As conflicts flare around the world, a beacon of hope shines in a small Canadian town. For two years, a group of volunteers in Bancroft, Ont., have been hosting community events and telling stories online to inspire and educate people about peace and the values that sustain it. Last September, the group announced they’d been given a two-storey, 8,000 square-foot property to establish a permanent home for the Canadian Peace Museum. The gift came from another grassroots organization, the North Hastings Community Trust, and represents the strong partnerships the museum group has built in a short time.

The museum is a registered charity, not a federal project, yet the group’s ambitions are national and their self-defined mandate encompasses a broad definition of peace. “When we speak about peace,” says museum co-founder Chris Houston, a former humanitarian aid worker in conflict zones, “we consider both negative peace: the absence of war, the absence of violence, the absence of fear; and positive peace: all the things that make for a more peaceful society. By that, I mean planetary health, human health, education, democracy, truth and reconciliation, art.”

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It’s a grand vision for a new national cultural institution in a small town of only 4,000 residents. But Bancroft, which lies about halfway between Toronto and Ottawa, welcomes many visitors throughout the year, and organizers say the museum is well positioned to attract both domestic and international tourists.

Bancroft also illustrates Canada’s complex relationship with peace. Internationally, we’re known as a peaceful country. Prior to becoming prime minister in the 1960s,........

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