The Globe and Mail reports in its Tuesday, Dec. 2, edition that two prominent Canadian families are poised to succeed in their $18-million bid for the 1670 Hudson's Bay charter, planning to donate it to four cultural institutions for public access in Canada. The Globe's Susan Krashinsky Robertson writes that sources say the joint bid by the Thomson and Weston families was chosen after no other qualified bidders submitted a higher offer by last Friday's deadline. Bidders had to meet conditions, including permanently donating the charter to a public institution in Canada and funding consultations with indigenous groups on its presentation. The two families had initially submitted separate bids for the charter before deciding to bid jointly. The decision likely puts an end to months of uncertainty about the fate of one of the country's most important historical documents. The 355-year-old parchment, which carries the wax seal of King Charles II, launched the Hudson's Bay Company and granted its traders a monopoly over a vast territory comprising nearly one-third of what is now Canada. In doing so, it set the stage for colonization of the land.