About the Juno Beach Centre

In June 1994, Veterans of the 14th Field Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery organized a pilgrimage to retrace the route their regiment travelled through France, Belgium and the Netherlands some fifty years earlier. From this trip was born the idea of building a Canadian museum, and the hard work began. The organizer of this trip and the constant driving force was none other than the creator of the Juno Beach Centre, Garth Webb, M.S.C.

After years of private fundraising, construction began on 1.5 hectares of land made available by the town of Courseulles-sur-Mer and on June 6, 2003, the Juno Beach Centre officially opened.

Though the Centre relies on private donations to maintain operations, in February 2007, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper paid tribute to Canada’s Second World War Veterans and announced a contribution of $5M to support the Juno Beach Centre through the next decade. This funding support was renewed in April 2017 with a pledge of $500,000 Canadian dollars per year.

After almost 20 years of fundraising and overseeing the operation of the completed Centre, founder Garth Webb passed away on May 8, 2012. This Capital Campaign is about building on his legacy, sacrifice and vision.

In 2022, Veterans Affairs Canada, fuelled by the Save Juno Beach citizens’ campaign, came together with French governments and local authorities to protect the Juno Beach Centre from a proposed condominium development that would have been built on its shores. With the lands surrounding Juno Beach now secured, funds are needed to permanently preserve these natural spaces as a lasting, living memorial to Canada’s enduring commitment to our allies and the values of peace, freedom and democracy.