Boaters stranded in Chambly, Que. after canal damaged

Some boaters have been left high and dry after water levels on the Chambly Canal were lowered as Parks Canada makes repairs.

A resident seemingly caused damage to the canal, which has caused boaters like Richard Talbot to be stranded at the Chambly Marina.

"I thought maybe it would begin to be resolved after a week," said the Vermont resident.

The canal, along with the Richelieu River, is closed indefinitely and boaters were urged by Parks Canada to take their boats out of the water Monday evening.

"We really don't know what's happening," said Chambly Marina employee Saul Ramirez.

A letter from Parks Canada says that the closure is due to unauthorized work carried out on a parcel of land bordering the canal.

It adds that the work caused "worrying damage" to the "integrity of the installations" at the canal.

Parks Canada had to then lower the water level in one area of the river as a precautionary measure, which resulted in the closure of part of the canal.

Officials also had to suspend boating.

"We got less people coming here," said Ramirez. "A lot of people who come from the U.S., they stay here for the night and they continue their trip and we don't have them anymore."

Ramirez explained that smaller boats can easily be towed to other waterways, but the owners of a dozen large boats are stuck.

"We're trying to use this waterway because going back through up the St. Lawrence, around the Erie Canal and back to Lake Champlain would certainly be too long for us," said Talbot.

A Parks Canada spokesperson told CTV News that an inspection of the infrastructure took place on Tuesday morning, and once that is completed, officials will decide how to proceed.

However, there is currently no timeline for the canal's reopening.