Protecting history, culture, recreation, and biodiversity
Constructed after the War of 1812 to serve as a secure war-time supply route from Montréal to the settlements of Upper Canada and the strategic naval dockyard at Kingston, the Rideau Canal National Historic Site of Canada officially opened in 1832 with 47 locks, 23 lockstations and supporting dams and bridges, providing through navigation between the Ottawa River and Lake Ontario. A national historic site, Canadian Heritage River, and a UNESCO World Heritage site, the Rideau Canal is valued for its canal construction and engineering technology, its integrity and authenticity, the contribution and sacrifices of canal construction labourers, its military purpose, and its contributions to the social and economic development of Upper Canada.
The Rideau Canal corridor has long been recognized as an area of special interest owing to its unique combination of cultural, natural, scenic, and recreational values. The landscape of the corridor is a mosaic of agricultural land, forests, wetlands, lakes and rivers, rural waterfront residences and urban settlements.
The Rideau Canal’s natural environment is also home to a wide variety of plants and animals, including many species which are threatened or at risk. There are currently 45 species at risk observed at the site. Additionally, there are many species of cultural importance to Indigenous peoples, such as the American eel, walleye, and furbearers like muskrat and beavers, living in and along the waterway.
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