Canada, November 15, 2025:
In a significant effort to safeguard an important piece of Canadian history, two of the country’s wealthiest families have jointly submitted an $18-million bid for the Hudson’s Bay Company Royal Charter, with the intention of donating the 355-year-old document to public institutions under a shared custodianship model.
Holding companies controlled by the Weston family and media executive David Thomson finalized the joint offer late Friday through a court-supervised process. The proposal aims to place the 1670 charter—signed by King Charles II and widely regarded as the founding document of the Hudson’s Bay Company—into the collective care of four major Canadian institutions:
- Archives of Manitoba
- Manitoba Museum
- Canadian Museum of History
- Royal Ontario Museum
Under the proposal, the charter would be donated equally to all four institutions, with Manitoba designated as its official home. Its first public exhibition following the donation would also take place in the province.
The families have paired the bid with an additional $5-million contribution dedicated to conservation, public display, educational programming and a national consultation process. This consultation would include First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities, ensuring the document’s complex legacy is interpreted with Indigenous perspectives at the forefront.
The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation has endorsed the shared custodianship proposal, calling it an opportunity to move beyond “historical exclusion” and toward a future built on partnership and inclusion.
The joint offer brings clarity to weeks of speculation, following HBC’s decision in September to delay a planned court request to auction the charter after receiving a mysterious bid. Court documents have now confirmed that the Weston and Thomson families were behind that offer, which has since been increased from earlier competing bids of $15 million and $12.5 million.
The proposal has also drawn the support of the Desmarais family, Power Corporation of Canada, and the Hennick Family Foundation.
HBC is expected to seek court approval on November 21 to proceed with an auction. If approved, bidders must register interest by November 28, and the auction is scheduled for December 3.
Should the Weston-Thomson bid succeed, the four institutions will work collaboratively with Indigenous communities, academics, museums, and the public to determine how the Royal Charter should be preserved, displayed, and interpreted for future generations.