Hours before the City of Peterborough’s new tourism strategy will be considered by city council, the city has announced that its new visitor centre will be located at the Peterborough Lift Lock, one of the city’s most iconic locations.
The new visitor centre will open year round as of Friday, June 26, serving as an information hub where both visitors and locals can find information about attractions, experiences, and local businesses in Peterborough.
Before the city assumed responsibility for tourism services from the now-defunct Peterborough & The Kawarthas Economic Development (PKED) in 2025, the visitor centre was located at PKED’s office at the Venture North building in downtown Peterborough. It was then moved to its current location at the box office inside the Peterborough Memorial Centre.
At its new location at 353 Hunter Street East in East City, at the base of the Lift Lock, the visitor centre will be able to welcome visitors arriving by boat, car, bike, or on foot. According to a media release from the city, the space has been designed with flexibility and accessibility in mind. It will be operated by Peterborough Tourism, the city’s tourism services and destination marketing program.
“This new Visitor Centre at the Lift Lock represents an exciting step forward in how we welcome people to Peterborough,” said Mayor Jeff Leal in the media release. “The Peterborough Lift Lock is one of our most iconic attractions and a celebrated National Historic Site of Canada. As the largest urban centre along the waterway, our connection to the water is central to both our community identity and visitor experience. This new space strengthens that connection and invites exploration year-round.”
The new location represents a collaboration between the city and Parks Canada, which operated the Peterborough Lift Lock Visitor Centre at the same location until it was closed in early 2020 due to the pandemic and never reopened.
“The Visitor Centre at the Lift Lock will once again be a welcoming, accessible hub where visitors and community members can come together, explore, and experience all that our vibrant region has to offer,” said Peterborough MPP Emma Harrison.
“By reopening the doors to more inclusive and engaging ways to discover the Trent-Severn Waterway, this initiative helps bring people closer to the stories, culture, and connections that make Peterborough so special. It’s also great to see the centre being run by people who know it best, bringing local knowledge and passion to the experience.”
In the release, the city states that programming will be developed in the coming months for the visitor centre “that celebrates the area’s culture, heritage, and natural environment, including Indigenous perspectives, with opportunities to amplify diverse voices and stories.”
Meanwhile, city council will be considering the city’s new tourism strategy at its general committee meeting on Monday night (June 8). The strategy, entitled “Discover Peterborough: Tourism Growth Strategy,” is intended to guide the city’s tourism service delivery and activities through to 2030.
The 56-page strategy was developed by Bannikin Travel & Tourism, following city council’s approval on February 3, 2025 of a $100,000 capital budget for a tourism strategic plan, using funds that were previously allocated to PKED.
While the tourism strategy was being developed, the city has proceeded with the implementation of tourism services under the banner of Peterborough Tourism. Activities to date include the development and launch of the Elevate Peterborough pilot project that supports local festivals and events, support for a variety of tourism-related festivals, events, and tournaments, creation and distribution of print materials and advertising campaigns, travel media hosting and major media promotion, a new website, and more.
