E-7038: Petition to the Government of Canada — Canadian Petition Tracker
Canonical URL: https://petitiontracker.ca/petition/e-7038
Track petition E-7038 — "Petition to the Government of Canada" sponsored by Michael Barrett. 133 signatures and counting. See signature growth trends and provincial breakdown on PetitionTracker.ca.
Petition Text
Petition to the Government of Canada
Whereas:
• The LaSalle Causeway’s Bascule Bridge was damaged during repair work in spring of 2024, with key structural elements rendered unrepairable. As a result, the bridge had to be fully demolished with construction beginning in June 2025;
• A temporary modular bridge was installed to maintain vehicles, pedestrians, cyclist access during construction. This modular bridge must be removed and reinstalled to allow marine traffic through the main navigation channel. Each removal and reinstallation takes approximately 6 hours. Transport Canada approved a lift schedule permitting removals only on Sundays and select holidays, with road closures from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. and marine traffic operating from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.; and
• Residents are increasingly concerned that the current schedule creates significant disruptions to the movement of people, goods, public transit, tourism, and emergency services. Extended road closures reduce accessibility, delay commuters and emergency responders and discourage visitors from accessing local businesses. Parks Canada has reported a 10% decline in boating traffic since closure. The Rideau Heritage Route Tourism Association notes that in 2017, communities along the Rideau Canal contributed $309M in tourism-related economic activity. Continued reductions in marine traffic risk future economic harm with long-term impacts on tourism dependent communities.
We, the undersigned, citizens and residents of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to:
1. Amend the lift schedule for the temporary modular bridge to allow for more frequent, regular, scheduled marine traffic to pass through, by May 1, 2026; and
2. Commit to having a final replacement bridge operational for May 1, 2027.