
WHY WE SHOULD CARE ABOUT CANADA’S NATIONAL ARCHIVES
Check out this interview that explains to us why government records matter. Whether it is our grand parents’s letters or federal government’s records, after it is destroyed we will never know what happened. Future historians will have nothing to work with. And with the explosion of digital records, the evidence is ironically at even greater risk in the future. Check out this interview:
Example of how to access a local archives collection
How it works:
Check out this YouTube presentation for The Hasting and Belleville Community Archives entitled “How To Access The Community Archives When They Are Closed”. Published October 2020, their archivist, Amanda Hill, describes the Archives facility which was established ten years ago. She shows people how to access the collections from a computer.
| The Community Archives of Belleville and Hastings County is a service provided by the County of Hastings and the City of Belleville to help the municipalities of Hastings County preserve and provide access to their documentary heritage. https://www.cabhc.ca/en/about/resources/Transfer-of-municipal-records-to-the-Community-Archives.pdf |
Mary Simpson
December 8, 2025
