Present Use
In recent decades, citizens of Dartmouth sought to restore portions of the canal's portage route between the lakes running from Halifax Harbour to Shubenacadie Grand Lake for pleasure boaters. Highway construction, notably low bridges crossing the Lake Banook-Lake Micmac connection (Highway 111) and Lake Thomas (Highway 102) resulted in blocking the historic canal route to larger vessels, although canoes and small pleasure boats may still pass underneath.
The Shubenacadie Canal Commission was established to stabilize the deterioration of the remaining locks and attempt to restore some of them to working order. An interpretive site for the canal is located in the Fairbanks Centre in Dartmouth's Shubie Park, along the shores of Lake Micmac. Located next to one of the restored operational locks, the Fairbanks Centre features a scale model of canal lock mechanisms.
Some areas along the Shubenacadie Canal are popular outdoor recreation areas for the Halifax Regional Municipality, including:
- Lake Banook's competitive paddling course
- Lake Banook's Birch Cove Beach
- Shubie Park's Dartmouth Multi-use Trail
- Laurie Provincial Park on the shore of Shubenacadie Grand Lake
- Oakfield Provincial Park on the shore of Shubenacadie Grand Lake
The Trans-Canada Trail is currently being planned to run alongside part of the canal.
Read more about this topic: Shubenacadie Canal
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