Historic Aylmer ruins on Ottawa River to be demolished

Published Oct 08, 2023 • Last updated 10 hours ago • 2 minute read

Historic Aylmer ruins at Deschênes Rapids on the Ottawa River. Photo by Ashley Fraser /Postmedia

The crumbling 137-year-old Aylmer ruins on the Ottawa River have missed their last chance for a reprieve.

The Quebec government said Friday the historic site will be demolished, saying it posed too much of a danger.

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The government first tried to demolish the ruins in 2017, but agreed to wait for the results of a feasibility study on how to develop a whitewater park on the site. Three years later came another ultimatum, when the government said the demolition would go ahead within a few months unless a buyer was found.

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Little has happened since then until Friday’s announcement by, Quebec’s minister of culture, Mathieu Lacombe. (Lacombe is the MNA for the Outaouais area riding of Papineau.)

“The decision is based on an analysis of the heritage interest and takes into consideration the issues of conservation and development, as well as the security of the area,” Lacombe told Radio Canada.

The government said it intends to keep “a memory” of the site and its historical significance.

Historic Aylmer ruins at Deschênes Rapids on the Ottawa River. Photo by Ashley Fraser /Postmedia

Perched on the banks of the Ottawa River at Deschênes Rapids Park near Chemin Vanier, the ruins are a popular stopping spot along the NCC multi-use pathway. Whitewater kayakers from around the world visit during the spring high water to surf on the enormous standing waves the Ruins create. The area is also popular with anglers and birders, who gather to watch the multitude of shorebirds that nest and feed at the site.

Petitions from residents who want to preserve the Ruins and an attempt to have it protected as a historic site have all failed.

The site has been home to various mills dating back to the 1800s.

The current structure was built in 1885 as a hydroelectric dam, supplying electricity to Aylmer and Hull and powering an electric tram that crossed the river on the Prince of Wales Bridge.

The provincial transportation ministry acquired the land in the 1970s when there was talk of building a bridge across the Ottawa River.

Deschênes Rapids on the Ottawa River. Photo by Ashley Fraser /Postmedia