Rehabilitation of 14km of the Lachine Canal walls – Parks Canada is continuing major repairs along the 14 km of the Lachine Canal National Historic Site and will be working on the south side walls between the Sir-George-Étienne Cartier and Atwater footbridges beginning in the spring of 2019.
This work involves the removal of vegetation located in the walls of the canal as of mid-November 2018. These interventions are necessary for the completion of the repair work on the walls and to ensure the long-term preservation of this national historic site.
Parks Canada is recognized as a leader in conservation and built heritage. Prior to the removal of trees and vegetation, all projects are subject to an environmental assessment to ensure mitigations are in place to maintain the ecology of the site and that all work is conducted outside of bird nesting and migratory periods. Every effort is being made to preserve the maximum of trees.
Furthermore, Parks Canada will add 49 more trees (in addition to the 50 trees previously announced) on the south side of the canal, west of the Monk Bridge, for a total of 99 trees planted in this specific area. In the next few years, Parks Canada plans to plant a minimum of 300 trees on the south side of the canal. On the north side, a minimum of 75 trees will also be planted in the area between Chemin du Musee and the Gauron and Lafleur bridges. Parks Canada is evaluating the possibility of planting more trees in this area, but must ensure there is sufficient space for sustainable and optimal growth of each tree, in addition to maintaining a safe distance in order to protect the walls of the Lachine Canal.
Parks Canada recognizes that the tree canopy and extensive greenery are important elements of the Lachine Canal and will continue to implement various measures to replace trees removed during previous work and restore vegetation to ensure the revitalization of the vegetation cover of this historic waterway. Further planting will be done once the various projects have been completed.
For more information about work that will have an impact on the Lachine Canal’s users, please visit the Plan Your Commute webpage (parkscanada.gc.ca/lachinecanal-work) or subscribe to the @LachineCanal social media accounts on Facebook and Twitter.
Rehabilitation of 14km of the Lachine Canal walls
