Parks Canada is spending more than $7 million to rehabilitate a heritage building in Sault Ste. Marie.

The Powerhouse building is one of a number of buildings located at the Sault Ste. Marie Canal National Historic Site. First opened in 1885, the building allowed the Sault Ste. Marie Canal to be the first electrically operated lock in the world. It is the reason for the designation as a national historic site.

The heritage building is undergoing significant structural stabilization work to remediate its deterioration, largely through groundwater mitigation efforts and other improvements including conservation, rehabilitation, and construction initiatives. Work at the Powerhouse began in late December 2023 and is expected to continue for approximately two years.

Sault Ste. Marie MP Terry Sheehan announced $7.4 million in funding for the work on January 11.

“The Sault Ste. Marie Canal National Historic Site is undertaking a large revitalization project on the historic Powerhouse building to ensure its sustainability and longevity for future generations,” he said. “By ensuring the sustainability of Parks Canada administered places, the government is supporting local economies, contributing to the growth of sustainable tourism, and strengthening their appeal as destinations to celebrate our country.”

Phase one of the Powerhouse project began in 2019, with $6.3 million in federal funding to begin investigative work, which included removing some existing infrastructure to thoroughly explore and understand the water infiltration issues, and to assess future needs to remediate this heritage building.

With this latest announcement, the total federal investment for the Powerhouse building is approximately $13.8 million.

The work is being funded through the $557 million in funding for Parks Canada that was announced by the Government of Canada in late 2022.

Other significant infrastructure investments have been completed at the Sault Ste. Marie Canal National Historic Site over the past eight years. Federal funding has been provided for numerous projects at the site, including the restoration and protection of the site's Powerhouse building, Stores building and associated structures, repairs to the Superintendent's Residence, the design and repaving of the Sault Ste. Marie Canal National Historic Site’s entry road and the creation and opening of a new Visitor Centre and exhibit space.

The federal government has now invested over $18.5 million to rejuvenate the Sault Ste. Marie Canal National Historic Site.

The 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.