BC Field Trips

Museum Discovery Tour

Offered by
Vancouver Police Museum
Last updated on
Friday, February 2nd, 2024
Experience type: 
In-Person
Program Description

On this guided tour students uncover the history of social development, crime and law enforcement in Vancouver and how it impacts modern living. Students are guided through a 45-minute tour followed by 15 minutes of self-guided exploration. Tour content and complexity can be tailored to group needs and interests.

Our museum tours delve into the origins of Vancouver's own Coroners Court, Autopsy Suite and Morgue. Our new exhibit, "Becoming Vance" explores fascinating elements of forensic science and Canada's very own Sherlock Holmes, John Vance. 

You’ll also discover our famous True Crimes exhibit, which highlights the city’s most notorious crimes and cold cases with authentic evidence and artifacts on display. And, of course, you’ll see the city’s first morgue and autopsy suite in addition to hundreds of rare artifacts, archives and photos from our own collection.

Our museum is brimming with exciting history, exhibits and artefacts that you can’t find anywhere else in the world. A designated heritage building, it was once the Coroner’s Court, Autopsy Facility and the City Analyst’s Laboratory, making it one of the most authentic museum experiences in the world.

Big Ideas
  • Communities include many different roles requiring many different skills.
  • Everything we learn helps us to develop skills.
  • Learning is a lifelong enterprise.
  • Communities include many different roles requiring many different skills.
  • Everything we learn helps us to develop skills.
  • Learning is a lifelong enterprise.
  • Effective collaboration relies on clear, respectful communication.
  • Everything we learn helps us to develop skills.
  • Learning is a lifelong enterprise.
  • Effective collaboration relies on clear, respectful communication.
  • Everything we learn helps us to develop skills.
  • Learning is a lifelong enterprise.
  • Exploring our strengths and abilities can help us identify our goals.
  • Family and community relationships can be a source of support and guidance when solving problems and making decisions.
  • Leadership requires listening to and respecting the ideas of others.
  • Good learning and work habits contribute to short- and long-term personal and career success.
  • Leadership requires listening to and respecting the ideas of others.
  • New experiences, both within and outside of school, expand our career skill set and options.
  • Practising respectful, ethical, inclusive behaviour prepares us for the expectations of the workplace.
  • Safe environments depend on everyone following safety rules.
  • New experiences, both within and outside of school, expand our career skill set and options.
  • Our attitudes toward careers are influenced by our view of ourselves as well as by our friends, family, and community.
  • Practising respectful, ethical, inclusive behaviour prepares us for the expectations of the workplace.
  • Safe environments depend on everyone following safety rules.
  • Adapting to economic and labour market changes requires flexibility.
  • Our career paths reflect the personal, community, and educational choices we make.
  • The value of work in our lives, communities, and society can be viewed from diverse perspectives.
  • The value of work in our lives, communities, and society can be viewed from diverse perspectives.
  • Learning how to learn prepares us to be lifelong learners who can adapt to changing career opportunities.
  • Skills are developed through practice, effort, and action.
  • The choice of technology and tools depends on the task.
  • Complex tasks may require multiple tools and technologies.
  • Complex tasks require the acquisition of additional skills.
  • Design can be responsive to identified needs.
  • Curiosity and wonder lead us to new discoveries about ourselves and the world around us.
  • Everyone has a unique story to share.
  • Language and story can be a source of creativity and joy.
  • Playing with language helps us discover how language works.
  • Stories and other texts can be shared through pictures and words.
  • Stories and other texts help us learn about ourselves and our families.
  • Through listening and speaking, we connect with others and share our world.
  • Curiosity and wonder lead us to new discoveries about ourselves and the world around us.
  • Everyone has a unique story to share.
  • Language and story can be a source of creativity and joy.
  • Playing with language helps us discover how language works.
  • Stories and other texts can be shared through pictures and words.
  • Stories and other texts help us learn about ourselves and our families.
  • Through listening and speaking, we connect with others and share our world.
  • Curiosity and wonder lead us to new discoveries about ourselves and the world around us.
  • Everyone has a unique story to share.
  • Language and story can be a source of creativity and joy.
  • Playing with language helps us discover how language works.
  • Stories and other texts connect us to ourselves, our families, and our communities.
  • Through listening and speaking, we connect with others and share our world.
  • Curiosity and wonder lead us to new discoveries about ourselves and the world around us.
  • Language and story can be a source of creativity and joy.
  • Stories and other texts help us learn about ourselves, our families, and our communities.
  • Stories can be understood from different perspectives
  • Using language in creative and playful ways helps us understand how language works.
  • Exploring stories and other texts helps us understand ourselves and make connections to others and to the world.
  • Language and text can be a source of creativity and joy.
  • Questioning what we hear, read, and view contributes to our ability to be educated and engaged citizens.
  • Texts can be understood from different perspectives.
  • Using language in creative and playful ways helps us understand how language works.
  • Exploring stories and other texts helps us understand ourselves and make connections to others and to the world.
  • Language and text can be a source of creativity and joy.
  • Questioning what we hear, read, and view contributes to our ability to be educated and engaged citizens.
  • Texts can be understood from different perspectives.
  • Using language in creative and playful ways helps us understand how language works.
  • Exploring and sharing multiple perspectives extends our thinking.
  • Exploring stories and other texts helps us understand ourselves and make connections to others and to the world.
  • Language and text can be a source of creativity and joy.
  • Questioning what we hear, read, and view contributes to our ability to be educated and engaged citizens.
  • Exploring and sharing multiple perspectives extends our thinking.
  • Exploring stories and other texts helps us understand ourselves and make connections to others and to the world.
  • Language and text can be a source of creativity and joy.
  • Questioning what we hear, read, and view contributes to our ability to be educated and engaged citizens.
  • Exploring stories and other texts helps us understand ourselves and make connections to others and to the world.
  • People understand text differently depending on their worldviews and perspectives.
  • Questioning what we hear, read, and view contributes to our ability to be educated and engaged citizens.
  • Texts are socially, culturally, and historically constructed.
  • Exploring stories and other texts helps us understand ourselves and make connections to others and to the world.
  • Language and story can be a source of creativity and joy.
  • People understand text differently depending on their worldviews and perspectives.
  • Questioning what we hear, read, and view contributes to our ability to be educated and engaged citizens.
  • Texts are socially, culturally, and historically constructed.
  • Learning about ourselves and others helps us develop a positive attitude and caring behaviours, which helps us build healthy relationships.
  • Learning about ourselves and others helps us develop a positive attitude and caring behaviours, which helps us build healthy relationships.
  • Personal choices and social and environmental factors influence our health and well-being.
  • Personal choices and social and environmental factors influence our health and well-being.
  • Daily physical activity enables us to practice skillful movement and helps us develop personal fitness.
  • Learning about similarities and differences in individuals and groups influences community health.
  • Physical literacy and fitness contribute to our success in and enjoyment of physical activity.
  • Lifelong participation in physical activity has many benefits and is an essential part of a healthy lifestyle.
  • Our communities are diverse and made of individuals who have a lot in common.
  • Rights, roles, and responsibilities shape our identity and help us build healthy relationships with others.
  • Stories and traditions about ourselves and our families reflect who we are and where we are from.
  • Healthy communities recognize and respect the diversity of individuals and care for the local environment.
  • Our rights, roles, and responsibilities are important for building strong communities.
  • We shape the local environment, and the local environment shapes who we are and how we live.
  • Canada is made up of many diverse regions and communities.
  • Individuals have rights and responsibilities as global citizens.
  • Local actions have global consequences, and global actions have local consequences.
  • People from diverse cultures and societies share some common experiences and aspects of life.
  • British Columbia followed a unique path in becoming a part of Canada.
  • Demographic changes in North America created shifts in economic and political power.
  • Interactions between First Peoples and Europeans lead to conflict and cooperation, which continues to shape Canada’s identity.
  • The pursuit of valuable natural resources has played a key role in changing the land, people, and communities of Canada.
  • Canada’s policies and treatment of minority peoples have negative and positive legacies.
  • Canadian institutions and government reflect the challenge of our regional diversity.
  • Immigration and multiculturalism continue to shape Canadian society and identity.
  • Natural resources continue to shape the economy and identity of different regions of Canada.
  • Economic self-interest can be a significant cause of conflict among peoples and governments.
  • Media sources can both positively and negatively affect our understanding of important events and issues.
  • Systems of government vary in their respect for human rights and freedoms.
  • Economic specialization and trade networks can lead to conflict and cooperation between societies.
  • Increasingly complex societies required new systems of laws and government.
  • Changing ideas about the world created tension between people wanting to adopt new ideas and those wanting to preserve established traditions.
  • Contacts and conflicts between peoples stimulated significant cultural, social, political change.
  • Exploration, expansion, and colonization had varying consequences for different groups.
  • Human and environmental factors shape changes in population and living standards.
  • Collective identity is constructed and can change over time.
  • Disparities in power alter the balance of relationships between individuals and between societies.
  • Emerging ideas and ideologies profoundly influence societies and events.
  • The physical environment influences the nature of political, social, and economic change.
    • COVID Precautions

    One adult is included for every five students. Our forensics programs are now taking place in a private room instead of the public museum space in the Morgue.

    Trip Details
    City: 
    Vancouver
    For Grades: 
    K, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, Teachers Only
    Months Available: 
    January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
    Days Offered: 
    Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday
    Times Offered: 
    11:00 am, 11:30 am, 12:00 pm, 12:15 pm, 12:30 pm, 1:00 pm, 1:30 pm, 2:00 pm, 2:30 pm, 3:00 pm, Outside of School Hours
    Duration: 
    60 minutes unless otherwise stated.
    Maximum Students: 
    20
    Offered In French: 
    No
    Also Offered For: 
    Adult Groups, Daycamps, ESL, Guides, Other, Scouts
    Packages Provided: 
    No Packages Provided
    Fee Details
    Cost Per Student: 
    $8.00
    Cost Per Adult: 
    $0.00

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