Mayor and local representatives savour re-opening of Vanier Sugar Shack

The Vanier Sugar Shack officially re-opened March 28 with a ceremony and ribbon-cutting featuring Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe and local political representatives.

The park’s sugar festival is currently running until April 2. (See here for details.) The new sugar shack will be ready for sweet-toothed visitors starting Wednesday April 5 and will remain open until Friday May 5.

In August 2020, the original shack was destroyed by fire, investigated as an act of arson by the Ottawa Police Service.

The shack remained closed for over two years due to pandemic-related delays in re-construction. Re-construction finally began last April.

The shack had to be completely re-built. The new building is completely accessible with a ramp and automated doors. There’s a separate room for the boiler and maple syrup production equipment. A glass wall allows visitors to see the process.

According to Vanier Museopark, the reconstruction cost about $1 million, raised with support from the City of Ottawa, the provincial and federal governments and donations from the community.

In a news release statement, Madeleine Meilleur, executive director of the Vanier Museopark and former city councillor and MPP representing the Vanier area, expressed the “great joy, happiness and pride” of her and her team at seeing the shack revived.

“Throughout the reconstruction process, from the fire to the opening, we saw the commitment of the community and felt that they wanted, just as much as we did, a new sugar shack to be built again on the heritage site of the White Fathers’ domain,” she said. “Today, we are pleased to present the fourth sugar shack in Richelieu Park, a modern shack that still retains its old charm.”