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1996 November Report of the Auditor General of Canada

November 1996 Report—Chapter 32

Case Study 32.2—Ottawa Locks

$18.3 million spent to restore seldom used locks containing little historic fabric

Background

The Ottawa locks, located in the heart of Ottawa between the East Block of the Parliament Buildings and the Chateau Laurier Hotel, are the final set of locks on the northern end of the Rideau Canal where it joins the Ottawa River. The elevation change from the Rideau Canal to the Ottawa River is 24 metres, and eight locks are linked together to make the transition. In the early 1980s, it was determined that the locks were in serious need of repair due to time and water damage. A multi-year project was undertaken to restore them to good operational condition while retaining the heritage appearance.

The project involved three parts. Locks one to three were completed in 1986 for $9.8 million, locks four and five were completed in 1988 for $3.8 million, and locks six to eight were completed in 1993 for $4.7 million. Parks Canada has been unable to provide us with the actual total cost of this major capital project, including all in-house design and supervision. We compiled the cost from the Estimates. In total, approximately $18.3 million was spent on the eight locks. The difference in the cost per lock reflects the development of new engineering techniques, such that some of the original wall could be salvaged for locks six to eight, although new facing stones were required. For the other locks, the walls were completely demolished. As a result, locks one to five have been classified as "Other", the lowest heritage rating. Locks six to eight have recently been classified as Level 1 assets, the highest level of historical significance, due to the remaining wall. In order to make the locks appear authentic, stone was hauled from the Bruce Peninsula, cut at St. Catherines, then bush hammered and etched onsite to give the appearance of the original work done by a stone mason.

In the last three years, these locks have been used by an average of 2,000 boats annually. This compares with over 7,000 boats at the busier locks on the Rideau, and over 10,000 at some Trent-Severn locks. Relatively little traffic uses the Ottawa locks because of the time involved, more than two hours, in the eight lockages. Tourists visit the museum and lock site, but it is not clear that the movement of boats through the locks attracts greater numbers.

Issues

Although the entire Rideau Canal was designated as an historic site by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board, it does not imply that all sites along it must be preserved in an historical fashion. Our audit has noted that Parks Canada continues to treat all sites as equal for major construction.

We are concerned that Parks Canada undertakes major construction projects, to authentically replicate assets, without having first prioritized those assets. This prioritization would determine appropriate levels of restoration and ensure that those sites having the most valuable heritage resources receive adequate and timely attention.

Our second concern centres on the extent of use of these particular locks. The overall locks were closed for a number of periods during reconstruction with little apparent disruption. We are concerned that the return on the expenditure of $18.3 million will be minimal, and in the course of completing this project, other more deserving projects may not have had funds available. The Ottawa locks can effectively represent an historic place without the occasional boat passing through. In effect, the reconstruction to operational standards was not well analyzed.

Conclusion