The Rideau Canal

rocketphish · #1 Posted **Jan 23, 2014, 12:19 AM**

Rideau Canal faces $104M maintenance and repair backlog

By Don Butler, OTTAWA CITIZEN January 21, 2014

Cash-strapped Parks Canada has deferred about $104 million in needed maintenance and repairs along the Rideau Canal, Ontario’s only UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The figure comes from a Citizen analysis of Parks Canada’s 2012 National Asset Review, which lists and assesses nearly 12,000 built assets with a replacement value of more than $15 billion. The review was released under Access to Information.

In 2013-14, Parks Canada says it spent $4.85 million on maintenance and repair work on the canal’s locks, canal walls, dams, weirs, bridges, buildings, wharfs and other structures.

It expects to spend a similar amount in 2014-15, it said in an email, “as part of our commitment to recapitalizing and maintaining the Rideau Canal’s complex historic and contemporary infrastructure.”

That represents an annual investment in Rideau Canal maintenance and repairs of about 0.5 per cent of the $900 million replacement value of more than 450 built assets along the canal.

That’s far below the recommended 1.5 per cent annual “recapitalization rate” for canals listed in Parks Canada’s 2013 “assets at risk” budget proposal.

The Rideau Canal, which connects Ottawa with Kingston, was carved out of bush and swampland by thousands of labourers under the direction of Col. John By between 1826 and 1832. It has been a National Historic Site of Canada since 1926 and was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2007.

The canal is far from the only Parks Canada property in dire need of maintenance or repair. Nationally, about 40 per cent of its assets are in poor condition and three per cent are in very poor condition, documents show.

In one document, Parks Canada says underinvestment “has been a chronic issue for many years and has resulted in an exponential increase in the backlog of maintenance and recapitalization requirements.”

With the current estimated backlog at $2.9 billion nationwide, Parks Canada says it has identified asset management as a “key corporate risk.”

While its priority is to address potential risks to public safety, mostly related to the bridges, dams and roadways it manages, another priority is to address the “deteriorating condition” of cultural resources such as the Rideau Canal, it says.

If not rectified soon, Parks Canada warns, that deterioration “will pose a real and significant risk to the achievement of our mandate — which is to preserve and protect these special places for present and future generations.”

Here’s a closer look at the Rideau Canal’s status:

ASSET CONDITION

The 2012 asset review found that about 20 per cent of the canal’s built assets were in poor or very poor condition and more than half were only in fair condition.

The review listed two-thirds of the canal’s 47 lift locks in fair condition. But it rated 13 — nearly 28 per cent — in poor condition, meaning one or more components require major interventions to “stabilize, consolidate, reinforce or reconstruct” them. Just two locks are rated in good condition.

WORST OF THE WORST

Four canal assets are in very poor condition, meaning they are “unsafe, unstable or unusable,” the review found. On the list are an earth dam at Poonamalie lock station, a residence on Col. By Island in Big Rideau Lake, a garage at Clowes lock station and the swing bridge at Chaffey’s Lock, which needs $1.75 million in work.

REPLACEMENT VALUE

The replacement value of the canal’s heritage assets is the estimated cost of reconstructing or replacing those assets with replicas.

The replacement value of a single historic lock, in 2012 dollars, is $8.6 million, according to Parks Canada’s asset review. The value is much higher — more than $19 million — for the combined hydraulic lock at Smiths Falls.

The single costliest asset is the section of the canal’s western wall from Laurier Avenue to the Pretoria Bridge. Its replacement value: $44.3 million.

CANAL USE

Boat traffic on the canal hit a modern-day low in 2013. The 56,750 recorded lockages were more than 2,000 fewer than the previous record low in 2004, when a strike by lockmasters disrupted operations.

In its email, Parks Canada suggested that weather and high gas prices might explain the low numbers. But some users say reduced hours, introduced last year, discouraged boaters from using the canal. Parks Canada has retained the same operating hours for 2014.

The Rideau Canal also attracts many land-based visitors. A Parks Canada economic impact study released under Access to Information found that, during the 2010 operational season, there were 785,758 land-based visitors to Rideau Canal lock stations. Because many made repeat visits, the number of unique visitors was 187,472, the study reported.

ECONOMIC IMPACT

The Parks Canada study calculated that the Rideau Canal contributed $42.8 million in 2010 to Canada’s gross domestic product. More than two-third of that came from visitor spending. In total, the canal and its visitors produced more than $30 million in labour income for Ontario employees, supporting the equivalent of 641 full-time jobs. The actual number employed was much greater, however, because many jobs on the Rideau Canal are seasonal.

IN THE WORKS

Last September, Parks Canada launched a collaborative project with municipalities and partner organizations to develop new “experience concepts” for the Rideau Canal, designed to foster recreation, tourism and economic development.

Public consultations were held last fall and a report is in the works. Once it’s released, interested parties will be asked to evaluate the ideas, identify areas for action and “start to make things happen,” Parks Canada says, adding that it plans to unveil some of the new initiatives “in the coming months.”

dbutler@ottawacitizen.com

twitter.com/ButlerDon
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Catenary · #2 Posted **Jan 23, 2014, 5:36 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by rocketphish

The Rideau Canal also attracts many land-based visitors. A Parks Canada economic impact study released under Access to Information found that, during the 2010 operational season, there were 785,758 land-based visitors to Rideau Canal lock stations. Because many made repeat visits, the number of unique visitors was 187,472, the study reported.

Based on the difference between unique and repeat visitors, I have to wonder if they are counting the people who just use the locks to cross the canal, as is the case at Hartwells.

rocketphish · #3 Posted **Feb 1, 2014, 8:20 PM**

Report outlines boatload of ideas to attract visitors to Rideau Canal corridor

By Don Butler, OTTAWA CITIZEN February 1, 2014 3:00 PM

Classical concerts at lock stations. Opportunities for land-based visitors to “lock through” a set of locks. Mobile musical barges on the water. Floating trails into wetlands.

Those are just a few of the innovative ideas for enhancing the experience of visitors in the Rideau Canal corridor listed in a new report.

The report is the product brainstorming sessions last fall involving more than 80 Rideau Canal stakeholders and interested parties, led by a partnership group that includes Parks Canada, municipal governments, tourism associations and other organizations.

It outlines the cumbersomely named Rideau Canal Visitor Experience Opportunities Concept — VEOC for short — a compendium of potential tourism experiences in the Rideau corridor.

The aim is to “inspire movement toward an improved model for revenue generation and economic sustainability” in the corridor, which has “uncommon potential to be a world-class experiential travel destination,” the report says.

So far, the report’s ideas are just that: ideas. But some are “doable immediately,” the report says. Others could be rolled in over the next few years and still others could be done “when opportunity permits.”

Here are some of the report’s proposals:

Getting on the water

Helping more Rideau corridor visitors get onto the water is a key objective. Expanding water access facilities, equipment and boat rentals, and guiding and outfitting services, would make it easier for land-based visitors to experience the system’s aquatic pleasures.

Everyone locks through

Being able to “lock through” a set of Rideau Canal locks, as boaters can do, would be a memorable experience for land-based visitors, the report says. The experience could be combined with opportunities for visitors to “engage in the manual operation” of a lock, the report suggests.

Virtual lock design

Using simulation software, visitors to the Rideau Canal Museum in Smiths Falls could design a virtual locking and water control system to permit a vessel to circumvent rapids.

Sleep in a lockmaster’s house

Visitors could spend a night at a lock station, perhaps using the lockmaster’s house or related structures. They could also stay in other heritage structures in communities, such as historic mills.

A little water music

Mobile concerts on barges, which have been tried in the Rideau lakes, might attract boaters and land-based visitors. The acoustics of the Ottawa Locks, the Jones Falls Locks and some sheltered smaller lock areas could provide “unique opportunities for small symphony experiences.” New and existing music festivals could be grouped under themes that reflect the area’s cultural and natural heritage.

Raising the Rideau curtain

Outdoor performances at “heritage-rich” locations such as Jones Falls, the Ottawa Locks, Merrickville and Perth could use “theatre-like techniques,” such as lighting, sound and music, to illuminate a heritage moment or story.

Into the wild

The report proposes an expansion of the corridor’s existing trail network into wetlands, rivers and lakes using floating trails, trails on stilts, and canoe and kayak exploration routes.

Rideau chairs

A distinctive “Rideau chair” could be designed for day and night sky viewing at selected locations to encourage visitors to “pause and contemplate” what they can see.

Information on demand

Trails, lockstations or water networks could have posts and buoys marked with QR code — optical bar codes — which, when scanned by a mobile device, would provide “multiple levels of information” about the surrounding area.

Shuttle down the Rideau

A network of shuttle services could link hikers and bikers to trails and backcountry roads, canoeists and kayakers to water routes, and skiers and snowshoers to winter trails. Land- and water-based shuttles could connect visitors to communities, businesses and accommodations.

dbutler@ottawacitizen.com

twitter.com/ButlerDon
© Copyright (c) The Ottawa Citizen

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/travel/...843/story.html

OTSkyline · #4 Posted **Feb 2, 2014, 1:34 AM**

Shuttle down the canal... as in... boats... and people... on the canal?

This could go great with our idea of shuttles going back and forth from Rideau Centre/Downtown to Dow's Lake with 1 stop at Lansdowne

citizen j · #5 Posted **Feb 2, 2014, 2:14 AM**

How about build many more mixed-use developments along the canal at a reasonable distance (i.e., not 500m) in a few key locations so that there are more people already there along its length in the urban area? I realize the NCC will look on this as a kind of Barbarians at the Gates scenario, so don't expect to see it happen any time soon.

rocketphish · #6 Posted **Feb 21, 2014, 2:13 AM**

Google adds Rideau Canal Skateway to Street View

By Meghan Hurley, OTTAWA CITIZEN February 20, 2014 5:09 PM

OTTAWA — A Google Canada expert mapper skated down the Rideau Canal on Thursday to capture street view photos of the world’s largest skating rink.

Aaron Brindle wore a backpack with camera lens extensions popping out the back to capture 360-degree panoramic photos of the canal in about an hour.

“It was the most perfect day imaginable for collecting this imagery,” Brindle said, referring to the mild weather on Thursday.

Capturing photos for Google’s Street View was a job Brindle thinks he was born to do.

He said he wore his first pair of skates at the young age of three, and grew up playing hockey.

“I’ve been training for this moment my entire life,” Brindle joked.

Ottawa Senator and hometown boy Cody Ceci also took a spin with the Google camera, including pushing Sens mascot Spartacat around in a sled to the amusement of canal skaters.

The Google street view team was also in Ottawa this past summer when they captured photos of the roads and pathways along the canal.

Those images that will be stitched together by Google Canada into the street views to showcase both the winter and summer seasons in Ottawa.

“What’s nice about this imagery is that it gives us the opportunity to show seasonality,” Brindle said. “There’s always seasonal differences that we capture in Google Maps.”

For example, some ski hills in Whistler are snow-covered, but surrounding areas are not, he said.

Brindle says the Google’s street view allows people around the world to check out different places and helps promote travel to those areas.

mhurley@ottawacitizen.com

twitter.com/meghan_hurley
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rocketphish · #7 Posted **Mar 21, 2014, 2:40 AM**

Parks Canada books $7.5M for Rideau Canal repair work

By Don Butler, OTTAWA CITIZEN March 20, 2014 7:39 PM

OTTAWA — Parks Canada has begun to chip away at the $104-million maintenance and repair backlog on the Rideau Canal, announcing plans Thursday for new spending of as much as $7.5 million over the next two years.

Parks Canada will spend $4.3 million to rehabilitate the Poonamalie dam near Smiths Falls and reconstruct a waste weir to improve the 19th century earth dam’s stability.

It will also spend as much as $3.2 million on preventive maintenance and visitor facilities along the 202-kilometre Rideau Canal system.

The agency said the spending is over and above the $391.5 million allocated in the 2014 budget for highways, bridges and dams in national parks and along historic canals.

The Poonamalie dam, at the lower end of the Rideau Lakes near Smiths Falls, was one of four Rideau Canal assets listed as being in very poor condition — meaning they are “unsafe, unstable or unusable” — in Parks Canada’s 2012 National Asset Review.

The dam retains water from the Big Rideau and Lower Rideau lakes and helps Parks Canada manage water heading north toward the Ottawa Locks.

Parks Canada said the work on the dam and Minnow Creek waste weir will be completed by April 2017 and will not affect vessels during the canal’s navigation season. A contract for the design of the project will be awarded shortly.

The Poonamalie lock also needs about $1.3 million in maintenance and repair work, according the Park’s Canada’s asset review, which found that 20 per cent of the canal’s built assets were in poor or very poor condition and that more than half were only in fair condition.

No details were released of how the remaining $3.2 million will be spent, but Conservative MP Gord Brown, who made the announcement, said the investments were “integral in supporting economic development and families in the region.”

This year’s boating season on the Rideau Canal starts May 16 and continues until Oct. 16. Until March 31, Parks Canada is offering small discount to boaters who purchase 2014 lockage and mooring permits online.

dbutler@ottawacitizen.com

twitter.com/ButlerDon
© Copyright (c) The Ottawa Citizen

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rocketphish · #8 Posted **Jun 9, 2014, 5:17 PM**

Bridges over historic Rideau Canal in bad shape: Parks Canada report

Dean Beeby, The Canadian Press 06.07.2014

OTTAWA - The Rideau Canal is a world heritage site but its picturesque waters flow under troubled bridges.

A newly released report says eight of the 11 historic bridges over the canal in eastern Ontario are in "poor condition or worse."

Timbers have split, trusses are bent, planks are riddled with severe rot, girders are rusted and corroded, mortar is crumbling.

"All eight of the structures are in inadequate condition," says an inspection report commissioned by Parks Canada from the engineering firm Delcan Corp.

"Based on results of the visual detailed inspections, eight structures require immediate remedial and-or maintenance work for safety reasons."

The Burritts Rapids Swing Bridge, a steel-truss structure built in 1897, is typical of the decay Delcan found. The vehicular bridge in the village of Burritts Rapids, 65 kilometres south of Ottawa, was rated "inadequate" in both structure and function.

"Severe rot is present on the underside of the timber stringers," says the 2013 engineering report, obtained by The Canadian Press under the Access to Information Act.

"Four truss members are bent. The effect of these bent members on the capacity of the structure is not known."

A swing bridge is designed to rotate away from the canal as necessary, allowing tall-masted boats to pass through.

The report did not examine the many bridges crossing the canal not owned by Parks Canada, such as structures owned and maintained by the City of Ottawa.

Parks Canada, which paid Delcan $79,000 for the visual checks on the 11 bridges, says such third-party inspections are carried out every five years.

An agency spokeswoman did not answer directly when asked how much immediate, urgent work had been completed — and for how much money — as recommended by the report.

"Annual maintenance inspections and routine repairs are completed on the bridges and urgent repairs are addressed as required," Melissa Larose said in an email.

"This type of work is routine and funded by annual operating budgets and executed by Parks Canada staff."

Larose noted that the Feb. 11 federal budget included $391.5 million over five years for highways, bridges and dams at historic properties and parks operated by Parks Canada across the country.

The agency has come under fire in recent years for poor stewardship of its vast holdings, estimated in 2012 to require some $2.9 billion in deferred repairs.

A report by Opus International Consultants completed earlier this year found that Parks Canada has been understating the condition of those assets, with 61 per cent of its 2,000 cultural properties in poor or very poor shape.

The agency's internal 2012 inventory had listed only 31 per cent in such bad condition.

Larose said there are no "immediate" risks to the public in the use of the Rideau Canal bridges.

"Public safety is a priority for Parks Canada," she said. "No bridges are currently closed for safety reasons. All the bridges will be retained."

Parks Canada carried out its usual spring maintenance on its bridges in April and May, to prepare for the 2014 navigation season on the canal, Larose said.

The three highest-rated Rideau Canal bridges were listed by inspectors as in only "fair condition" structurally. The top three included the busy Hog's Back Falls swing bridge in Ottawa, built in 1978.

"The timber girders have medium-to-severe splits and checks on their underside," Delcan found after visiting the structure near Mooney's Bay.

"The south approach railings are not in line with the bridge railings, resulting in a vehicle hazard."

The Rideau Canal, stretching 202 kilometres between Ottawa and Kingston, Ont., was declared a UNESCO world heritage site in 2007.

The waterway with numerous locks was constructed between 1826 and 1832 as an alternate to the St. Lawrence River route between Montreal and Toronto, which was considered vulnerable to American attack from New York State.

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rocketphish · #9 Posted **Apr 9, 2015, 12:30 AM**

Rideau Canal National Historic Site
Parks Canada Seeks Proposals for Innovative Experiences and Leading Edge Services on the Rideau Canal in Downtown Ottawa

Parks Canada
March 25, 2015
Smiths Falls, Ontario

New opportunities will help Canadians and visitors connect with this natural and cultural area

Today, the Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of the Environment and Minister responsible for Parks Canada, announced that Parks Canada is seeking proposals from businesses interested in establishing new and innovative services on the Rideau Canal National Historic Site at the heart of Ottawa, Canada’s Capital. Well known to locals and visitors alike, the iconic Rideau Canal attracts nearly 2,000 boats each year and over 80,000 cyclists use its pathways each month.

This is a unique opportunity for businesses interested in creative expansion and unleashing the untapped potential of this remarkable world class site within the nation’s capital. Ottawa is rich in culture and heritage with many national institutions and heritage buildings. The Request for Proposals (RFP) closes on May 20, 2015.

The Government of Canada continues to work with partners and communities like the City of Ottawa, Ottawa Tourism and the National Capital Commission to help the Rideau Canal be a premier tourism destination, foster recreation and economic development, and ultimately build strong communities.

Through initiatives like these, Parks Canada is supporting Canada's National Conservation Plan by taking concrete action to connect Canadians to nature. In addition, the ongoing work of Parks Canada is enhancing visitor experience and facilitating personal connections with Parks Canada places.

Quick Facts

Parks Canada is seeking proposals for multiple integrated services that will attract visitors to the canal year round, respecting and building upon the canal’s unique UNESCO World Heritage designation, while complementing and connecting with Ottawa’s many nearby attractions.
Proposals will be considered for services on or along the Rideau Canal from the southerly limit of Ottawa Locks (Government Conference Centre) to the southerly limit of Hartwells Lockstation (Carleton University).
This request for proposals follows the 2014 release of the Rideau Canal Visitor Experience Opportunities Concept which contains ideas that are meant to inspire the Rideau Canal region as a whole and foster partner networks and collaborative initiatives.
Ottawa welcomes over 7.3 million visitors per year, who spend over $1.18 billion. The Rideau Canal is one of the most visited National Historic Sites in Canada and one of Ottawa’s top attractions on TripAdvisor.

DOWNLOAD Request for Proposals Seeking Innovative Experiences and Leading Edge Services for the Rideau Canal in Ottawa (PDF, 1.1 MB)
DOWNLOAD Appendix A - Maps (PDF, 7.1 MB)

http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/lhn-nhs/on/r...ttawa2015.aspx

rocketphish · #10 Posted **Apr 9, 2015, 12:37 AM**

Rideau Canal fixture Paul's Boat Lines pushed overboard by new vision for historic site

Don Butler, Ottawa Citizen
Published on: April 8, 2015, Last Updated: April 8, 2015 8:09 PM EDT

For the first time in 66 years, the familiar glass-topped boats of Paul’s Boat Lines won’t be plying the waters of the Rideau Canal this summer.

The company — a fixture of summer in Ottawa since 1949 — has been unable to reach a lease agreement with Parks Canada, which is pursuing a new vision for the Ottawa portion of the canal. And there appears to be little place in it for the canal tours offered by Paul’s Boat Lines.

“It’s a terrible way for us to go out,” said company president Dan Duhamel, “but financially we couldn’t see down the road. It was very disappointing because we didn’t get the support from Parks Canada.

“It’s like expropriation without compensation,” Duhamel said. “I’ve got a lot of money invested in vessels and they’re going to be sitting on shore this year.”

Paul’s Boat Lines owns three tour boats — two capable of carrying 120 passengers each and the third with a capacity of 100.

The Ottawa company’s service appears to be a casualty of Parks Canada’s desire to create a more vibrant and varied experience along the canal’s urban Ottawa section.

The agency recently issued a request for proposals, seeking “innovative experiences and leading edge services” on and along the canal from the Ottawa Locks to Hartwells lock station at Carleton University.

“Parks Canada believes that the Rideau Canal has significant potential for innovative experiences and leading edge services that will increase visitation, appreciation and enjoyment of one of Canada’s most recognized national historic sites and Ontario’s only World Heritage Site, while enhancing the vibrancy of the surrounding community,” the document says.

Parks Canada wants to enter into a long-term lease with a single operator who will offer a minimum of two – and preferably more – new experiences or services to keep the canal “animated” during the day and evening, and throughout the year to the extent possible.

In return, the successful bidder will pay Parks Canada a base rent of at least $75,000 a year or six per cent of its gross revenues, whichever is greater. That’s the minimum bid, the agency says. Bidders can offer to pay more.

Proponents have until May 20 to submit proposals, and Parks Canada says it hopes to pick a winner by mid-July. Some of the new services and experiences might be offered this year, but all must be in place no later than May 20, 2016.

Until recently, Paul’s Boat Lines signed leases with the National Capital Commission for its tour business. Parks Canada assumed responsibility from the NCC a year or two ago.

Last year, as it geared up for its new request for proposals, Parks Canada was only willing to sign a one-year lease with Paul’s Boat Lines, Duhamel said. “I went through the season and tried to convince them to give me a (longer-term) lease so at least they’d have an operator in place. But no, they weren’t interested in that.”

In February, Parks Canada offered the company a new two-year lease, but Duhamel turned it down. “It was going to cost me a lot of money to train captains up over the next two years, which I wouldn’t be able to get back down the road,” he said. Moreover, the rent Parks Canada wanted was excessive, he said.

The Citizen sent several questions to Parks Canada about Paul’s Boat Lines and the agency’s new vision for the Ottawa section of the Rideau Canal, but it was unable to provide any response as of end of day Wednesday.

The demise of Paul’s Boat Lines’ Rideau Canal tours will cost about 20 of the company’s 40 or so seasonal employees their jobs. The company is still planning to offer boat tours on the Ottawa River this summer, as it has in the past.

Though he’s frustrated and upset,”I don’t want to be slinging mud,” Duhamel said. “I just feel bad about the whole situation.”

Duhamel’s father, Paul Duhamel, founded the company in 1936. Initially, it operated only on the Rideau River. It began offering boat tours on the Rideau Canal in 1949. It has remained in the Duhamel family throughout.

Duhamel said he expects to sell the boats, and has already had inquiries from potential bidders on the new Parks Canada canal lease. He’s also given “lots of thought” to shutting the business down.

“This is an awful situation. It’s a situation I didn’t ask for, but it’s a situation where I had to make a decision. And believe me, it was a hard decision to make.”

Thinking outside the locks

In its Request for Proposals document, Parks Canada doesn’t provide any examples of the “innovative experiences and leading edge services” it would like to see along the Rideau Canal in Ottawa.

But it does cite and link to the Visitor Experience Opportunities Concept, a report released in 2014 that is replete with ideas to enliven the canal. Here are 10 examples that might inspire bidders on the new canal lease:

Demonstrate support for sustainable tourism by using electric powered touring boats and water taxis.
Heighten the profile of the Algonquin and other First Nations people’s heritage.
Develop a “hop-on, hop-off” shuttle service to link attractions along the length of the canal within Ottawa .
Extend land-based canal use opportunities throughout the year. Walking, biking, interpretive programming and picnicking should not be perceived to end with the closure of the locks.
Develop walking tour suggestions at each lock in the canal’s Ottawa reach.
Host a high-profile skills challenge using a series of locks, such as the Ottawa Locks.
Offer historic-themed dining canal cruises ending in the city centre.
Establish geocaching routes at selected lock stations and adjacent park lands.
Take advantage of the acoustical properties of some lock station areas by offering small symphonic experiences.
Stage sound and light performances to recreate the stories associated with the building and operation of the canal.

dbutler@ottawacitizen.com
twitter.com/ButlerDon

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-...-historic-site

MoreTrains · #11 Posted **Apr 9, 2015, 3:17 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by rocketphish

[B][SIZE="4"]But it does cite and link to the Visitor Experience Opportunities Concept, a report released in 2014 that is replete with ideas to enliven the canal. Here are 10 examples that might inspire bidders on the new canal lease:

Demonstrate support for sustainable tourism by using electric powered touring boats and water taxis.
Heighten the profile of the Algonquin and other First Nations people’s heritage.
Develop a “hop-on, hop-off” shuttle service to link attractions along the length of the canal within Ottawa .
Extend land-based canal use opportunities throughout the year. Walking, biking, interpretive programming and picnicking should not be perceived to end with the closure of the locks.
Develop walking tour suggestions at each lock in the canal’s Ottawa reach.
Host a high-profile skills challenge using a series of locks, such as the Ottawa Locks.
Offer historic-themed dining canal cruises ending in the city centre.
Establish geocaching routes at selected lock stations and adjacent park lands.
Take advantage of the acoustical properties of some lock station areas by offering small symphonic experiences.
Stage sound and light performances to recreate the stories associated with the building and operation of the canal.

dbutler@ottawacitizen.com
twitter.com/ButlerDon

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-...-historic-site

They want to sole source a company to provide all of this? It seems to me like they will have either no applications or one application. It is pretty much impossible to offer all of these. Especially the second point about the Algonquin, the Canal has nothing to do with the Algonquin, it was built by the British using Irish to avoid the Americans. I pretty much see this as a directive from above that was forced on Parks Canada. I also believe this is going to be a hard flop, to be rectified by later governments.

OTSkyline · #12 Posted **Apr 9, 2015, 7:11 PM**

Do they already have some initiatives planned for this year? If the above is really their sort of RFP for this year; it would be way too late, no?

I know they had that sort of mini beach/patio test near the canal (was it last year or the year before?), is that going to be happening this year again?

phil235 · #13 Posted **Apr 9, 2015, 7:48 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by OTSkyline

Do they already have some initiatives planned for this year? If the above is really their sort of RFP for this year; it would be way too late, no?

I know they had that sort of mini beach/patio test near the canal (was it last year or the year before?), is that going to be happening this year again?

The beach/patio has been in place for the past couple of years, just up from the Somerset pedestrian bridge. Great place for a pint. It's still there, so I assume that it is coming back.

Uhuniau · #14 Posted **Apr 9, 2015, 8:09 PM**

Increased animation through decreased activity!

It never ceases to amaze me, the new and clever ways the NCC comes up with to royally "seal" in French things up.

McC · #15 Posted **Apr 9, 2015, 8:15 PM**

not the NCC this time

MoreTrains · #16 Posted **Apr 10, 2015, 1:17 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by phil235

The beach/patio has been in place for the past couple of years, just up from the Somerset pedestrian bridge. Great place for a pint. It's still there, so I assume that it is coming back.

Unless that place is part of the single entertainment company that is selected for the canal, I think it will go the same way as Pauls Boat Lines. Unless it is just an attack against Pauls, all of the businesses and attractions along the canal should be closing or get handed over to that single company.

Radster · #17 Posted **Apr 10, 2015, 1:40 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by MoreTrains

They want to sole source a company to provide all of this? It seems to me like they will have either no applications or one application. It is pretty much impossible to offer all of these. Especially the second point about the Algonquin, the Canal has nothing to do with the Algonquin, it was built by the British using Irish to avoid the Americans. I pretty much see this as a directive from above that was forced on Parks Canada. I also believe this is going to be a hard flop, to be rectified by later governments.

Its an RFP, so its not sole source. As for Paul's, maybe its a good thing? I mean, their product was stale, nothing new or innovative, just a regular cruise with no bells and whistles. One just has to look at other cities with canals and a tourism sector to see how far behind Ottawa was with their boring canal cruise offering. Like the examples in the RFP, Ottawa needs new types of canal cruises (ie. evening dinner cruise, wine and cheese sunset cruise, hop-on/hop-off service along the canal, special canal shuttles for Fury and RedBlacks games). So if the guy from Paul's is upset and selling his boats, maybe its for the better, because a new operator with new ideas will buy his boats, maybe retrofit them and we will end up with something more innovative that will cater not only to tourists, but residents as well.

MoreTrains · #18 Posted **Apr 10, 2015, 3:45 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Radster

Its an RFP, so its not sole source.

Perhaps not technically a sole source, but I dont imagine there are companies lining up for this. Would it be a sole source if only one company applied?

phil235 · #19 Posted **Apr 10, 2015, 3:56 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by MoreTrains

Unless that place is part of the single entertainment company that is selected for the canal, I think it will go the same way as Pauls Boat Lines. Unless it is just an attack against Pauls, all of the businesses and attractions along the canal should be closing or get handed over to that single company.

It may be that the RFP process pushes them out, but why do you think that a single company will get the entire canal? The RFP allows for multiple responses, does it not? That would be the worst possible outcome.

ElieB · #20 Posted **Apr 10, 2015, 4:49 PM**

The the Rideau canal has a 104$ million maintenance backlog and that is mostly relating to its various locks. But I walk the canal all the time in downtown Ottawa and it is in horrible condition. It's arguably Ottawa's most visible and accessible waterfront and it feels run-down and dated.
Whole sections of the path are literally caving into the canal, and railings are rusted, bent, broken or missing.
The entire pathway, seating and railing design is horribly bland.
There are basically no landscaped areas, programmable spaces, or shelters anywhere between Dow's lake and the NAC/OCC.

Just about every major city in NA has invested huge amounts into their parks and especially waterfronts in the past decade or two. And we've let our UNESCO world heritage site, pride of the city, amazing civic asset, etc, just waste away. We couldn't even put any work into the area around Lansdowne park?!?!? What?

The only thing we've contributed to the Canal in recent decades is a seasonal cafe and overpaid for a handful of admittedly nice skate-changing shelters. But sadly the controversy over those shelters is exactly what would drive public-opinion against re-investing in our canals.