Why Canada Paid For America's Most Important Canal | MEGA Infrastructure

[@ITSHISTORY]

Please support us 👉 patreon.com/RyanSocash

[@teaeff8898]

Hey nice catch with the pictures of that salty (saltwater ship) that grounded 12:26 in the St Lawrence this fall. 👍

[@LoociferZ]

"Transport goods between QOOBEC and Montreal" a> it's QWEBEC even though its spelled QUEBEC b> Montreal is in QOOBEC. Perhaps you mean transporting goods from one side(Montreal) of QOOBEC to the other (QOOBEC City)

[@pigletshut]

Where Canada doesn't spend on military, it spends on shared infrastructure. Just look at Gordie Howe Bridge.

[@jasonarthurs3885]

Exactly. The bridge is Canada's legacy.

[@GravelRacer1]

Americans blundered that opportunity. It's 100% owned by Canada.

[@jimgaston9863]

@@C.Gibran that’s a lot of NEW infrastructure that could have been built in Canada

[@iantim3161]

@@C.Gibran stole our money to give to corrupted politicians and arms dealers. All at the cost of Ukrainian and Russian lives. Such a failure of diplomacy for profit.

[@davidbawtinheimer7762]

We need it. America doesn't

[@John-dm2ik]

I was the radio operator on duty at VBG Toronto Marine Radio Station when the first salt water ship arrived across Lake Ontario from the new St Lawrence Seaway.

[@mtnphot]

So Canada is subsidizing the US shipping industry. I doubt that el Presidente has no idea it exists or that US goods from the midwest have to transit through Canada to be exported abroad.

[@laurabailey1054]

@@mtnphot no he doesn’t

[@jts-x5k]

Trump’s lack of education about history, or geography, or the importance of the development of the St Lawrence Seaway, the Welland canal & how the shipping industry . The seaway is essential to moving goods from the Midwest through The St Lawrence Seaway to export abroad. I am shocked at Trump’s ignorance & his disinterest in being informed before shooting off his mouth is typical of a bully.

[@jean-rockdion7960]

I can say the same thing with Alberta who think they have everything and build Canada!!

[@silkeotd7194]

It's not the only thing we subsidize, they get sweetheart deals from us on oil for just one!

[@nstark1066]

@@mtnphot Most US citizens greatly love and appreciate our Canadian and Mexican neighbors💞🇨🇦🇲🇽

[@sincerecanadian2791]

So cool I came across this. My mom was born in Cornwall in 1924 and her six brothers worked on the St. Lawrence In 1945 til it opened and beyond. Life was good. Mom and dad moved to Port Colborne, Ontario around 1946. Dad worked at the Robin Hood Flour Mill where the ships docked and loaded. The Welland Canal was my back yard and the first lock was in the middle of my town. So interesting you put this together like it was ment just for me. 👍🏼

[@maryjeanjones7569]

The Gordie Howe bridge between Detroit and Windsor was payed for by Canada.

[@valsyaranamual6853]

Why? America is supposed to be the richest country - let them pay for infrastructure that benefits America!Why should Canada subsidise America!

[@NASTYVIDS]

*paid

[@Skyhawk945]

@@valsyaranamual6853 because Canada collects all the toll revenue and the financial benefits are Canadian.

[@aileen694]

@@Skyhawk945 Ah-Haah! That explains it i guess.

[@neseirf70]

@@valsyaranamual6853 paid for by Canada yes but all proceeds from it are Canadian with the USA getting nothing. With the amount of daily travel it is estimated to pay for itself, interest included, and then be profitable within 12 years so all in all a very wise investment bringing in an expected minimum of 400 million per year.

[@helengreig2065]

My husband, sailed the Great Lakes for over 45 years, from deck hand to Captain . His father and 3 uncles, all Chief Engineers, spent their working years on the Great Lakes. Transversing the canalon average every 10 days to 2 weeks during the shipping season. PROUD CANADIANS 🇨🇦

[@stephentolfo9499]

Great reminder we’re both stronger when we work together. 🇺🇸 🇨🇦

[@CAROLDDISCOVER-2025]

Yeah Canada needs to step It up, and start paying their own way. At least some more of it.

[@karenburrows9184]

@@CAROLDDISCOVER-2025 Who the frig is Candice?

[@CAROLDDISCOVER-2025]

@@karenburrows9184 I knew a Candice from Canada one time but I think this was just a autocorrect mistake typo type of thing. Thank you I corrected my reply. Here it is corrected. Yeah Canada needs to step It up, and start paying their own way. At least some more of it. 👍

[@karenburrows9184]

@@CAROLDDISCOVER-2025 Thanks for the correction Carol. As a Canadian, I would like to know in which ways we are not paying our own way. Thanks.

[@marlenemmc2339]

@@CAROLDDISCOVER-2025 did you understand the video?

[@davidmccarter982]

The image used at 5:32 is not Queens Park where the Ontario Government sits, but rather "The Ontario Government Building" at the Canadian National Exibition, or "CNE", the site of an end of summer fair. Queens Park is at the north end of University Avenue and is the seat of Ontario Government.

[@jetsons101]

Always great to see a story about America and "our brothers to the north" Canada working together.

[@catsupchutney]

The US is going through a psychotic episode right now, please stand by.

[@grahamstuart9164]

Do you Americans never look at a map

[@jetsons101]

@@grahamstuart9164 ???????? Canada is north of USA.

[@grahamstuart9164]

@@jetsons101 very good. Your point?

[@jetsons101]

@@grahamstuart9164 Your comment "Do you Americans never look at a map" somewhat applied that my comment "Our brothers to the north" was incorrect. Have a great day.

[@rickbaker3179]

I am a chief lock operator on the Erie canal..wow this is a very informative video..I enjoyed it very much thank you

[@jonkindschi7387]

As a Minnesota resident we see salties (ocean going ships) in Duluth all the time. All headed to Europe mostly. It is welcomed to our economy.

[@thomaspierce9458]

... welcomed "by" our economy.

[@jeffchantler9198]

Welcomed by our ,Canadian, economy too. Mention the facts to your failed president elect .

[@jonkindschi7387]

@@jeffchantler9198 I didn’t vote for him. Don’t blame me.

[@rowzielynwho202]

@@jonkindschi7387 Same in Thunder Bay.

[@gus473]

Some ships to Europe, yet many to Africa too (Algeria in particular). And now you can board a luxury, expedition-class Viking Cruise vessel in Duluth and sail to the tip of South America, via the Panama canal! From Duluth, Minnesota!!!

[@carolstepka2050]

When I was a kid we had an aunt and uncle that lived right next to the canal. My uncle was so proud of that. They lived in the very last house before you had to cross the road to go into town like the bakery and stuff. I'm 70 so you'll have to remember it's back when dirt was first invented lol

[@spacebike420]

I tried pissing across that canal for years because dad told me he could and I believed him.

[@csn10]

@@spacebike420 Never give up!

[@1wun1]

@@spacebike420 😂😂😂

[@John_Mack]

With Trump's threats against Canada because he wants our border more controlled, perhaps we should start with the canal and charge a high tariff on the transportation through the canal.

[@nelliesuave1349]

Yes , charge a lot

[@evulclown]

Also Canada is Commonwealth on top of NATO, UK got your back

[@karenmartinez8176]

I would support that unequivocally.

[@darrenmarchand6991]

Thank you for saying that @evulclown makes me feel better

[@Coltoid]

Unfortunately, one part of the canal is entirely in America. There are two locks on American side of border that you must pass through, no other way around. They are near Cornwall.

[@Leftatalbuquerque]

Wow - you couldn't be bothered to name the Canadian Prime Ministers of the day. Louis St. Laurent negotiated the project in 1951 after threatening to build it all within Canadian territory, as the States was dragging its feet. John Diefenbaker presided over the opening in 1959. Show your neighbours a little respect, please.

[@StevenFuller55]

And an incredibly long shot of Richard Nixon instead! But this is a great video, full of new information - I enjoyed it.

[@devingarrett5152]

Eh!

[@adrianasoldevila630]

I invite you to make a better video complete with names.

[@a.barker7792]

Most Americans do not even know they're are Provinces north of Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York. Let alone east or west of these states.

[@blauer2551]

Wow - someone always looking to be offended

[@shrek_428]

Most people don't know this, but in 1959, right after the opening of the St. Lawrence seaway, a large US warship squeezed it's way into the great lakes. The heavy cruiser USS Macon (CA-132) led 28 ships on Operation Inland Sea, escorting Queen Elizabeth onboard HMY Brittania on a tour of the great lakes.

[@JohnGeorgeBauerBuis]

That is very interesting! I am more familiar with the ZRS-5 airship with the same name.

[@carolpage8662]

I remember. The Britannia in harbour at Port Arthur ( Thunder Bay) in 1959. My father took our small boat on a close up tour around the ship. She was so polished one could see one’s face reflected from the hull.

[@bullettube9863]

I remember as a boy when this occurred, both governments had to agree to let a warship sail that far up the river. The US and Canada have a treaty that prevents warships on the Great Lakes, and the treaty also prohibits fortifying the border. This makes the border the longest unfortified border in the world! The destroyer USS Sullivans on display in Buffalo also required an agreement as it floats at a dock on Lake Erie.

[@eleanorelaquerre8287]

@@shrek_428 Ilived right beside the Welland Canal and saw both the Brittanica and the Macron pass by.. And many. many foreign register shops pass thru

[@gastonhamoline2750]

Thanks for the refreshment of our history. An excellent reminder of how we became Canada and good relationship with our biggest neighbor US. Gaston

[@rndargis0]

I would not be surprised if Canada decided to apply the 25% tariffs to everything that goes through the canal as malicious compliance.

[@mikedaniels969]

I shall mention that to my member of parliament. Thanks for the idea 👍

[@Mini_Knight17]

Not a good idea, why would we tax Canadians for what they're buying from the US?

[@SnowTiger45]

You can count on it.

[@billstrong4814]

I remember the St Lawrence Seaway being a steady part of elementary school geography lessons. When it opened Dad took us from Kalamazoo to Grand Haven to see an. "ocean liner" - which I guess was supposed to wow me. Because I had been to the Soo Locks and seen 1,000 foot ore freighters this 10-year old wasn't very impressed. When I taught junior high US history in NC in the '80s I found a 20-minute film 'A Car is Born' on the car industry done by Ford that showed Minnesota and Michigan iron mines, the Soo Locks, the River Rouge plant (then Ford's largest), one of the big proving grounds and several other car scenes. Almost none of my students had any clue about the scale of the Great Lakes or the scale of car assembly lines and they were duly wowed by my movie about cars, big boats and the Seaway.

[@geoffreylee5199]

Originally the US wanted nothing to do with the Seaway, and the whole thing was to have been in Canada. Eisenhower saw the benefit and got the US involved.

[@NorthernMike-1]

Canada should have hyped it up as a Military Necessity! 😂

[@judeangione3732]

Grew up in Rochester. My family went to the opening of the canal. We were all very excited.

[@bjdon99]

She went to go see the thing that did in Rochester and all of the other upstate Canal towns

[@KillerF0x]

My grandparents lived literally 50ft from the original abandoned welland canal in St. Catharines. I have many childhood memories of walking along it being in awe that it used to have large ships passing through it. I mostly remember it being littered with bicycles and shopping carts 😂. Fond memories nonetheless.

[@captaincanada5139]

Root beer river !

[@spacebike420]

I tried to piss over that welland canal for years as a kid because dad told me he could and I believe him. I never did piss across it.

[@Jipper1984]

I live not far from the welland canal. My dad would take me down there to fish and watch the ships go through the locks. Good times :)

[@spuds6423]

The Welland Canal needs to be upgraded so the Big Lakers can get through from Ontario to Erie.

[@robertlee9395]

Ships must clear the Welland Canal by 12:00 1/10/25 for the season. John D Leitch made it's last transit, in port, no further orders 😢.

[@spacebike420]

When i was a kid dad told me he could piss across it and I believed him until I got older and tried to piss across the canal and couldn't.

[@Kevin-jk4om]

@@robertlee9395 ahh nice I can take hwy 20 with no worries lol

[@Shaboogamoo]

I worked on the locks installing the railing for the vacuum morning system they implemented.

[@jimclarence5441]

My father and all his three brothers worked on Great Lakes ships....two before WW2, and two after. Amazing it took only two years of actual construction to compete. No way we could do that now

[@RedDogMamaHD]

I was in elementary school when the St. Laurence Seaway opened, living in Cleveland, Ohio. I didn't realize when this opened, I just remember studying it. I didn't know it was new! Thanks for the information!

[@sdlcman1]

Shipping containers revolutionized the shipping industry. One operator at a port can unload and load a vessel by remote control, turning the ship around in a matter of hours rather than days or weeks. The containers go straight onto rail cars or 18-wheelers.

[@Matthew-oo2nk]

This is so awesome. thank you for taking the time to make this awesome video. thank you so much

[@XmalD73]

I was able to travel through the Welland Canal aboard Viking Octantis, a "seawaymax" vessel. It was a tight squeeze and fascinating to watch!

[@withershin]

I was going to call BS but this boat went to Milwaukee? I'm guessing you over-paid for this cruise. Going through the Welland Canal on a Viking cruise ship has to be pretty rare though. Well done!

[@rjgoniea]

@@withershin Not quite as rare anymore. There are now several cruise ships that call the Great Lakes home in the summer and early fall. I know that the Octantis makes several trips thru the Welland each season because they have an itinerary that starts in Toronto and ends in Duluth MN then the next cruise is the reverse. They also have a route where the start and end points are Toronto and Milwaukee WI. Pretty sure the other ships have similar itineraries available. Honestly, I don't see the appeal, but I suppose if you didn't live in the Great Lakes area you'd think it was more interesting. Oh, and your guess would be correct. Look up the prices for these trips. The Toronto to Duluth trip starts at $13k per person.

[@brettgracey9682]

@@withershin not rare at all the Octantis and it’s sister ship the Polaris are frequent travellers up and down the Welland canal. Fact is in my town at the south end of the Welland Canal, I’ve seen both of them moored at the same time. One going north to Lake Ontario and the other going into Lake Erie. There are also a couple of other ships, not run by Viking that have shown up less frequently over the past couple of years. Who knew Great Lakes cruises were that popular? I believe we had around 90 stopovers of cruise ships in my community last summer. Fun fact, the Polaris and the Octantis only do Great Lake cruises in our summer. During the winter they do what they were actually built for, Antarctic cruises.

[@thomascourtien8497]

The Welland Canal has bike trails along its length. Nice riding on a summer day. To watch a ship go through the triple flight locks is quite a site.

[@spacebike420]

There's no where to take a dump when riding a bike! I'm not longer allowed there because I had to poo!

[@shawnlovely3485]

I live at the most northern town that connects USA 🇺🇸 and Canada 🇨🇦 along the St. Lawrence River, we have the Dwight D. Eisenhower locks! It is a vital part of this community, and if the seaway project wasn't here, we wouldn't be able to survive, we also have an international bridge to Cornwall and with the trade with Canada is as important!!

[@cabaneencac5168]

Please, be many to say this to your new president.

[@RampageJohns0n]

Now let me take a wild guess here, is it Massena?

[@kamlee4010]

@@cabaneencac5168. We are thinking about asking your Western states to join Canada. We have free healthcare 😂

[@gspaulsson]

@@kamlee4010 problem is that CAlifornians alone outnumber CAnadians.

[@adamchase1129]

cornwall

[@NorthernElevations]

Very informative! I live next to the Soo Locks and finally just ‘discovered’ them last year. One technicality is that the natural resources around Lake Superior are plentiful - these locks allowed iron ore, coal, and grains to flow out, not in. Most of the ore stays within the lakes to feed blast furnaces, but it’s not uncommon to see ships taking wheat from Duluth or Thunderbay to Europe, especially during the fall harvest.

[@harley6222]

I live beside Superior Lake. The view is panoramic.

[@shawnlovely3485]

Ty for posting this video!❤

[@BuriedUnkind]

8:58 That is Lock 1 of the 1st and 2nd Welland Canal in Port Dalhousie, St. Catharines on the right side. Up at the top is Martindale Pond which is known to the world because it's home to The Royal Canadian Henley Regatta. Eventually the stretch from Lock 1 into Martindale Pond was filled in. On the left side would eventually become Lock 1 of The 3rd Welland Canal. The 4th and current Welland Canal starts in Port Weller in St. Catharines from Lake Ontario and takes a straight line to Port Colborne on the shores of Lake Erie. With each versions of the canal getting bigger locks and less locks. The 1st version had 40 total locks to travers the length of the canal. 2nd version build basically from the 1st canal had 27 locks. The 3rd version of the canal had been build from scratch through St. Catharines taking a shorter straighter route than the first 2. The 3rd canal was now down to 26 locks. The 4th and current canal has a total of 7 locks. At 3:36 and 14:05 you see Locks 4, 5 and 6 referred to as the Twinned Flight Locks. There were rumblings of a 5th edition of the Canal to allow for ocean liners access. Ocean liners have to drop their loads in Montreal and it gets transferred to a Laker ship.

[@GravelRacer1]

Excellent information. I was obsessed as a kid with the "Old Welland Canal ". That picture is so cool.

[@Stecbine]

I grew up in Welland and used to swim in the Welland canal all the time, loved watching the ships go by!

[@MontrealtrainChannel]

I’m living near by the seaway in Montreal,witch was open in the 60’s. Before that, ships were passing by Lachine canal from St-Louis lake to the port of Montreal. This seaway was allowing only smaller ships go through and it was highly industrial all way long. As Doninoin bridge,Five Rose flour company, Seagram and Redpath sugar company was the most known ones. Then as soon the actual seaway was opened, Lachine canal was gradually closed to navigation,opened back in 2005 to navigation but only for agreement boating, canoes and kayak Since then. St-Lawrence seaway can afford bigger ships. We can recognize the Victoria bridge in Montreal,holding one of the 15 locks. It quietly spectacular to see a ship going through as cars and trains still able to pass using the conversion bridge added during seaway construction. Even cyclists have their way through but they have to wait for the ship going through the lock to get across the bridge.

[@billdaverne9389]

Seaway opened in 1959. I remember it well. Among other things it raised level of Lake Ontario by 4 feet.

[@Shipspotting_Vietnam]

Great video!!

[@gryph01]

The St. Lawerence seaway was on of the last canal systems built in Ontario. After the War of 1812, Upper Canada was concerned about how to supply remote communities in the upper Great Lakes if there was another conflict with the U.S. The Trent-Severen waterway snd Rideau canals were built.

[@DownUndaDigga]

I lived in Dain City (halfway between Pt. Colbourne and Welland) as a 8 year old adjacent to the canal. My best friend Bruce and me would climb along the steel beams under the bridge and get onto the lift section in time to go up (27-28 metres) when a ship was coming. For me it was far more exciting than a ride at the fair. We were on the girders under the roadway so had a Birds Eye view of the ship under us.

[@gino9895]

Great video, as always.

[@grahamstuart9164]

The entire canal was built by Canada and funded by Canada located entirely in Canada..... I'm pretty sure it belongs to Canada.

[@johnstudd4245]

Your "math" on who paid for what is faulty. The US paid for approx 28% of the canal. FACT

[@victorvandillen5297]

@@grahamstuart9164 so the Canadians should collect a toll... Like the Panama canal. 🤷

[@grahamstuart9164]

@@victorvandillen5297 They do. Every single vessel that goes through that canal pays. The point I'm arguing is the idiots that think that 1 side of the canal is in America and the other side is in Canada

[@sueshow401]

Our narrator in this video mentioned Canada paid for approximately 2 / 3 r d s of the cost...so yes, St.Lawrence Seaway should lean towards Canada's ownership. I will have to LISTEN to this video again for the precise cost. We're the workers to construct this Seaway predominantly CANADIAN?

[@Skyhawk945]

It's a Canadian business that collects millions of dollars in toll revenue for Canada. The US paid 1/3 for construction but still pays Canada to transit the seaway system. It's a good deal for everyone.

[@dwightseufert6491]

We (Canada) ended up having to fund the long-stalled Gordie Howe International Bridge's (to be recouped via tolls) as the privately owned, poorly maintained & woefully inadequate Ambassador Bridge's owners have manged to hold it up within the American political system via lobbying & litigation for decades, which has been practically a printing press for money for them. The Gordie Howe Internationally Bridge will finally open this year. (USD$323 million worth of goods cross daily on the Ambassador, more than 25% of Canada/US trade)

[@bunkerhill4854]

@@dwightseufert6491 Think of the bright side: Canada funded the whole thing including all facilities on the US side. Therefore, Canada should claim the land on the US side as Canadian territory.

[@josephpadula2283]

If the US decided to give our side to Canada Worst enemy , I might agree!

[@jeanetteraichel8299]

@dwightseufert6491 why was it named after Gordie Howe? Why not Queen Elizabeth? Former PM? Why a ex-patriot Canadian who left Canada to live in the US because he played hockey abd retired in the US. Much like Wayne Gretzky, they are/were both more American than Canadian. Their spouses and children were American.

[@captlazer5509]

​@jeanetteraichel8299 He played for the Detroit Redwings. He was an ambassador of the sport for Canada. As a kid, I saw a line up that stretched across the length of a hockey arena and at the very end was Gordie Howe signing every autograph. A class act.

[@johnking6252]

I'm glad this is a history lesson because a lot of people don't have a frickin clue what they're talking about. Let's forget history again? It's what we do best. 🇨🇦🇺🇲🇲🇽 All hail the Great Leader 🟠

[@NorthernMike-1]

Why do you think the Fascists in the U.S. don’t teach history in schools anymore?

[@lunarmodule6419]

Canadians are very pissed. Send emails to you representatives to express you opposition to war with Canada.

[@jamesschulziii9098]

Keep making em Mr Socash 💯❤️

[@andriaduncan5032]

Ok, now do the "Soo" Locks canal! I just became aware of it this week, and it fascinates me!

[@as48507]

It’s amazing!!! I was there December 31st… saw three ships go through.. each one just as mind blowing to see…. I’m going back when it’s not -1°… the entire area, the drive up to it, beautiful!!

[@marklittle8805]

The Soo is one lock, the Welland Canal is far more wild to watch. You can drive down a road in Thorold and see a 900 foot long freighter floating by and you will see houses just sitting there right beside it. You can go through a tunnel just by the way and see a freighter right above your head and this all is all on top of a ridge where you see can see for miles ....

[@NorthernElevations]

@@andriaduncan5032 Just chiming in - I have quite a bit of Soo Locks/Freighter footage if they do want to do a Soo Locks video!

[@andriaduncan5032]

@@marklittle8805 Actually there are currently (at least) 2 locks, and at least 4 previous locks that became obsolete as ships got larger. I got interested because I only recently learned about Soo Locks -- lived in MI for 5 yrs, so I always heard about Sault St. Marie, but didn't know there was a canal allowing passage from Superior to Huron. Seems to me that, technically, this could also be considered part of the "St Lawrence Seaway." Canals just fascinate me!

[@andriaduncan5032]

@@as48507 Northern MI truly is picturesque! We lived in the Pontiac area, but drove up to show off our newborn son to my husband's sister, in 1988; she lived near Alpena at that time.

[@NatoBro]

At 5:30 in the timeline, you mention the Ontario government and show the Ontario Government Building at Exhibition Place in Toronto. That's just a building used in the 1920s to display Ontario based things. The actual provincial seat of government is at Queen's Park in Toronto.

[@zakeisenbraun7860]

PLEASE do a video of the Soo locks, the Sault Ste. Marie US to Canada bridge, the old railroad bridge, and the US Sault ste Marie worlds longest hydro dam. It’s the largest still active dam.

[@gspaulsson]

If Trumpelstiltskin starts a trade war with us, we should start charging for passage. Lock the locks: want to enter? tap your card here.

[@GalbraithDesmond]

That would only harm the northern states and achieve nothing. Canada would target products coming from Trump'a base which is mostly in the south.

[@audreyjohnson4599]

The traffic of supplies of iron, coal and grain didn't flow into the Great Lakes, but was the other way around. Iron ore and grain flows OUT of the Lakes. Grain comes to Duluth, Superior, and Two Harbors from the northern Great Plains to be shipped to lake ports and across the Atlantic Ocean. Iron ore is mined in Minnesota and shipped to factories throughout the Great Lakes. The Great Lakes are important ports for the northern areas of the Midwest and the east sides of the Rockies.

[@looktothefuture8572]

Good content, thank you.

[@brabblemaster401]

We really should look at expanding the seaway to panamax size. Would allow larger bulk shipments such as grain and iron to get directly loaded onto ships to travel overseas. Without the need to tranfer cargo to larger ships further down. And for medium sized container ships dircet access to the upper midwest without cross country rail

[@spacebike420]

Still won't fit your mom!

[@brabblemaster401]

@spacebike420 dam got me

[@simplygregsterev]

Physically can’t in some areas particularly through Montreal due to bridges and draught.

[@maumor2]

@@simplygregsterev I think by "expand" it should take into consideration draught not just beam

[@simplygregsterev]

@ the locks of the seaway are matched to the locks of Welland Canal. Panamax sized locks are nearly 50% larger. there is a shallow bed tunnel that passes under the river in Montreal. There is no political will for expansion for expansion anyways. The fallout would be too great. You aren’t just making bigger locks but you also need to widen canals along the way. The environmental cost would be huge.

[@ricksaint2000]

Thank you Ryan

[@mitchellmcdowell8546]

I live on the Seawayl (we refer to our segment as The Welland Canal) and I just participated in the ceremony to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the groundbreaking of the Welland Canal at Bridge 11 in the hamlet of Allanburg. The completion of the canal essentially turned what is known as the Niagara Peninsula into an island, as the peninsula had been bordered by water to the north and south (Lakes Ontario and Erie) and the Niagara River to the east. The Welland Canal extends from Lake Ontario to Lake Erie and thus severs the western end of the Niagara Peninsula from the eastern portion thereby turning a large portion of the Peninsula into a bona fide island. "Niagara Island"...🤔....maybe I'll start calling it that?

[@30yearsagonow]

Learning about the flooding of the Lost Villages is so haunting. It’s a powerful reminder of the human cost behind massive infrastructure projects.

[@michaeldowson6988]

I was born & raised in that region. Half of the village is now underwater.

[@myfavoritemartian1]

Then read up on the Glen Canyon Dam. The lake covered Indian ruins, towns and a wonderland of flora and fauna.

[@seanrodgers1839]

Try living there. Exchanging nice main streets with old stone buildings for suburban style strip malls as the only place to shop. It wasn't nice.

[@lovehandr]

@@seanrodgers1839 Morrisburg obviously

[@kenk7282]

​​@@lovehandr Or Iroquois or Cardinal.

[@denisduchesne2899]

I suggest another video you could do on the same theme. Before 1959, the St-Laurence was not naviguable during winter. If you look at the towns of Montreal, Sorel-Tracy, Trois-Rivieres and Quebec (those 4 towns are also the oldest towns in Province of Québec) there are grain elevators built for maritime shipping. Those grain elevators were a huge project.

[@tomkelly8827]

My hair is styled after a very terrifying canal lift. Dread Locks!

[@MaddMatt-62]

I believe that with the re-shoring of manufacturing to NA, the levels of shipping will only increase over the next decade.

[@sharcon3891]

Went through the Beauharnois Lock years ago. Interesting to see (and feel) how the water rises/lowers under your liddle boat. During WW1 some interesting and nefarious doings on the St. Lawrence Seaway.

[@billfarley9167]

The early paddlewheel steamers that ferried mainly immigrants from Quebec City to Montreal were owned and operated by the Molson family. My Irish ancestors arrived at Quebec City in 1825 and used this mode of transport to get to Montreal. They then proceeded by a series of stagecoaches and way stations along the shore of Lake Ontario to the city of York. (later Toronto) They applied for land (two brothers aged 19 & 21) and began homesteading in the Orangeville area.

[@808v1]

dang, great pick on the subject matter - not too many people focus on this one :)

[@paulgracey4697]

There is a reason beyond what you describe for Canada to pay for the lions share of the Seaway. The New York State barge canal that greatly improved the Erie canal capacity had been built at state expense only a little time before, largely at John D Rockefeller's urging to support his business interests as I was told when visiting it. Since the Canadians were going to eclipse that effort with a nearly double width seaway, mostly through their waters, I think they had a hard time convincing American interests in making it a truly joint endeavor.

[@josephpadula2283]

Many people don’t know the later NY barge canal is not the Erie Canal from the history books although it is parallel and in the same locations at many spots .

[@johnandrews3568]

I got from this that the seaway is dying. It most certainly is not. Lots of shipping going on through the st. Lawrence and the Welland canals.

[@ASDasdSDsadASD-nc7lf]

No, it is, in FACT, nearly obsolete, and HAS BEEN for over 20 years, operating today at less than 5% of capacity. Truth is, it has no impact on the U.S. as the cities it served are unemployed dying husks.

I once lived in the village of Cardinal, which along with neighboring villages, had to be moved north to make room for the seaway. But the seaway brought jobs, not just while it was being built, but for decades afterwards. And no matter how much trade drops, those locks aren't going anywhere. They will always be a vital part of North American infrastructure.

[@dhook7918]

Was definitely an amazing project. Should probably start thinking about widening the system

[@stephenhartwick2468]

Yes is the US paying it's share for using the St Lawrence canal system or the Welland Canal canal system around Niagara falls

[@JailDoctor1]

I saw this 'Live' on , NBC News hour. I was 8ight yep I was eight. That was the first time I saw a real Queen

[@indowneastmaine]

Huh? Are you drunk? What does any of this mean or have to do with the video?

[@gryph01]

​@@indowneastmaine The OP is sharing a memory about the opening of the canal. It looks related to me.

[@BillAdams-fb3jm]

I grew up in Welland in the Eighties, and I remember the decline of steel's importance in the area. I remember workers at Welland Tubes going on strike on and off for a decade.Atlas Steel, too. Now it's a ghost town; Likewise, Norton abrasives in Niagara Falls (which was once an enormous employer) has been running a skeleton crew at most for decades. My cousin committed suicide after automotive components manufacturer Hayes Dana (which once employed upwards of 2400 workers, but has sat mostly idle now since 2007) shuttered operations. He tried to find a way to find new work, but it didn't work out that way. I did some concrete construction in my twenties to set up new buildings for John Deere and a few others, and I don't even know if any of those are functional, anymore. Needless to say, it's very different now from how it once was.

[@owenaraujo]

All the sunken stuff makes for amazing scuba diving

[@GigShmidlap]

A look into the aquatic disaster the Seaway is would be interesting. The deleterious effects on Great Lakers should be noted as foreign ships moved in to take cargoes from US&Canadian ships. There's always a downside!

[@desrosiers3420]

We also control the welland canal from Erie to Ontario to the st lawerence

[@mrbaab5932]

The Erie Canal connectioned lake Ontario and lake Erie decades before the Wellen Canal, but it only allowed barges and very small boats.

[@sdlcman1]

Chicago was starting to overtake New York as America's first city. The canal connected the Hudson River with lake Erie, slashing the cost of transporting goods by 90%. There were no railroads at that time. Overland transportation was done by mule drawn wagons.

[@dsteffler54]

No, that isn't true.

[@thomaspierce9458]

"Welland", not Wellen...

[@scotti.6433]

Decades, hahaha, not even one decade, Erie Canal opened 1825, Welland Canal & Locks 1829, and the US wasn't even a country then.

[@marc21091]

By 1959 the Queen had become very good at opening dams and bridges - opening great works of engineering was one of her enthusiams, ever since she opened the Owen Falls Dam on Lake Victoria, Uganda, on her great Commonwealth tour of 1954. The St Lawrence Seaway in June 1959 was the only opening that she did jointly with anyone else - President Eisenhower. See 10:20 . One would have liked to see a clip of colour film of the opening, not a grainy newspaper photo !

[@detroitredneckdetroitredne6674]

Great video brother. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and expertise. They're taking us out your adventure. Through history and time timestamp 452. It is 1885, not 1985 no worries.Thank you again, brother.Have a blessed one and happy new year

[@brendakrieger7000]

Thanks!

[@NorthernMike-1]

Someone should show this video to the Tangerine Tyrant!

[@Jaysfan7493]

@@NorthernMike-1 he would try to monetize it for Maga.

[@AllieRogers-mq1kf]

Check out the Soo locks. They are being expanded now

[@tyy123]

Man I can see my house in that video 😂😂😂😂, I live close to Welland canal.

[@denniskrust2137]

So, what I'm getting from this is: The US needs to turn total control of the canal over to Canada and the land on the US side of it should be ceded to Canada. Because.....Panama.

[@TimothyMather]

As an American, I agree!

[@brabblemaster401]

Nah. We control certain parts and Canada controls others. Plus a joint commission on the health of the lakes

[@denniskrust2137]

@@brabblemaster401 You missed the sarcasm.

[@brabblemaster401]

@@denniskrust2137 I did in fact.

[@sblank0525]

Yea thats fine...we'll have our 51st state take over complete management of the canal!😊

[@cherylsibson2529]

During his six years as prime minister, his government obtained passage of the Canadian Bill of Rights and granted the vote to the First Nations and Inuit peoples. In 1962, Diefenbaker's government eliminated racial discrimination in immigration policy. Nobody said he was perfect, but he tried. I remember George was allowed to write with his left hand, while i was made to write with my right hand, so I became ambidextrous!

[@stevemartin9915]

I lived in the city of Sainte-Catherine. I was subjugate by the weight of the ship

[@djhrecordhound4391]

You showed the Lemoyne being loaded up (at Pt. Colbourne?). There's a well-known photo of her coming into Lock 1 of the Welland Canal for its opening celebrations in 1932. She was the first ship to travel the full canal (the lower part was opened early, and ships diverted to the old 3rd canal route after Lock 3, until the 4th was completed).

[@mathieumarion9929]

You mention the Erie canal's decline, but you omitted the decline of the Lachine canal in Montreal, with had been the first industrial zone in Canada. It became obsolete and was eventually closed in 1970 its industries around it all closed one by one. The port of Montreal itself was very much affected, e.g., grains would come by train from inland to be shipped from Montreal, this was now bypassed. The economic decline of Montreal in these years is largely due to this. Of course Montreal has recovered, the port is now a major container port, expanding on the south shore of the river, the old grain silos were torn down and access to the river in the old port is now a tourist attraction, the Lachine canal was also reopened, but only for boating, and the surrounding abandoned factories turned into condos.

[@jeanhemond6627]

The St-Lawrence valley is in fact a multimodal commerce corridor, marine, rail, roads, pipelines, cables of all sorts. Paid and financed by Canadians, mostly Quebecers, operated for the benefits of transnational corporation largely by US interest. The Great-Lakes economic zone is equivalent to EU GDP. A Panama subsidized by Quebecers and Canadians largely for US benefits in supplying raw resources and containers. Not paying a fair price for those infrastructures is what distort the Canadian economy in favour of Ontario and central provinces that were built around them.

[@randyking476]

That is a picture of the Canadian senate, not the parliament.

[@marklittle8805]

They showed a building at the CNE when talking about the Ontario Government. Socash's crew is lazy with their visuals and don't do their research...

[@HROM1908]

It is disappointing that, although you name the political leaders of the USA, you did not mention one name of the Canadian leaders.

[@karenburrows9184]

13 Canadian locks and 2 U.S. locks. Two-thirds of the cost was paid for with Canadian money. Please don't call it "America's Most Important Canal". It's Canada's most important canal.

[@markfleser]

Why did Canada pay for it? It’s on their land/water and benefits both countries and international trade.

[@smallstudiodesign]

Because we did. We’re not a poor country. Also USA congress argues too much and never gets infrastructure funding or projects completed done in a timely manner. This needed to get done asap. We recoup the cost back through tolls. The same for the Gordie Howe Bridge at Windsor-Detroit … the USA‘s privately owned Ambassador Bridge is a badly maintained inept embarrassment of infrastructure. So in Canada we have a “ *Can-do* “ attitude - we’re actually more efficient in getting infrastructure built than USA.

[@Steve-mz7np]

@@smallstudiodesignwell said.

[@danielkruszewski4143]

Like ur presentations but The Erie Canal opened in 1825. NY is having a full year of celebrations during our bicentennial.

[@jasonbogdovitz7357]

Yeah, I live in Massena New York on the St. Lawrence River Canada did not pay for the seaway . Part of the canal is completely in the United States. Part of it is completely in Canada. Sun is both.

[@OhioSawMan]

Used to travel up to Massena a lot 20 years ago as a truck driver. Lots of runs to GM plant, loads hauled out of paper mill in Norfolk, NY. Love NY North Country!! Took my Wife to Alex Bay for our honeymoon😊 Question for you: would the North Country counties be better off in Ontario than Governed by Albany/DC Swamp? I'm from Ohio, so I don't have a feel for this.

[@secboss]

you got your dates mixed up "in 1985, the Canadian Deep Waterways Commission was formed......"... uh, NO! and it's Long SOO, not Long Salt.

[@valeofundoing]

Imagine being so interconnected throughout their histories that impacted peoples lives for generations to come. Shouldn't that mean something? isn't it significant? What does it say about people who easily disregard that?

[@bigmonmagoomba9634]

The US has no major ports on Lake Ontario or the St. Lawrence River. In fact near all US-flagged ships on the Great Lakes are too big for the Welland Canal.

[@johnandrews3568]

ahhh that's because the thousand footers were designed specifically to only steam Superior, Michigan, Huron and Erie. There are lots of US flagged lakers that can go up the Welland/St. Lawrence, but there's little need.

[@brabblemaster401]

That's due to the 1000ft Lakers being bulk haulers. Mostly moving iron ore from MN to the lower lakes. Or grain and coal to the region as well. And other bulk to be brought back

[@johnlogan8218]

@brabblemaster401 I sailed on an American ore boat back in the 60's out of Chicago to Port Cartier Canada on the St Lawrence River . We loaded iron ore for the steel mills on lake Michigan. I have been thu other locks , including the Panama canal but that trip stands out. Saw more whales in the St Lawrence than I ever saw in sailing the world.

[@bjdon99]

Are the Soo Locks not considered part of the Seaway?

[@dorindarodd2674]

Close it. It's ours. Tariffs, Donald? Supplies flow from here. To you....or NOT

[@attiliobarcados8178]

and ten municipalties boarding the st laurent for hundred years were expropriated and people lost their access to the river

[@miket3042]

Jacques Cartier, called the new Found land Kanata, the indigenous term for what we Canadians now call 🇨🇦 Canada

[@rockbutcher]

It's the Algonquin word for 'village.'

[@MrThleckey]

glad your not an ai. Cool video

[@chrisfernandez8916]

In the same spirit then the Panama canal maybe, Canada should start trolling about taking this one back 🤣🤣🤣

[@johannerizakis4546]

There's also that newish bridge in Detroit to Canada that Canada paid for.

[@shaunduquette5992]

We also paid for the new Bridge in Windsor because Michigan couldn't afford it.

[@johnds1963]

Time for Canada to eliminate inter-provincial trade barrier and trade amongst ourselves. Also, reach out to Japan to have them build more cars here, because Canadians are going resist buying an American built car after Trump's aggressive comments. I suspect Oakville will no longer build Fords - so hopefully Honda can take over the factory