The federal government will officially commemorate the thousands of workmen who carved the Rideau Canal.
Parks Canada has started construction on large plaques and panels – to be featured at two locations along the canal – that will tell the story of the landmark and the workers who built it.
The Rideau Canal was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1925, but the waterway’s construction workers were not formally recognized at that time.
The canal workers – mostly Irish immigrants and French-Canadians – built the 202-kilometre landmark between 1826 and 1832 through what was then a wilderness of bush, swamps, and lakes.
Hundreds of construction workers died due to disease or work-related injuries. Some estimates put the death toll as high as 1,000.
“The significant contribution of the canal workers to Canadian history deserves to be recognized for the benefit of future generations of Canadians,” Environment Minister Peter Kent said in a Parks Canada news release.
Just a few days prior to this commemoration announcement, the annual Rideau Canal Festival was suspended due to funding cuts.