By Doug Draper
It may seem hard to believe given the relentless wintery weather we are enduring, but the Welland Canal officially opened to shipping this March 22.
We are back to the big cargo ships like this again in the Welland Canal. File photo by Doug Draper
So get set for the bridges to rise, if you cross them for work, and the big cargo boats to float by.
Some of us in cars or trucks may be cursing those bridges as they lift, especially if we feel in a hurry to corss them.
But let’s not forget that the Welland Canal is worth numerous tens-of-millions of dollars in commerce to the Niagara region each year, including countless numbers of visitors who come to this region because they are in to major canals like this one, and the boats that ply them.
Let’s also not forget that marine transportation is one hell of a lot more environmentally friendly than car or truck transportation, when you add up what car and truck emissions, versus boats, do to the atmosphere.
The Welland Canal is one more feature of the greater Niagara region that perhaps far too many of us take for granted.
(Niagara At Large invites all of you who care to share your first and last names with your comments to join the conversation by sharing them below.)
Niagara At Large 