INLAND SUPERHIGHWAY For half a century, the St. Lawrence Seaway has served as a critical artery for ships carrying the coal, grain and iron ore that fuelled Canada’s economy. But a sea change may be brewing. BY D’ARCY JENISH WITH PHOTOGRAPHY BY MARTIN BEAULIEU With three blasts of its horn — two long and one Fifty years is a major milestone, yet the short, a traditional maritime greeting — the CSL Spruceglen sails into the St. Lambert Lock, on the eastern shore of the speeches are brief and businesslike. St. Lawrence River, opposite downtown Montréal. It’s just after noon on March 31, 2009, and right on schedule, the After stopping for less than an hour at Wfreighter glides to a stop. Deckhands feed thick, braided steel lines to a pair of lockmen, who secure the ship. The lock the St. Lambert Lock, the Spruceglen operator opens a set of intake valves, each large enough to accommodate a compact car, and millions of litres of water resumes its journey. rush into the chamber. As the ship rises — it will be lifted about five metres in less than 10 minutes — the port side of its hull forms an imposing black wall that cuts off our view of Parc Mont-Royal and the Montréal skyline. The Spruceglen is 222.5 metres long and 23 metres wide, and it fits into the 24.4-metre-wide lock like a hand in a glove. Deckhands lower a gangplank, and two smartly dressed officers disembark. Captain Mark Dillon and Chief The CSL Spruceglen Engineer Christian Pelletier are wearing navy blue suits (TOP) breaks a blue with crisp white shirts and neatly knotted, matching blue ties. ribbon and gets a The St. Lambert Lock is the gateway to the Great Lakes shower of confetti St. Lawrence Seaway — a system of canals, shipping chan- at the St. Lambert nels and locks that allows ships to sail 3,700 kilometres Lock during a inland from the Atlantic Ocean to the head of Lake Superior ceremony to mark — and the Spruceglen is the first vessel to enter the water- the start of the way in its 50th-anniversary season. seaway’s 50th Dillon and Pelletier join about 200 shipping executives, anniversary politicians, seaway employees and journalists assembled on season. It was the the lock wall for a birthday ceremony, complete with a first westbound shower of blue and white confetti. Fifty years is a major mile- ship to enter the stone, yet the speeches are brief and businesslike. Richard seaway this year. Corfe, president and CEO of the St. Lawrence Seaway Headed for Ohio Management Corporation (SLSMC), gives a brisk talk, with a 15,000- tonne load of titanium slag, the Spruceglen glides past Kahnawake (RIGHT) and enters the Beauharnois Locks (LEFT) at the western end of Lac Saint-Louis. A chemical tanker called the Clipper Tasmania (PREVIOUS PAGES) sails under Montréal’s Champlain Bridge. 36 CANADIAN GEOGRAPHIC JULY/AUGUST 2009 Sept-Îles Port-Cartier Baie-Comeau Gulf of St. Thunder Bay GREAT LAKES ST. LAWRENCE SEAWAY Lawrence MINNESOTA ONTARIO LAKE SUPERIOR r e Although the Great Lakes QUEBEC iv Duluth R Québec e Whitefish Sault Ste. Marie locks c St. Lawrence Seaway system en Bécancour M Bay r I w Trois-Rivières (LEFT) extends all the way C La H . Sorel I St G Ottawa Montréal west to the head of Lake WISCONSIN A N Salaberry-de-Valleyfield Green Bay LAKE Prescott Superior, when most LAKE HURON Ogdensburg Oshawa Canadians talk about the MICHIGAN Goderich SAINT LAWRENCE SEAWAY Toronto LAKE Milwaukee ONTARIO seaway they’re referring Hamilton Oswego Lake St. Clair ATLANTIC Sarnia NEW YORK Boston to the series of locks, canals Detroit Nantikoke Buffalo OCEAN Chicago LAKE ERIE Monroe Windsor Erie and channels (BELOW) Burns Conneaut Toledo Ashtabula between Montréal and Harbor Lorain Cleveland New York ILLINOIS PENNSYLVANIA Ports Lake Ontario along the INDIANA OHIO 0 100 200 300 km St. Lawrence River. Philadelphia devoted equally to the successes of the past half century and from around the world. Eisenhower described the seaway as the significant challenges ahead. By 1 p.m., Dillon is back “a magnificent symbol … of the achievements possible to on the bridge, and the Spruceglen — with me aboard — democratic nations peacefully working together for the resumes its journey toward the port of Ashtabula, Ohio, common good,” while the Queen called it “one of the out- east of Cleveland. Its seven huge cargo holds are carrying standing engineering accomplishments of modern times.” 15,000 tonnes of titanium slag, which can be used as an That was no exaggeration. An army of men and women additive in products as diverse as paint and sunscreen. 22,000 strong built the St. Lawrence section, between Saint- Looking at the lock from the deck of the Spruceglen, I’m Lambert and the Ontario riverside town of Iroquois, Friends gather to catch — or struck by the difference between today’s ceremony and the 175 kilometres to the west (see sidebar on page 47). They in this case, to watch — the St. Lawrence Seaway’s grand opening on June 26, 1959. A started in October 1954 and, at a cost of $470 million, were “big one” from a riverside beaming, navy blue yacht, the HMY Britannia, was moored finished four years later. The seaway’s canals, channels and The seaway’s canals, channels and locks perch in the Montréal south- at Saint-Lambert that day. Queen Elizabeth II shared the locks — five in Canadian waters and two in the United States shore community of La Prairie. stage with Prime Minister John Diefenbaker and President — replaced an inefficient, late-19th-century waterway on the replaced an inefficient, late-19th-century Dwight D. Eisenhower. About 20,000 members of the pub- St. Lawrence. It was designed to match the capacity of the waterway on the St. Lawrence. lic attended, and among the 5,000 invited guests were revamped Welland Canal linking Lake Ontario and Lake dozens of Canadian parliamentarians, American senators, Erie, which opened in 1932 and could handle 222.5-metre- mayors of Great Lakes communities and shipping executives long vessels in its eight locks. MAPS: STEVEN FICK/CANADIAN GEOGRAPHIC Richmond Port Perry 35 Acton StittsvilleStittsville Guelph Woodbridge Hill Stouffville 12 Peterborough 407 CarletonCarleton Place Place JolietteJoliette Georgetown Vaughan Markham Havelock 7 HawkesburyHawkesbury QUEBECQUEBEC Brampton 404 7 115 401 401 LachuteLachute Saint-JérômeSaint-Jérôme Milton 416 416 Pickering THE ST. LAWRENCE SEAWAY 7 7 417 417 Sorel-TracySorel-Tracy Whitby 50 50 TORONTO Oshawa PerthPerth OsgoodeOsgoode 15 15 Mississauga 403 Ajax CasselmanCasselman 40 40 Bowmanville Campbellford Tweed BlainvilleBlainville 407 62 KemptvilleKemptville 40 40 SmithsSmiths Falls Falls TerrebonneTerrebonne RepentignyRepentigny HudsonHudsonLac LacSaint-Louis Saint-LouisSaint-Saint- Oakville AlexandriaAlexandria EustacheEustache Dundas Boisbriand Boisbriand VerchèresVerchères ONTARIO Vaudreuil-Vaudreuil- 403 Burlington Port Hope Cobourg MONTRÉALMONTRÉAL TO TO LAKE LAKE ONTARIO ONTARIO SECTION SECTION LowerLower Beauharnois Beauharnois LavalLaval Coteau-LandingCoteau-LandingCoteau-du-LacCoteau-du-LacDorionDorion Hamilton 401 BouchervilleBoucherville Trenton MorrisburgMorrisburg LongLong Sault Sault BainsvilleBainsvilleSaint-ZotiqueSaint-Zotique Belleville InglesideIngleside SouthSouth LancasterLancaster LancasterLancaster MONTRÉALMONTRÉAL Brighton IroquoisIroquois SummerstownSummerstown QEW 401 401 LongueuilLongueuil20 20 Mont-Saint-Mont-Saint- Sydenham JohnstownJohnstownCardinalCardinal 20 20 WELLAND CANAL CornwallCornwall St. St.Lambert LambertHilaireHilaire Napanee 15 15 PrescottPrescott Grimsby Deseronto MaitlandMaitland Salaberry-de-ValleyfieldSalaberry-de-ValleyfieldKahnawakeKahnawake St. Catharines SECTION BrockvilleBrockville MassenaMassena Saint-Stanislas-de-KostkaSaint-Stanislas-de-KostkaBeauharnoisBeauharnoisChateauguayChateauguay La PrairieLa Prairie Saint-Saint- 401 MallorytownMallorytown IroquoisIroquoisWaddingtonWaddington Saint-AnicetSaint-AnicetSainte-BarbeSainte-Barbe UpperUpper Beauharnois BeauharnoisCôteCôte Ste. Ste. Catherine Catherine EisenhowerEisenhowerSnellSnellAkwesasneAkwesasne Lac LacSaint-François Saint-François HyacintheHyacinthe 1 Niagara-on-the-Lake OgdensburgOgdensburg Thorold South 2 Picton Amherstview Ivy LeaIvyRockport LeaRockport MorristownMorristown Port RobinsonAllanburg 3 Youngstown Lake Ontario Kingston GananoqueGananoque Dunnville 4-7 Newfane Marysville Saint-Jean-Saint-Jean- 10 10 Welland ST. LAWRENCEST. LAWRENCE ISLANDS ISLANDS Port Colborne sur-Richelieusur-Richelieu Niagara Falls AlexandriaNATIONALAlexandriaNATIONAL Bay Bay PARK PARK (CANADA) (CANADA) PotsdamPotsdam CANADACANADA 15 15 GranbyGranby Niagara Cape Vincent CantonCanton MaloneMalone Falls 104 ClaytonClayton 11 11 U.S.A.U.S.A. Dain City QEW 190 Lockport Navigation channel 8 Medina GouverneurGouverneur Locks 11 11 SantaSanta Clara Clara CowansvilleCowansville Tonawanda BedfordBedford Fort Erie RousesRouses Point Point Albion Main highways 81 81 NEWNEW YORK YORK 87 87 Crystal Beach BUFFALO PhiladelphiaPhiladelphia Akron Highways 0 10 20 30 40 50 km Lake Erie Cheektowaga 89 89 Rail lines WatertownWatertown DannemoraDannemora Lackawanna 90 Brockport Lancaster Urbanized area Indian reserve/reservation 38 CANADIAN GEOGRAPHIC JULY/AUGUST 2009 CANADIAN GEOGRAPHIC 39 Captain Mark Dillon (LEFT) mans the bridge of the Spruceglen. Lock workers follow the ship on monitors from the control station (BELOW) as it navigates ‘I like the work, but it’s kind of a love-hate thing. the lock at Iroquois, Ont., 175 kilometres west of When you’re on the water, you can’t wait to go home. Montréal. Fourth engineer Jose-Luis Ferrer