At The Rideau Canal

A UNESCO World Heritage Site… Now Starring in Horizon!

Ottawa’s Rideau Canal is a haven for boaters, cottagers and outdoor enthusiasts alike. Stretching 202 kilometres from Ottawa to Kingston, the canal is known for providing year-round recreation, but that wasn’t its original purpose. Built in 1832, it was meant to provide secure passage from Montreal to the Great Lakes, when tension between Canada and the US continued to rise after the War of 1812.

Today, it’s considered a remarkable feat of engineering — earning recognition as a UNESCO World Heritage Site for being a “work of creative genius.” It’s considered the best-preserved slackwater canal in North America, the oldest continuously operated canal in North America and the only canal from that period operational today.

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Many of us have visited the Rideau while touring the nation’s capital. In the summer you can take ferry rides or walk along the path and in the winter, it transforms into the world’s largest skating rink – a great place to burn off calories after chowing down on delicious Beaver Tails. It’s also the spot where SESQUI’s film crew transformed the Rideau into a magical landscape for dragon boat racers and lion dancers.

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The team lit up the canal as the rowers and dancers practiced traditional Chinese sport and activities against the beautiful backdrop of the canal at sunset.

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In Horizon, we hope to represent the canal as it truly is: an ode to Canada’s past and a well-known space used and loved by Canadians today.