“Echos”: A Major Public Art Installation Along the Canal to Mark Its 200th Anniversary

Update July 9, 2026

To mark the 200th anniversary of the Lachine Canal, the Corridor Culturel is spearheading an ambitious artistic project that came to life in summer 2026 in the Peel Basin area. Nine unique works, created by four engaged artists—June Barry, Franco Egalité, Thaïla Kampo, and Mecky Ottawa—line the canal’s banks, telling the story of its past, its transformations, and its future.

Please click to see the video about the Corridor Culturel x Parcs Canada project.

Conceived as a monumental narrative frieze, these large cut-out silhouettes bring art, memory, and landscape into dialogue. Inspired by the canal’s rich tangible and intangible heritage, they evoke the industrial, human, and cultural worlds that have shaped this iconic site over the centuries. Crafted primarily from treated metal and at times enhanced with coloured vinyl, the works play with light and reflections on the water, offering a renewed visual experience both by day and by night.

Spanning nearly 20% of the inner length of the Peel Basin, the installation is visible from all surrounding routes—pedestrian, cycling, road, waterway, and rail—inviting the public to an spontaneous encounter with art in the heart of the public realm.

Led by the Corridor Culturel in collaboration with Parks Canada, this project reflects a shared commitment to enhancing public spaces through contemporary creation and to showcasing the heritage of the Lachine Canal.

On July 7, 2026, the Echoes artwork was officially unveiled in the presence of dozens of participants. All were impressed by the artists’ talent, the richness of their creative process, and the evocative power of this collective work, which thoughtfully reflects the history, memory, and diversity of the communities connected to the Lachine Canal.

Passing by the canal? Take a detour to Peel Basin, take the time to view the artwork from different angles, and let yourself be inspired by the many echoes of the past and present.