441-02591 (Transportation)

Parks Canada draws upon a framework of policies to guide asset investment decisions. This includes considering benefits to and affordability for Canadians. The decision regarding the Boundary Road Swing Bridge is consistent with this framework, and included careful consideration and review of public safety, community and municipal considerations, heritage value, visitor experience and prudent use of taxpayer dollars. Given the cost of replacing the bridge balanced against the benefits it would have provided, Parks Canada made the difficult decision not to replace the bridge.

Public and visitor safety is a priority for Parks Canada; since the removal of the Boundary Road Swing Bridge in 2020, Parks Canada has consulted with municipalities and their emergency services, which have noted no risks to public safety since the demolition occurred. Two nearby bridges cross the canal within 3 km, in either direction, of the former bridge site.

Parks Canada’s primary objective on the Trent-Severn Waterway is to maintain safe navigation and related water management. While the historic value of the original swing bridge is also an important consideration, it had deteriorated so significantly over time that maintenance was no longer feasible and only a full replacement with new materials was possible. Historically, the five swing bridges located in the Lake Simcoe-Balsam Lake section were all built from the same plans. The nearby Bolsover and Lakeshore Swing Bridges provide the opportunity for the visiting public to experience this type of bridge technology.

Over the coming months Parks Canada will be taking steps to decommission the site permanently and ensure that it is made safe. Parks Canada has had discussions with the implicated municipalities and has indicated its willingness to collaborate with them to mitigate the local impacts of not rebuilding the bridge.