Parks Canada opens visitor centre at Sault Ste. Marie Canal National Historic Site
The latest phase of work at the Sault Ste. Marie Canal National Historic Site is officially complete.
Sault Ste. Marie MP Terry Sheehan opened the new, accessible visitor centre and interpretive exhibit at the site on June 24. The project, valued at $4 million, is one of several phases of a larger revitalization to the site’s Historic Core.
Work on this latest phase was funded through the Federal Infrastructure Investment Program. The work features the new visitor offering inside the restored Blacksmith's Shop and Stores Building.
The space features interpretive elements that outline the impact that the construction of the canal had on the First Nation and Métis Nation communities. These include interactive exhibits, interpretive panels, historic photographs, impressive artifacts, and a hand-built birch bark canoe on loan from Batchewana First Nation.
Valued at $14 million, the broader project to rejuvenate the Sault Ste. Marie Canal National Historic Site, sees work planned to a cluster of heritage buildings made up of the Carpentry Shop, Stores Building and Blacksmith's Shop, as well as the Powerhouse and surrounding landscape.
"The federal investment in restoring these heritage buildings and creation of a new Visitor Centre and exhibit area is an exciting addition to the Sault Ste. Marie Canal National Historic Site that will benefit the region's tourism offer,” said Sheehan. “The collaboration with Batchewana First Nation and Métis Nation of Ontario is part of our government's ongoing efforts towards reconciliation. This interactive, signature exhibit will foster a better understanding of Indigenous peoples' perspectives, cultures and traditions, ensuring a meaningful visitor experience for years to come."
Parks Canada says the changes will significantly improve experiences for the site’s 155,000 visitors annually.
The Sault Ste. Marie Canal was the longest and first electrically operated lock in the world when it opened in 1895. It was the last link in a 3,500 km all-Canadian waterway stretching from the Atlantic Ocean to the western tip of Lake Superior. It was designated a national historic site in 1987.