Friends of the Rideau call for better care for canal
Group says profit is now main concern, not heritage preservation
Canada is falling short of its commitment to preserve and protect the Rideau Canal, which was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2007, Friends of the Rideau says.
In a letter to Ottawa Centre MP Catherine McKenna, the minister responsible for Parks Canada, Hunter McGill, the volunteer group’s chairman, says revenue generation has replaced cultural and natural presentation as the federal agency’s primary focus on the Rideau Canal.
“Heritage presentation and preservation, core mandates of Parks Canada, are no longer being done on much of the canal,” says McGill’s letter, sent to McKenna in November, shortly after she was sworn in as minister of the environment and climate change.
“We have observed that a consequence has been that many visitors are surprised to learn the Rideau Canal is a working example of early 19th century technology and a significant part of Canada’s history.”
Ken Watson, a canal activist and member of Friends of the Rideau’s board, reinforced those concerns in a letter to McKenna, charging that Parks Canada “is not meeting its obligations to the Rideau Canal as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.”
The heritage support and systems that led to the canal’s designation are now gone, a casualty of 2012 budget cuts, Watson’s letter says, and Parks Canada is no longer following the 2005 World Heritage Site management plan for the canal. “This is a serious issue that could eventually lead to the delisting of the Rideau Canal.”
Thanks to staff cuts, Parks Canada “simply doesn’t have anybody who knows how to do heritage,” Watson said in an interview. “We’re talking about a multi-year buildup if they want to get back on track.”
Asked for comment, McKenna issued a statement saying she and her family experience the canal every day. “So I understand why it is so important to ensure the protection, conservation and presentation of the Rideau Canal for future generations.
“That’s why Parks Canada monitors and maintains the canal to conserve its historic fabric and make sure it is safe and reliable to use,” McKenna said, noting that the agency is spending $46 million over five years to repair the canal’s crumbling infrastructure.
But Watson said most of that money will be spent on shoring up things such as dams and bridges, whose failure could jeopardize public safety. “The heritage structures aren’t being touched.”
And though Parks Canada estimated in 2012 the canal needed $104 million in repairs and deferred maintenance, that estimate appears to have been understated by at least 33 per cent, Watson said.
“We’re worried,” McGill admitted in an interview. “We do have these concerns that there has been underfunding and, as a consequence, we’re not meeting our obligations and responsibilities.”
He expressed optimism that McKenna, once she has a chance to focus on the canal issue, will act on those concerns.
“Everything I’ve heard about her is that she’s very approachable; she’s very sensitive to local concerns,” he said. “We do need that kind of leadership.”
Watson said McKenna’s focus on climate change has “pushed everything to the side.” But, he added, “I’m hoping within the year we’ll see fundamental changes start to happen within the Parks Canada administration of the Rideau Canal.”