Ottawa Excursion

Sunday, September 14 (08:00 - 17:00)
Kingston to Ottawa, Merrickville and return

A fascinating and beautiful tour through the Eastern Ontario countryside to and from Ottawa following the 202 km (125 miles) Rideau Heritage Route, is planned for participants who will have arrived in Kingston before the 8 a.m. Sunday departure.

En route, the luxury motorcoaches will pick up at Days Inn near the Ottawa International Airport, participants who will have arrived in Ottawa by air or car and who wish to join the tour of Canada’s Capital in mid-morning. Participants travelling by car may park at Days Inn and join their colleagues on the motorcoaches there for the tour of Canada’s Capital and luncheon.

The program includes Parliament Hill, national monuments and institutions, the famed Château Laurier and the Rideau Canal’s flight of eight locks.

There will be a second pick-up in early afternoon at Days Inn for air travellers arriving in Ottawa who wish free transportation to Kingston. They may join their colleagues there for the Merrickville afternoon portion of the excursion. Those with cars parked at Days Inn will be dropped off to collect them and may follow the motorcoaches to Merrickville, en route back to Kingston hotels.

Participants need only indicate their interest in this Sunday, September 14 program when registering for the 2008 World Canals Conference. In late summer, the Secretariat will contact registered delegates who have indicated interest to confirm participation, and motorcoach pick-up/drop-off arrangements in Kingston and Ottawa.

Afternoon Tours and Social Program

Monday, September 15 (13:30-17:30)
Fort Henry National Historic Site and Kingston Mills Lockstation
Dinner Cruise of 1000 Islands

Fort Henry was constructed in the 1840s as a key military fortification to defend the Rideau Canal and protect the British naval base at Kingston, Canada’s original capital city, after the War of 1812. Later, following construction of the Rideau Canal for defensive military purposes, Queen Victoria moved the capital to Ottawa, 202 km (125 miles) north-east.

Fort Henry is preserved in its original state, maintained by Parks Canada and the St. Lawrence Parks Commission who operate the site. It is ranked as one of Ontario’s top tourist attractions.

Registered participants will experience a professionally-interpreted tour of Fort Henry and enjoy its spectacular views of Lake Ontario and Kingston Harbour (1976 Olympics Sailing venue).

Everyone is invited to return for a farewell reception and gala Wednesday evening, which will feature roast turkeys with all the trimmings, carved at the tables and served by soldiers in period dress, at a rollicking Harvest Supper.

Kingston Mills is often described as the gateway to the Rideau Canal. It has three locks with a 45 foot lift, cut and blasted through solid granite rock. The lockstation is one of four blockhouses along the canal, furnished today as a soldiers’ barracks from the 1837 period. It overlooks the locks and Colonel By Lake, which is contained in part by a large earthen dam.

1000 Islands Dinner Cruise departs from beside the Confederation Hotel on Kingston Harbour, a 3-minute walk from the Four Points by Sheraton hotel. Participants will board the Island Star for a 3-hour cruise from Lake Ontario into the 1000 Islands region of the St. Lawrence River, while enjoying a sumptuous buffet dinner, live entertainment and dancing.

Tuesday, September 16 (13:30-18:00)
Smiths Falls: Rideau Canal Museum; Rideau Canal Gate Shop
Spy Rock Lookout and Westport; Perth on the Tay Canal

Smiths Falls is a town of 10,000 situated half way between Kingston and Ottawa. The Parks Canada headquarters of the 175-year-old Rideau Canal is located here, adjacent to the Rideau Canal Museum, which interprets the story of its construction and history. Participants will also visit the fascinating Rideau Canal Gateshop where lock gates are still constructed by skilled craftsmen and repaired by hand.

Spy Rock Lookout, Village of Westport and Perth on the Tay Canal will be visited by participants en route to or from Smiths Falls. The Spy Rock Lookout offers a spectacular picture-taking opportunity of the quaint village and lake below. The Tay Canal joins Perth to the Rideau Canal system, winding under the town’s main street.

The Tay Canal connects to a beautiful park that features a life-sized bronze statue of Canadian Olympic equestrian Ian Miller and gold medal-winning Big Ben.

Canada - A Country to Discover. Following dinner at leisure, all participants, including non-registered accompanying persons, are invited to the Four Points by Sheraton Hotel for a photographic presentation by Bill Pratt, Rideau Canal Chief Engineer, an accomplished photographer.

Wednesday, September 17 (12:30-18:00)
Jones Falls and Cruise to Chaffeys Lock
Harvest Supper – Farewell gala

Jones Falls Lockstation provides one of the most absorbing and uniquely interesting series of heritage attractions along the entire Rideau waterway. There will be sufficient time for a full interpretation of the extensive lockstation, one of the most impressive feats of the canal builders. The site includes an immense stone arch dam, a power generating station, a restored defensible lockmaster’s house, a museum and a working blacksmith shop. At the end of the tour, the group will cruise to Chaffeys Lock and board motorcoaches for the return to Kingston and the evening farewell gala at Fort Henry.

Chaffeys Lock and cruise to/from Jones Falls will be enjoyed by half the group, each in turn. Visitors arriving by motorcoach to Chaffeys will first tour the Lockmaster’s House Museum before boarding the vessel General Brock for a one-hour cruise to Jones Falls, passing through the isolated Davis Lock en route. While being locked through, participants will see a defensible lockmaster’s house which stands as one of the best examples of original architecture along the canal.

Harvest Supper - Farewell gala at Fort Henry. Registered participants will return to Fort Henry for a reception and presentation of the ‘DINK’ award in the Officers’ Kitchen followed by a short walk to the Officers’ Dining Rooms for a turkey dinner with all the trimmings served by soldier-servants in period dress.

Please note: Portions of each of the Ottawa Excursion, afternoon tour programs, the dinner cruise and the farewell gala will involve some walking outdoors over uneven terrain. Participants should bring sturdy walking shoes, comfortable and casual but warm clothing for fall weather, and a small umbrella or poncho.

Registrants who would require mobility assistance during the foregoing program should indicate this on their Registration Form and separately confirm any requested special arrangements through direct communication with the Secretariat, at least 10 days prior to arrival at the conference.

Accompanying Persons Program

The program for registered Accompanying Persons includes the Sunday, September 14 Ottawa Excursion from Kingston, and transportation to Kingston hotels for Ottawa-arriving participants (as described on page 6 and in the Introduction on page 3), four luncheons, the three afternoon tour programs, the Monday evening 1000 Islands dinner cruise and the gala Wednesday evening farewell reception and Harvest Supper at Fort Henry on Lake Ontario.

As attendance is limited by space constraints, only registered Delegates can be admitted to the plenary and concurrent sessions of the 2008 Conference.

The Accompanying Persons Program is planned and offered as a full package for fully registered participants at a set fee of $300.00 plus tax. As site and transportation capacities are strictly limited, bookings must be guaranteed well in advance. Therefore, regrettably, it is not possible to offer social activities or tours on an individual payment basis to non-registered accompanying persons. No tickets will be offered for sale before or at the conference for admission to separate events.

It is anticipated that participation in the Accompanying Persons Program will be limited to the first 30 fully-paid registrants.

Post-conference Tour

Thursday, September 18
Trent-Severn Waterway

- SOLD OUT -

Experience the Exciting Trent-Severn Waterway National Historic Site of Canada!

On this tour you will experience a riverboat perspective locking-through the world’s highest hydraulic liftlock, view flight locks, a lockmaster’s house and if you choose, you can cross the spectacular Ranney Gorge suspension bridge. You will also have the great honour of being a part of a celebration put on for you by the Hiawatha First Nation at Serpent Mounds Park.

At the Peterborough liftlock you will have a rare behind-the-scenes tour of the inside workings of this engineering marvel. A tour of the displays about the history of the Waterway and Visitor’s Centre are also on the agenda.

The Trent-Severn Waterway (TSW) is one of North America’s best examples of operating canal technology from the 19th and 20th century. It is a living history that was initially conceived as a defensive and then commercial route based on the navigational pathways of the Aboriginal peoples of the region for nearly 10,000 years. The TSW crosses the stunning heartland of Ontario flowing through the dramatic landscape of the Canadian Shield into Georgian Bay. You will experience this National treasure first hand.

Parks Canada’s expert interpretive staff will board the air conditioned motorcoach with you and provide entertaining and interesting opportunities for you to learn as you go. Don’t miss this opportunity to tour one of the great canals of the world!

Minimum of 25 registered participants. Tickets are $150 per person plus GST. Pre-registration is required. Please complete the “Tours” portion of the Registration Form.