SAULT STE. MARIE, ONT. – The federal government will be providing $7.4 million in funding for critical infrastructure improvements to stabilize, conserve and improve the long-term sustainability and function of the historic Powerhouse building in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.
The project is being funded through the $557 million announced by the Government of Canada in late 2022. The total federal investment for the Powerhouse building is approximately $13.8 million.
Work has begun and the heritage building is undergoing structural stabilization work to remediate its deterioration, largely through groundwater mitigation efforts and other improvements including conservation, rehabilitation and construction initiatives. Work at the Powerhouse began in late December 2023 and is expected to continue for about two years.
The Sault Ste. Marie Canal was the longest and first electrically operated lock in the world when it opened in 1895. It was designated a national historic site in 1987.
Phase one of the Powerhouse project began in 2019, with $6.3 million in federal funding to begin investigative work, which included removing some existing infrastructure to thoroughly explore and understand the water infiltration issues, and to assess future needs to remediate this heritage building, adds the release.
Other significant infrastructure investments completed at the Sault Ste. Marie Canal National Historic Site over the past eight years include the stores building and associated structures, repairs to the superintendent’s residence, the design and repaving of the Sault Ste. Marie Canal National Historic Site’s entry road and the creation and opening of a new visitor centre and exhibit space.
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