Friends of the Rideau

10/17/2026

I've started a series of articles for the Friends of the Rideau newsletter, each looking back 200 years. As a support piece for the first article about the start of the canal in 1826, I've just posted an article about the Founding of Ottawa and the Start of the Rideau Canal to my rideau-info website: https://www.rideau-info.com/canal/articles/index.html

10/09/2026

⚠️ End of Season Operations ⚠️

Parks Canada is advising the public that the Rideau Canal’s 24 lockstations located between Ottawa and Kingston will close for the season on October 13, following the Thanksgiving long weekend.

Parks Canada encourages the public to use caution in and around the canal structures and channels over the winter months. From Thanksgiving to Victoria Day (mid-October to mid-May), the canal’s lock stations will be closed and the use of the canal will be at one’s own risk. Unmarked hazards may exist. Wet leaves, ice, and snow may remain on stairs and walkways, and ice conditions on the waterway can vary.

Boaters are advised that during the non-navigation season, aids to navigation may be missing, off-station, or inoperable until next spring.

From mid-October until mid-November, water levels in the Rideau Canal system, between the Ottawa Locks and Burritt’s Rapids, will decrease to winter levels by adjusting dams and spillways in the Lower Rideau Watershed.

We would like to thank all visitors and look forward to welcoming you again in 2027.

https://parks.canada.ca/lhn-nhs/on/rideau/securite-safety/basse-saison-off-season

10/06/2026

Parks Canada advises that the Long Island Swing Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on October 14 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

09/24/2026

09/24/2026

Was greeted by this on my early morning visit to the Depot!

09/22/2026

Welcome to the first day of Fall! 🍂 But don’t worry, it's not too late to get outside and spend some time on the Rideau Canal. 🛶🛥️

09/20/2026

Every small action can make a big difference. Today, we're celebrating World Cleanup Day by encouraging everyone to help keep the Rideau Canal clean and healthy for wildlife, visitors, and future generations. 🌎🧹

Whether you're picking up litter on a trail, at a lockstation, or along the shoreline, your efforts help protect the natural and cultural treasures that make this place so special. 🥰

Together, we can make a lasting impact. ♥️

09/16/2026

Rideau Canal Locks, Ottawa, ca. 1867
City of Ottawa Archives | CA025899 | E. Spencer

Captured the same year Canada became a nation, this photograph shows the Rideau Canal as both working infrastructure and a symbol of Bytown’s origins. The Royal Engineers Office and Commissariat Building anchor the scene, pointing to the military presence that shaped the canal and the community around it.

As we reflect on Bytown’s 200th anniversary, this image connects us to a moment when Ottawa was still closely tied to its beginnings as a strategic construction camp turned capital.
Écluses du canal Rideau, Ottawa, vers 1867
Archives de la Ville d’Ottawa | CA025899 | E. Spencer

Prise l’année même où le Canada devenait une nation, cette photographie décrit le canal Rideau à la fois comme une infrastructure fonctionnelle et un symbole des origines de Bytown. Le bureau des Royal Engineers et le Bâtiment de l’intendance dominent la scène, soulignant la présence militaire qui a façonné le canal et la communauté qui l’entoure.

En cette année du 200e anniversaire de Bytown, cette image nous renvoie à une époque où Ottawa était encore étroitement liée à ses origines : celle d’un campement stratégique devenu capitale.

09/13/2026

Travel along the historic canal system is made possible by a series of 24 lockstations staffed annually during the navigation season by specially trained Parks Canada lockmasters.