Rideau Canal tour boats stymied by Parks Canada

An Ottawa sightseeing company says it's losing boatloads of revenue because Parks Canada won't open the locks on the Rideau Canal to its cruises.

Paul's Boat Lines, a fixture on the canal for nearly 80 years, planned to launch its cruise boats last Friday, just in time for the start of the Canadian Tulip Festival.

But instead of showing passengers the sights of the national capital, the three craft are still docked at the Manotick Marina.

"It's frustrating for me. I've lost a lot of sleep over the last three or four days because I'm just waiting for a call," said Dan Duhamel, president of Paul's Boat Lines.

"Last year we had a beautiful spring and it was also our busiest time. We carried well over 6,000 passengers during the tulip festival on the Rideau Canal, and so far we haven't carried one."

Duhamel said he has had to cancel many reservations, resulting in a loss of about $60,000 to $70,000 and 35 staff members being out of work. The cruise company charges $19 per adult and $50 per family of four for its Rideau Canal trip.

Safety concerns

Parks Canada said the delay is necessary because high water levels on area waterways that feed into the canal are making the locks unsafe.

"This year we've had a lot of rain, and it has not been safe for a boat to move, either, because of the flows," said Irv Mazurkiewicz, director of operations for the canal. "We also have to put in the splash boards at some of our dams."

Duhamel was told late Thursday that he can launch his boats next Tuesday meaning he will have missed the first two of the tulip festival's three weekends.

A festival organizer said that can be devastating for tourism operations.

"The Canadian Tulip Festival has about half a million visitors each year. So I can only imagine the impact that would have on any of the tourism stakeholders," said Brent Gorman, the festival's marketing and media manager.

The canal's locks open to recreational boats on Friday, May 20.