Gulf of Georgia Cannery

Tucked away in Steveston’s quiet fishing village, the Gulf of Georgia Cannery is a pristine time capsule of Canada’s fish-canning heyday, where polished old machinery sits still and real fish scales—stuck to the walls from years of salmon and herring chaos—add a quirky touch of the sea.

The staff lead a stellar tour, packed with oddball tales of the Chinese, Indigenous, and other workers who tackled slimy fish piles from 1894 to 1979, while a short video in a former boiler room dishes the cannery’s wild past.

Visitors can try shoveling plastic fish into bins to feel the sweaty hustle of yesteryear or gawk at dusty cans lining the shelves. Got a Vancouver airport layover? This fish-obsessed gem is a quick and worthy detour into a weirdly fascinating slice of coastal history.