List of canals in Canada

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A ship passing through the Welland Canal in St. Catharines, 2017

There exists a number of canals in Canada that are used as aqueducts, diversionary channels for power stations, and for shippings.

## Natural canals

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A natural canal exists between the Magaguadavic River and Lake Utopia outside St. George, New Brunswick.

## Shipping canals

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### Active

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Canal  | Province  | Length  | Number of locks  | Max boat length  | Start point  | End point  | Year opened  | Notes

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Beauharnois Canal | Quebec | 24.5 km (15.2 mi)  | 2  |  | Lake Saint Francis | Lake Saint-Louis | 1932  | Later incorporated as a part of the Saint Lawrence Seaway
Canso Canal | Nova Scotia | 0.56 km (0.35 mi)  | 1  | 230 m (740 ft)  | St. George's Bay | Chedabucto Bay | 1955  |
Carillon Canal | Quebec | 21 km (13 mi)  | 1  |  | Ottawa River | Ottawa River | 1830  |
Chambly Canal | Quebec | 20 km (12 mi)  | 9  |  | Richelieu River (Chambly)  | Richelieu River (Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu)  | 1843  |
Dougall Canal | Ontario | 0.8 km (0.50 mi)  |  |  | Lake Couchiching | Lake Couchiching | c. 1960s | Forms part of the Trent–Severn Waterway
Lachine Canal | Quebec | 14.5 km (9.0 mi)  | 5[note 1] |  | Saint Lawrence River (Old Port of Montreal)  | Lake Saint-Louis | 1825  |
Murray Canal | Ontario | 8 km (5.0 mi)  |  |  | Bay of Quinte | Lake Ontario | 1889  |
Pender Canal | British Columbia | 200 m (0.12 mi)  |  |  | Bedwell Harbour | Port Browning | 1903  |
Rideau Canal | Ontario | 202 km (126 mi)  | 47  | 27 m (90 ft)  | Ottawa River (Ottawa)  | Lake Ontario (Kingston)  | 1832  |
Saint Lawrence Seaway | Ontario & Quebec[note 2] | 600 km (370 mi)  | 15  | 230 m (740 ft)  | Saint Lawrence River (Old Port of Montreal)  | Lake Erie (Port Colborne)  | 1959  |
Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue Canal | Quebec |  |  |  | Lake Saint-Louis | Lake of Two Mountains | 1843  |
Sault Ste. Marie Canal | Ontario | 1.6 km (0.99 mi)  | 1  |  | St. Marys River | St. Marys River | 1895  |
St. Peters Canal | Nova Scotia | 0.8 km (0.50 mi)  | 1  | 91 m (300 ft)  | Bras d'Or Lake | Atlantic Ocean (St. Peter's)  | 1869  |
Tay Canal | Ontario | 9.8 km (6.1 mi)  | 2  | 27 m (90 ft)  | Tay River | Lower Rideau Lake | 1891  | Currently operated as a part of the Rideau Canal
Trent-Severn Waterway | Ontario | 386 km (240 mi)  | 44  | 26 m (84 ft)  | Georgian Bay (Severn)  | Bay of Quinte (Trenton)  | 1833  |
Welland Canal | Ontario | 43 km (27 mi)  | 8  | 230 m (740 ft)  | Lake Ontario (St. Catharines)  | Lake Erie (Port Colborne)  | 1829  | Later incorporated as a part of the Saint Lawrence Seaway

### Abandoned

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Canal  | Province  | Length  | Number of locks  | Start point  | End point  | Year opened  | Year closed  | Notes

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Baillie-Grohman Canal | British Columbia | 1.5 km (0.93 mi)  |  | Columbia River | Kootenay River | 1889  | 1902  |
Coteau-du-Lac canal | Quebec | 100 m (330 ft)  | 3  |  |  | 1781  |  |
Desjardins Canal | Ontario |  |  | Cootes Paradise | Hamilton Harbour | 1837  | 1895  |
Newmarket Canal | Ontario | 16 km (9.9 mi)  | 3  | Lake Simcoe | East Holland River (Newmarket)  | —  | —  | The canal was cancelled during its construction.
Shubenacadie Canal | Nova Scotia | 114 km (71 mi)  | 1[note 3] | Halifax Harbour (Dartmouth)  | Cobequid Bay (Maitland)  | 1856  | 1871  |
Soulanges Canal | Quebec |  | 5  |  |  | 1899  | 1958  |
Welland Recreational Waterway | Ontario |  |  | Welland Canal  | Welland Canal  |  | c. 1970s | The waterway formed a part of the original alignment for the Welland Canal that passed Welland, prior to the completion of the Welland By-Pass in the 1970s. Motorboats are prohibited from the Welland Recreational Waterway.

Parts of the Rouge River in Markham, Ontario were being planned by William Berczy in the 1790s as a navigation route between Lake Simcoe and Lake Ontario via Holland River but did not progress beyond clearing of 24 miles along the route.[1]

## Other types of canals

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Canal  | Province  | Start point  | End point  | Notes

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Canal de l'Aqueduc | Quebec |  | City of Montreal pumping station (Pointe-Saint-Charles)  | Open-air aqueduct canal used by the city of Montreal.
Kootenay Canal | British Columbia | Kootenay River | Kootenay River | Diversionary canal for the Kootenay Canal hydroelectric plant.
Seton Canal | British Columbia | Seton Lake | Fraser River | Diversionary canal for the Seton Powerhouse.

## Notes

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1. ^ The Lachine Canal initially had seven locks when it opened. The number of locks was reduced to five during the canal's expansion in the 1840s.
2. ^ Portions of the Saint Lawrence Seaway also extends into the US state of New York.
3. ^ The Shubenacadie Canal initially had nine locks and two inclined planes. The number of operational locks was eventually reduced to one.

## References

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1. ^ "History - Rouge Park - Featured Parks | City of Toronto". Archived from the original on 2016-08-27. Retrieved 2016-08-03.

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List of canals in the World

* Belgium
* Canada
* France
* Germany
* India
* Italy
* Pakistan
* Poland
* Russia
* Switzerland
* United Kingdom
* United States
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