Friday, 17 April 2015

Rideau Canal Boat Tour Ottawa

Q98: In what year will a boat tour of the Rideau Canal in central Ottawa next be offered?
2015: 30%
2016: 45%
Not before 2017: 25%
(The tour must be a single day tour, and go north of Hartwell's Locks)

Paul's Boat Lines, who has offered Rideau Canal Boat Tours for 66 years, will not be offering a tour this year, as it has lost its contract with Parks Canada (see story here).  Parks Canada is seeking “innovative experiences and leading edge services” to replace it, for a minimum of $75,000 per year.  That probably means a new boat tour (the proposal has a section about "Conditions Specific to Water-based Vessels").  They want the new services to start by May 20th, 2016.

Given the Parks Canada deadline, a new tour operator will probably start for the 2016 season.  An operator might be able to start this year (or, more likely, Paul's might get a one-year lease extension).

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