The Rideau Canal will be a busy place this summer

CTV Ottawa: Rideau Canal open for boating Delayed by flooding, the Rideau Canal is now open from Ottawa to Kingston, for summer 2017.

Boaters start your engines… or paddles.

The Rideau Canal is open for business.

Parks Canada announced Friday that all lockstations along the system, from the Ottawa Locks to Kingston Mills, are now open.

This year’s opening is a little later than usual because of unusually high water levels this spring.

It’s expected, however, that the rest of the boating season will more than make up for lost time.

This year could see record traffic on the Rideau Canal.

To help celebrate Canada’s 150^th birthday, AND the Rideau Canal’s 185^th birthday, AND the canal’s 10^th anniversary as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Parks Canada is letting boaters use the locks for free on 2017.

Typically the lockage fee is based on the length of the boat. It can range from a few dollars to several hundred dollars for a season pass.

It’s expected to significantly boost boat traffic along the canal this summer.

New canoe/kayak docks along the canal in Ottawa are also expected to bring more people out onto the water.

To keep boaters up-to-date, Parks Canada has also opened a new Twitter account called Rideau Boat Info, @RideauBoatInfo. It will provide information like wait times, availibility of mooring, and other information of interest to boaters along the Rideau Canal.

Parks Canada is also offering free lockage on the Trent-Severn Waterway, and several canals in Quebec.