Canada’s Archives Are in Trouble—and So Is Its History

Canada’s Archives Are in Trouble—and So Is Its History

R ecently, I showed up in Picton, Ontario, to slake a thirst that I worked up while scouting local quarries for trilobites. I noticed the cute but hobbit-free Shire Hall, the seat of government for Prince Edward County. There’s a building next to it, the local land registry office. These were common in Ontario: little squat fireproof stone buildings that will be there when everything else is gone. The little registry offices were important to th…