How many rivers in Canada have been given heritage designation?
Thirty-nine rivers have been nominated and 36 of these have been designated to the CHRS, totalling 9,969 kms. Q: Why isn’t the Ottawa River designated? A: The Ottawa is a “no-brainer” when it comes to Canadian Heritage Rivers. No system that recognizes the outstanding rivers of Canada can be complete without it. But it’s a slippery political question. Being the boundary between two provinces is one complicating factor. The recent “non-involvement” of Quebec with the program is a big problem. Now the process is going ahead with only the Ontario portion of the river being considered. Heritage designation puts an umbrella of an extra duty of care over the river, and that can scare people with big development and resource use plans. It should. Q: As you know, West Quebec (particularly Pontiac) suffers from lack of economic drivers. Do communities bordering heritage rivers economically benefit from CHRS designation? A: It should help. That is, unless you want your communities to benefit fro
