A rebuilt section of the historic Grenville Canal is now officially open.
An inauguration ceremony was held on Thursday, July 4 at Parc Desforges by the canal in the centre of the village. Since 2022, the complete canal wall along rue du Canal nord from the canal bridge to the pier has been under reconstruction. The federal and Québec governments each contributed 50 per cent of the $5 million grant for the project.
“This completely renovated space is for all!” Grenville Mayor Pierre Thauvette said.
The north wall had deteriorated considerably in recent years, making the area unsafe for pedestrians on land and boats on the water. The new, concrete and stone wall includes an accessible water-level walkway, street lighting, landscaping, and interpretive signage explaining the history of the canal, village, and surrounding area.
Thauvette described the canal as a heritage space for the entire region.
Argenteuil-La Petite-Nation Member of Parliament (MP) Stéphane Lauzon said securing the funding for the project has been one of his significant priorities.
“The renovation of the canal was complex, it was an engineering challenge,” he said.
Lauzon said the new area will help attract tourists and benefit the enjoyment of Grenville residents.
“You are at the heart of the region for economic growth,” Lauzon said of Grenville.
Argenteuil Member of the Québec National Assembly Agnès Grondin became emotional when sharing how much the Grenville Canal means to her. Grondin’s late grandparents lived beside it and she recalled fond memories of her family in the community. Late Grenville Mayor Luc Grondin was Agnès Grondin’s cousin, and he also was a strong promoter of renovating and preserving the canal.
She said the Grenville Canal has been one of her priority projects since first being elected to the legislature in 2018. She thanked the various ministers and departments within the Québec government, and Premier François Legault himself for recognizing the significance of the site.
Municipalité régionale de comté (MRC) d’Argenteuil Prefect Scott Pearce said he was extremely proud of the work that had been done to make the canal project possible and thanked many regional government employees be name. He also emotionally remembered late Grenville Mayor Ron Tittlit for his commitment to the canal.
Former MRC d’Argenteuil Director-General Marc Carrière, who has worked as a consultant with the MRC on the canal project, described the project as an example of the community and government working together for the common good to positively impact the quality of live for residents, and to increase the tourism and recreation potential of the region.
Musée regional d’Argenteuil Historian Robert Simard shared the history of the canal and surrounding with the audience from the time of the Ice Age and early Indigenous inhabitants to the arrival of European settlers, first the French, and later the British. The rapids were an obstacle to transportation along the Ottawa River.
“People could not travel on the River between Carillon and Grenville,” Simard said.
Construction of the Grenville Canal began in 1818 to allow river traffic to bypass the Long Sault Rapids. It took 15 years for the British Army to build the canal and there were seven locks boats had to pass through between Grenville and Greece’s Point. However, the canal was mostly built so military and trade traffic had an inland alternative to using the St. Lawrence River along the US border following the War of 1812.
“It was a military canal,” remarked Simard.
There were also separate canals at Carillon and Chute-à-Blondeau.
The rapids disappeared when the Carillon hydroelectric dam was built in the 1960s. The locks were removed, and the Grenville was eventually transferred to the village. The infrastructure deteriorated and the walls began to crumble, creating a safety hazard. The village closed the canal to through navigation in 2008.
Simard, who is also a singer in the band Henri-Ben, played the band’s recording of the song Dig, Dig it In, which was written about workers building the canal. Audience members were tapping their feet and singing along.
The engineering firm PRONEX of Lachute performed the construction work to rehabilitate the north wall of the Grenville Canal. The firm estimates it would take an additional $10 million to rehabilitate the stone walls on both sides of the canal east of the bridge, and the pier at the western terminus of the canal. Water has caused erosion under the stone. There are no immediate plans to rehabilitate these walls.
