Shubenacadie Canal Commission
Presentation to Voluntary Planning
Shubenacadie Canal Commission
2008-05-20
The Shubenacadie Canal Commission was established by an Act of the Provincial Legislature in 1984 with responsibility for the historic canal and the lands associated with it as well as for the general promotion of the waterway.
The Shubenacadie waterway was made navigable through the use of nine Locks and two Marine railways and operated successfully from 1861 to 1871 at which time it was overtaken by the Railway. Elements of all of the Canal works are still intact. These are of national and international significance as they have antecedents in the both the United States and Europe.
The Commission has developed a plan for the Waterway which is focused on: a) improving navigation for small watercraft, b) developing an active-use trail which would allow people to hike or cycle from the Harbour to the Bay of Fundy- and c) preserving the historic works in park-like settings. Further, the Commission is working with the Province in the preparation of an application for National Heritage River status for the waterway.
We view this magnificent natural corridor as a Provincial treasure which needs to be nurtured and carefully developed. To this end we are proposing several measures to you which we believe will be useful for our project and we suggest for the entire Province.
First, we recommend the Shubenacadie Waterway Corridor be viewed as a linear park serving as a natural and historic eco-museum. To enhance this corridor several key provisions would be very useful:
• The Province should use funds available for land acquisition to purchase key properties with natural or historic significance in the Shubenacadie waterway corridor. Lands in such settings should be given a high priority. Where appropriate, land "swaps" should be considered.
• A series of incentives should be developed such as property tax reduction in return for public access to lands along the corridor.
• There are several Provincial Departments such as the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal which can play a supportive role in the development of the Shubenacadie Corridor for example modification of specific highway bridge construction practices to facilitate the development of Trails and Waterways. (The Commission can provide several key examples where such support is needed.)
• Appropriate Provincial agencies such as the Nova Scotia Museum should be encouraged to provide assistance and support towards the research and interpretation required in the corridor.
We thank you for the opportunity to present this report.