This winter, the Rideau Canal drew thousands of visiting skaters to test their blades during the longest open season that the world’s largest naturally frozen skating rink has ever had.
But skating doesn’t last all year and with the springtime melt now at hand, Parks Canada is calling out to businesses for proposals to update the canal’s tourist appeal all year long.
In a press release, the government organization says the canal is already a huge tourist draw, but it’s time to realize its full potential.
“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.”
Still, some Ottawa residents caution that all this talk of the canal’s future shouldn’t draw attention away from its past.
Hunter McGill, chair of the advocacy group Friends of the Rideau Canal, says he’d like to see new projects that highlight the heritage of the canal, which he says is a deeply influential part of Ottawa’s history.
“What’s greatly important is what the Rideau Canal meant in terms of the development of eastern Ontario as communities grew up along (the waterway),” he says. “More promotion of that aspect of the character of the Rideau would be a good thing. ”
The Ottawa portion of the canal is just part of a waterway that extends 202 km across the province to the edge of Lake Ontario in Kingston, including not just man-made canals but also rivers and lakes.
In 2007, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization declared the canal a World Heritage Site – the only one in Ontario – in recognition of the canal’s importance to Canadian history.
Parks Canada’s invitation notes that designation has been a major boost to the canal’s popularity, but they’re still looking for more.
The invitation doesn’t give much idea of exactly what new attractions officials are looking for, though – that’s up to the businesses sending proposals in.
And that uncertainty combined with the phrasing calling for “innovative” and “leading edge” ideas has historical advocates worried the results may distract from heritage.
According to McGill, the canal is well preserved in most places – many of the locks even move boats up and down the system using the same machinery that were built with almost 200 years ago.
Still, he says some newer developments such as the Lansdowne Stadium have already thrown off the authentic feel – that’s something to watch out for as proposals start coming in.
“That very modern looking stadium is a sudden difference in the character of the canal,” he says. “From Bank Street to Bronson, the canal looks a lot like it would have when it was built, but the stadium completely changes the face of it.”