Parks Canada - Lachine Canal National Historic Site of Canada

Located in Montréal, the Lachine Canal stretches 14.5 km from the Old Port to Lake Saint-Louis. Already in the planning stages during the French Regime, it would only open to shipping in 1825. Tens of thousands of ships took this route before the construction of the St. Lawrence Seaway led to its closing in 1970.
The port of entry for the canal network linking the Atlantic Ocean to the heart of the continent, the Lachine Canal was the forerunner of the transportation revolution in Canada in the early 19th century. It also played a decisive role in the industrial development of Montréal, notably as a supplier of hydraulic power. Finally, this corridor became one of the main manufacturing production centres in Canada, from the beginning of industrialization in the middle of the 19th century until the Second World War.
For the last 25 years, millions of cyclists and pedestrians have visited the canal's banks where countless details evoke the past. Today, this site is entering a new phase of its existence. An important revitalization project, begun in 1997, is strengthening its heritage vocation. And pleasure boating was reintroduced in 2002.