Parks Canada has announced $74 million worth of spending over the next three years for projects along the Trent-Severn Waterway National Historic Site near Peterborough.

The investment, which is part of the $557 million in funding announced by the Government of Canada in late 2022, will conserve the heritage value of these important cultural resources.

The work supported through this investment includes:

• repairs to the Kirkfield Lift Lock;
• recapitalization of the walls, tunnels and valves at Lock 42 – Couchiching;
• recapitalization of the Little Chute Dam “G” near Port Severn;
• replacement of the Whites Portage Dam on Six Mile Lake;
• recapitalization of the valve tunnels for Healey Falls Locks 16 and 17; and,
• creation of an access road from White’s Falls Road to the Pretty Channel Dam.

Parks Canada says the projects will enhance its ability to mitigate flood risks, protect heritage in Canada and strengthen the appeal of the waterway as a tourist destination.

“These dam and lock improvements along the iconic Trent-Severn Waterway National Historic Site will ensure critical flood mitigation for regional communities and provide for safe navigational experiences for Canadians to connect with nature,” said Steven Guilbeault, the
minister responsible for Parks Canada. “From First Nations to fur traders to lumber barons and steamship traffic, the Waterway has linked communities across Ontario for over a hundred years. Investments in the Trent-Severn Waterway National Historic Site’s infrastructure are essential for public safety, preserving natural and cultural heritage, ensuring environmental protection and conservation, and providing benefits for visitors, local communities and the nation’s tourism industry.”

The Trent-Severn Waterway is Canada's largest and one of the most visited national historic sites, welcoming more than one million visitors each year. It spans more than 400 kilometres with 44 locks, a marine railway and approximately 160 water-control structures. 

The waterway, including its tributary lakes and rivers, is an integral piece of history in Canada, a crucial transportation link for the region, and an important economic, environmental and recreational resource used by thousands of boaters, shoreline residents, businesses and vacationers every year. It also provides water for power generation, municipal water supplies, and agriculture and supports a tremendous variety of fish and wildlife.

Since 2015, the federal infrastructure investment program has enabled Parks Canada to improve the condition of approximately 5,000 assets across the country.

Further details about the project scopes of work and their planned tendering schedules are available on the Parks Canada website.

Pictured: Rendering of the new Whites Portage Dam design, which will replace the existing dam in the same location and orientation. Source: Parks Canada