Five-day cruise along historic Trent-Severn Waterway offers novel take on southern Ontario

Winnipeggers Dan and Viola Prowse have travelled extensively, including sojourns to Ecuador, Colombia and South Africa. Nostalgia, family connections and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity led them to Ontario’s historic waterways.

The Trent-Severn Waterway, Canada’s only destination on the New York Times’ 52 Places to Go in 2025 list, has drawn us back to Ontario. We have fond memories of studying, living and working in southern Ontario over a half century ago, so a trip back to reconnect with family and friends and refresh memories seemed like an ideal 2025 summer vacation.

The TSW, the longest of Canada’s historic canals at 386 kilometres, is a system of rivers, lakes and canals wending its way across the province of Ontario connecting Lake Ontario to Georgian Bay and passing numerous communities, woodland areas and waterfalls.

Ontario’s system of canals and locks was developed over a period of two centuries to scale up transportation on waterways long used by Indigenous Peoples. Like the Rideau Canal, which links Ottawa to Lake Ontario at Kingston, the Trent-Severn Waterway’s canals were conceived in the 19th century when U.S. invasion was a concern and, more than a century later, Canada initiated the Saint Lawrence Seaway with the U.S. signing on, making it an international project. History has moved on with the growth of railways and west coast ports, but the waterways, maintained and operated by Parks Canada, are a legacy to be enjoyed.