What's New
Parks Canada is assuming direction of the Rideau Canal Museum and re-branding it as the Rideau Canal Visitor Information Centre.
© Parks Canada
Rideau Canal Visitor Information Centre Opens in Smiths Falls
Parks Canada committed to protection and presentation of the Rideau Canal National Historic Site of Canada
Hours
May 18 to September 9, 2012
open weekdays 8:30 am - 4:30 pm
open weekends & holidays 10:00 am - 4:30 pm
34 Beckwith Street South
Smiths Falls, Ontario
Canada
K7A 2A8
Tel : 613-283-5170
Email: RideauCanal-info@pc.gc.ca
Smiths Falls, Ontario, May 22, 2012 – Parks Canada continues to focus on opportunities for visitors to the Rideau Canal National Historic Site. The historic Woods Mill, an iconic structure in the town of Smiths Falls, has been a popular spot for tourists travelling the Rideau Canal and the Rideau Corridor Tourism Route. In addition to the Rideau Canal Museum, Woods Mill has been the headquarters for Parks Canada in Eastern Ontario.
A small difference from last year; Parks Canada is assuming direction of the Rideau Canal Museum and re-branding it as the Rideau Canal Visitor Information Centre. The evolution of this space is a natural next step as Parks Canada looks to establish a renewed approach to visitor services at the historic Woods Mill building. The site has been a focal destination for commercial bus and boat tours to Smiths Falls for many years, and Parks Canada is working to align its facilities, programs and activities to meet the interest and needs of visitors.
"The Rideau Canal Museum enjoyed an excellent working relationship with Parks Canada," said Dennis Staples, Mayor of Smiths Falls and former Executive Committee member of the Rideau Canal Museum Board. "The Town of Smiths Falls supports Parks Canada's transition of the museum space into a visitor information centre and will continue to work with Parks Canada to promote the Rideau Canal as an important tourism resource."
Parks Canada intends for the Rideau Canal Visitor Information Centre to become a one-stop central location for all things Rideau. The visitor information centre opens to the public on May 18, 2012 and will welcome visitors weekdays from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm, and, weekends and statutory holidays from 10:00 am to 4:30 pm, through to September 9. Visits to the Rideau Canal Visitor Centre will be self-guided and there will be no admission charged for the 2012 season.
"Parks Canada would like to thank the Rideau Canal Museum Corporation for its many years of service bringing the story of the Rideau Canal to the public," said Don Marrin, Rideau Canal Superintendent. "Parks Canada looks forward to working with the Town of Smiths Falls and local tourism partners in promoting visitor opportunities along the Rideau Canal National Historic Site, Ontario's only UNESCO World Heritage Site."
Plan your visit to a Parks Canada site in Eastern Ontario today by visiting www.parkscanada.ca/ontario.
Opening of the 2012 navigation season
SMITHS FALLS, ONTARIO, May 14, 2012 – Parks Canada would like to advise boaters and visitors that the Rideau Canal opens for navigation on May 18, 2012, for its 180th year of continuous operation.
Anyone using the Rideau Canal this early in the season should be aware that floating debris may cause potential hazards. As well, navigation aids may be missing, displaced or partially submerged.
To report any such problems, or for further information contact the Rideau Canal at 613-283-7199.
Upper Nicholson's Swing Bridge Closed by Accident
SMITHS FALLS, ONTARIO, May 8, 2012 – The Upper Nicholson's Swing Bridge located on Andrewsville Road at the Upper Nicholson's Lockstation has been closed due to severe damage received when a large transport vehicle collided with the structure. To ensure public safety, the bridge must remain closed to all traffic until Parks Canada engineering staff has completed repairs. At this time, Parks Canada is expecting to have repairs completed by July 1, 2012.
Parks Canada is proudly working on behalf of the people of Canada to maintain the assets of the Rideau Canal National Historic Site, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, ensuring that they are safe and will endure for future generations.
For more information please contact the Central Sector Office for the Rideau Canal by phone at 613-283-7199 x 290.
Update: Boating Safely Public Consultation
Tuesday, May 8, 2012 - Parks Canada will not be implementing a public consultation programme at this point in time for Boating Safely on the Rideau Canal. For the 2012 season, educational signage will be placed in the waterway and at boat launches in the northern sector of the canal. Educational materials will be distributed at lockstations along the Rideau Canal.
Ever wonder how the locks are built? The Rideau Canal Gate Shop will be open for public visitation on Sunday, June 3.
© Parks Canada
Rideau Canal Museum (34 Beckwith Street South, Smiths Falls, Ontario)
Rideau Canal Gate Shop (49 Centre Street, Smiths Falls, Ontario)
Sunday, June 3, 2012 Parks Canada is proud to present and protect the Rideau Canal National Historic Site of Canada on behalf of all Canadians during this years' Doors Open Smiths Falls event on Sunday, June 3, 2012.
Come by the Rideau Canal Museum at 34 Beckwith Street South to learn about the natural and cultural history of Ontario's first UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Ever wonder how the locks are built? The Rideau Canal Gate Shop will be open for public visitation. Stop by 49 Centre Street and see that 19th Century engineering still applies today!
Discover for yourself why the Rideau Canal was named Favourite Cultural Landscape or Complex of Buildings in the Doors Open Ontario 10th Anniversary Favourite Site Survey in 2011.
First Public Workshops for the Rideau Corridor Landscape Character Assessment a Success!
Smiths Falls, Ontario - March 13, 2012 - A very big thank you to all who attended the first round of public consultation workshops held March 6-8 along the Rideau Corridor. It is great to see the passion and enthusiasm people have for the Rideau and to gather invaluable feedback and information about places in the Rideau Corridor that are important to them.
For those unable to attend the workshops, the presentation, maps, handouts and comment sheet are all available on the project website www.rcls-sacr.ca.
The public is also encouraged to participate through other ways including: via social media, contributing to an online photographic library of the Rideau Corridor's landscapes, and attending the next round of community workshops to be held in the summertime. Information about participating in these opportunities and about the project itself can be found on the web site www.rcls-sacr.ca.
Follow us on Twitter @RideauCLS.
The Rideau Canal is a National Historic Site, Canadian Heritage River, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. As part of the 2007 World Heritage Site designation, the World Heritage Committee recommended that the Rideau Canal's visual protection be strengthened outside of the established buffer zone to ensure the visual values of the setting are protected alongside environmental values.
As part of its commitment to the Rideau Corridor Landscape Strategy, Parks Canada is facilitating a Landscape Character Assessment to identify key features and values of the Rideau Corridor in order to support more effective planning and management of the Rideau Corridor's landscape into the future.
For further information on the Landscape Character Assessment project, please contact:
Rideau Canal, Parks Canada
rideaucanal-info@pc.gc.ca
613-283-5170
For further information on the Rideau Corridor Landscape Strategy, please contact:
Doug Struthers
Chair, Rideau Corridor Landscape Strategy
mayor@merrickville-wolford.ca
613-269-4791
Parks Canada and the Ottawa Police working together to make the Rideau Canal a safer place for boaters and shoreline residents
Smiths Falls, Ontario, August 11, 2011 – For several years now the Ottawa Police Marine Unit has been actively patrolling the waterways of the Rideau Canal. Through the enforcement and promotion of responsible boating, their hard work and dedication has served to protect the ecology and history of the waterway.
This summer, for the first time in Rideau Canal history, National Park Wardens have participated in a joint force operation to aid the Marine Unit in their patrols of the waterway. Like the Ottawa Police, Park Wardens have the authority to lay charges under the Historic Canals Regulations, Small Vessel Regulations and Ontario Liquor License Act. This new working relationship has allowed for an increased presence on the water and the ability to interact with more boaters. During seven joint patrols more than 30 charges have been laid in the Northern Sector of the Rideau Canal, primarily for failure to comply with a posted no wake/ speed sign.
Partnering with the Ottawa Police Marine Unit is one of the many activities used to ensure responsible visitor behavior on the Rideau Canal. Parks Canada has placed a priority on educating boaters on the benefits of boating safely and watching their wake. Publications like the Boating Safely Guide and the Watch your Wake brochure, have been designed to help boaters have a safe and enjoyable experience on the Rideau Canal as well as during interaction with Parks Canada employees.
Parks Canada is also in the process of installing new signs that will clearly indentify where the "no wake zones" begin and end.
Please visit the Visitor Safety section of our Web site, which includes safe boating guidelines, for more information.
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