Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue Canal
National Historic Site

What's New

Opening of the Boating Season
© Parks Canada

Passage of the first boat on the opening of the 2013 boating season

Parks Canada is pleased to once again welcome pleasure boaters and visitors to Quebec’s historic canals for the 2013 boating season, which began on Friday, May 17, and will last until Monday, October 14.

Parks Canada employees welcomed the first pleasure boaters at the Sainte-Anne-de-Belllevue Canal on opening day, May 17.

Passage of a Boat Through
a Lock at Chambly Canal
© Parks Canada

Lockage Fees

Following extensive comments and ideas on the proposed canal lockage fee, Minister Kent announced on May 14 that Parks Canada will freeze recreational lockage fees along Canada's historic canals for three years at 2008 levels.

More information

Barges that Impress!

On a Barge, Specialized Equipment for Heating Wood Chips
© Parks Canada

Specialized equipment for heating wood chips arrived from Finland by boat in mid-September 2010. From the Port of Montréal, three gigantic digesters, each weighing 110 tonnes, as well as large tanks and all the tubing that accompanies them, were moved aboard three huge barges that slowly went up the Ottawa River to a paper mill in Thurso.

These giant vessels paused at the Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue Canal and made a stopover at the Carillon Canal in mid-October. Dozens of onlookers took the opportunity to line up along the barriers and appreciate this spectacle, of which they got a terrific view. A golden opportunity to learn more about the commercial use of canals and their role in the country’s industrialization!