Trent Severn Waterway: A Diamond in the Rough

Devolin Column 
(June 15, 2006)

Trent Severn Waterway: A Diamond in the Rough

Earlier this week my colleague Bruce Stanton, M.P. (Simcoe North) introduced Private Member’s Motion 161 in the House of Commons. If passed, it would ask the government to evaluate the future of the Trent-Severn Waterway, a national historic site that belongs to the people of Canada and is managed for them by the federal government.

I’m proud to say that I support Bruce’s motion. As you know, the Trent-Severn makes a valuable contribution to the economy by attracting thousands of recreational boaters and millions of visitors each year to its lock stations, campgrounds and public sites. In fact, for every person who visits the system by boat, there are five who are land-based visitors.

For those of you unfamiliar with the Trent, it is a 386 kilometre long inland waterway, running from the Bay of Quinte on Lake Ontario to Georgian Bay on Lake Huron. 

The vision of an inland navigable waterway linking Lake Ontario with Georgian Bay was first inspired by early 19th century settlers who worked to establish the first wooden lock in Bobcaygeon in 1833 in order to access lumber markets to the south. It would take 87 years to complete the waterway. 
Currently, the Trent Severn operates 44 locks for navigation and recreational boating, one marine railway and 39 swing bridges. The system includes 160 dams and control structures that manage the water levels for flood control and navigation on lakes and rivers that drain approximately 18,600 square kilometres of central Ontario's cottage country region, across four counties and three single-tier cities, an area that is home to more than a million Canadians.

The Trent currently has 18 operating hydro-electric facilities that collectively generate 100 megawatts of clean and renewable power, and there exists much untapped potential for further generation using modern technology.
The Trent-Severn recorded approximately 150,000 lockages last year, down from its peak of 250,000 in 1990. More than 1,000 businesses thrive on serving the residents and visitors to the lakes and rivers of the Trent-Severn. Indeed, many of the communities’ very existence is supported by the recreational and retirement lifestyles associated with these shoreline communities. Services to the recreational boating public and other visitors include many rural-based small businesses, from fuel, storage and repairs to food service, outfitters, attractions and retail outlets.

The Trent-Severn has been managed and regulated under the Parks Canada Agency Act since 1970. Currently the Trent-Severn's operating costs are about $9.5 million per year. It collects revenues of close to $4 million annually, leaving a net cost to the government of about $5.5 million per year. These costs do not, however, include capital repairs and replacement costs, which have varied from $2 million to $5 million over the last decade.

Canada is not the only place with its large and historic canal system. Other jurisdictions like New York State have revitalized their historic canals to provide, in addition to their historic, navigational and recreational value, a tremendous force for economic renewal in the communities along those canals. In 1996 New York State undertook to completely revitalize its historic canals. Since then it has invested millions in upgrading, infrastructure and marketing.

The New York canal revitalization program has been so successful that this year the canal has completely waived the user fees for recreational boats on the system. The canal has become, in a sense, an economic generator of its own making while staying true to its mandate of historical preservation, environmental protection and enhancement.

I am not suggesting that we replicate what New York has done. But I cite as an example of how we might consider the future of the Trent-Severn Waterway, and how it could become a net contributor for Canadians, both environmentally and economically.