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Canal
“Overwhelmed by the
remains on
high costs of restoration
and maintenance, the
shaky ground
small Village of
richard.mahoney@eap.on.ca
Grenville, Québec, is
G RENVILLE
pleading for a rapid
intervention that would
Two years after a lobbying effort was
launched topreserve theGrenvilleCanal,
ensure the survival of its
the heritage site is as fragile as ever.
The sad state of the deteriorating canal
heritage canal."
walls has been underlined again this
summer. The Village of Grenville does not
tend to grass between a protective fence
and the edge of the waterway because the
AmericanWar of 1812. Itwas constructed
area has beendeemed tobe toodangerous.
by the Royal Staff Corps as part of a
André Bruneau, who lives beside the
transportation network that included
canal, has complained that the village has
canals along the river in Carillon and
in fact created a double standard. Acitizen
Chute-à-Blondeau. In times of war, this
Photo Richard Mahoney
would be fined for an unkempt lawn,
waterway was to serve as a supply route
The Grenville Canal continues to deteriorate.
however,themunicipalitydoesnotenforce
towards Kingston and the Great Lakes.
itsownby-lawwhenthecanalisconcerned.
Using hundreds of Irish and French
“Overwhelmed by the high costs of
access to the ten-kilometre landmark.
Bruneau observes that the village could
Canadiansworkers, the constructionwas
restoration and maintenance, the small
In 2009, the village and the MRC
resolve the problem by hiring mowing
completed in 1833—making it one of the
Village of Grenville, Québec, is pleading for
d’Argenteuil each contributed $5,000 tohire
companies that use articulated arms,
oldest testaments to military canal
a rapid intervention that would ensure the
theMontréalfirmofRyanAffairesPubliques
enabling the vegetation to be trimmed
building in Canada.”
survival of its heritage canal. Currently
to assist the municipality press the federal
without jeopardizing the safety of village
“Ownedby the federal government for
suffering from an advanced state of
and Québec governments to take
workers.
more than 150 years, the canal was
dilapidation, the canal has great tourism
responsibilityforthedeterioratinglandmark.
Since that option has been rejected as
transferred to the provincial government
potential but is severely under-funded,” the
That campaign has so far failed.
being too costly, canal residents must live
in 1988 and downloaded to the
foundation said.
Meanwhile, the condition of the heritage
with the long grass.
municipality two years later. The Village
The Grenville Canal had been built as
site has worsened.
“What can we do? The canal is
of Grenville, with a population of 1,400,
part of the defence system by the British
“The walls are not solid; there are holes
dangerous,” observes Laurent Chartrand,
has been unable to absorb the financial
Army following the War of 1812 in order to
everywhere,” points out Chartrand. “And
who has lived beside the canal for 15 years
burden of its conservation. The cost of
protect Upper and Lower Canada from an
nowgroundhogs have begun digging holes
and is president of the heritage committee.
$25,000 for annual maintenance and the
American invasion.
there.”
Owner of the site since 1990, the village
estimated$10million required to save the
In its report, the foundation noted,
In 2009, the Grenville Canal earned a
hasmaintainedit cannot affordtoreinforce
canal, are simply too great.”
“Located along the Ottawa River between
dubious distinction.
the stone walls, a job which has been
Although the canal’s constructionwas
Montréal andOttawa, theGrenvilleCanal is
It was included on the Top Ten
estimated at $10 million.
federally recognized in 1929 as aNational
an example of the channelling efforts of the
Endangered Places list compiled by the
Since 2008, a fence has stood on the
HistoricEvent,thecanalhasbeensuffering
British Army in reaction to the Anglo-
Heritage
Canada
Foundation.
perimeter of the canal, preventing public
from years of neglect.
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