We saved you a seat!
Parks Canada has placed over 200 red Adirondack chairs in peaceful and scenic locations throughout many of the country’s most unique and treasured places, including the 6 sets found here at the Lachine Canal National Historic Site.
Grab a friend, go for a walk then relax and snap a selfie on one of our red chairs. Each location immerses you in the landscape and its history.
How to find the red chairs at the Lachine Canal National Historic Site
The red chairs are for you to discover. While some chairs are easy to find, others require more of an adventure.
Find them in the following locations:
| Location | Description of location |
|---|---|
| Flour Dock | View of the Peel Basin near De la Commune Street, between the railroad tracks and the Bonaventure highway. |
| Saint-Gabriel Lock | On the south bank, view of the canal and north bank. |
| Place des Bassins area | On the north bank of the canal, east of the Saint-Gabriel lock. |
| Charlevoix Station | On the south side of the canal, west of the Charlevoix Bridge. |
| Parc de l’Ancienne-cour-de-triage | On the south side of the canal, near the boat launch. |
| Parc Monk | Near the Lachine lock, on the tip of the bank, looking west along the canal. |
See the list of red chair locations across Canada
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Take a photo and share it with #ShareTheChair
Oliver Jones memories
Transcript
Transcription anglaise – capsule anglaise
(Start of the video showing the Parks Canada identifiers. Start of jazz music played on piano.
Series of images filmed around the Lachine Canal National Historic Site in Montreal in the morning: View of downtown Montreal, a cyclist, a footbridge, lock gates, water flowing in the canal. On a sequence showing red chairs, the title “The Lachine Canal as seen by Oliver Jones” appears then disappears, next the sub-title “All Jazz Up!” appears then disappears.
Oliver Jones playing the piano on the banks of the Lachine Canal with downtown Montreal in the background.
Oliver Jones is sitting in an Adirondack-style red chair beside the Lachine Canal.
“As you know, I grew up about five streets away from …
While Oliver Jones continues speaking, two photographs from the early 19th century follow one another: One shows a view of the roofs of Saint-Henri and the other a street in the same neighborhood.
… from where we are right now on, on Fulford Street.”
Return to Oliver Jones sitting in the red chair.
“When we thought of the canal, we remember how…
Second series of photographs: One photo of the canal drained and dirty, followed by another with a view of factories beside the canal emitting smoke, then a photo of the canal at the start of the 19th century showing boats and industries.
“… dirty it was and the smell… I had several friends who used to like to come and swim in it, but it was one thing my parents would not allow me to do.”
Return to Oliver Jones sitting in the red chair.
“So when I came back in 1980, I was really surprised to see…
A series of four images filmed on the banks of the canal go by: Two people walking with a baby carriage, bicycles on a bridge, a group of cyclists, and park benches along the bike path.
… that they had cleaned it up and it’s a beautiful place to come now.”
Return to Oliver Jones sitting in the red chair.
“So bravo for that.”
Oliver Jones playing the piano, insertion of a photo of Oliver Jones as a young adult at the piano.
Return to Oliver Jones sitting in the red chair. Close-up on the profile of Oliver Jones and alternating shots of him sitting in a red chair viewed from the front and from the side as he recounts his childhood memories.
“ I started playing piano at about three, three years old. ”
“ My older sister used to say that… one day they were sitting down after school and they heard me playing a tune that was on the radio. It was something that… that came very natural to me. ”
“ Actually, the smart one in the family was my mother because when she was doing her… her housework, she said that’s the only place that I was quiet. She says I could leave you for an hour, two hour and I would just bang on the piano. But all that change and within a year, I started to… to play melodies… and at the age of five I did my first performance at the Union United Church…
A photo of the Union United Church appears.
… which is on Atwater and Delisle, not too far from here.”
Return to Oliver Jones sitting in the red chair.
“The next year when I was six, I heard Oscar Peterson for the first time and… that really encouraged me. ”
“Oh we have a piano here also ? ”
Oliver (seen from behind) moves towards the piano.
Close-up on the fingers of Oliver Jones playing the piano, then wide shot of Oliver Jones playing a jazz tune on the piano with the Lachine Canal in the background. He smiles as he is done playing free style on the piano.
Official Parks Canada credits.
© Her Majesty the Queen in right of Canada, represented by Parks Canada, 2015.
Memories of Marc Bergevin
Transcript
(Start of video showing Parks Canada identifiers. Start of intro music.
Series of images shot around the Lachine Canal National Historic Site, in Montreal, in the morning: a view of downtown Montreal, a cyclist, a gangway, lock gates, and the water flow in the canal. In a sequence featuring red chairs, the title: “The Lachine Canal as seen by Marc Bergevin - General Manager of the Montreal Canadiens’’ fades in and fades out, and the subtitle: ‘‘Back to his roots’’, fades in and fades out.
Marc Bergevin is sitting on a red Adirondack chair along the Lachine Canal, and downtown Montreal is in the background.
“My mom is first and only job was in when I was probably 12 or 13 years old. She, She had a job in Saint-Ambroise, right across from the château St-Ambroise.’’
An image of the CN Port Bridge fades in and then fades out while Marc Bergevin is addressing the camera:
‘‘And she used to take the, to save time, take the bridge it’s only railway track.’’
Back to Marc Bergevin sitting on the red chair:
‘‘And I didn’t like that. I was always afraid something happened to her. I was hoping she takes Le pont Charlevoix which was more for cars. You know, nothing happened but I was just as a young boy. I was close to her and I… I didn’t like that.’’
An image of the city of Montreal with its reflection on the Lachine Canal water fades in and fades out, followed by a back view of Marc Bergevin looking towards the canal. An image with automobiles circulating on a bridge that crosses the canal in the fifties fades in and fades out, and then an old image of the Stelco factory fades in and then fades out, followed by a third image of the Lachine Canal during the same period fades in and then fades out while Marc Bergevin carries on with his narrative:
‘‘Back in the seventies like when I was growing up here. Euh… My dad was a fireman and he was in a firehouse number 23 in St-Henri. My dads first job when he moved from the country side was here in, La Stelco, which I remember was on Charlevoix and the, and Le Canal,’’
Back to Marc Bergevin sitting on the red chair:
‘‘on the, on the north side and it was his first job.’’
A back view of Marc Bergevin gazing at the canal and then turning around to walk fades in and fades out while we hear him make the following statement:
‘‘I left Montreal in 84,’’
Back to Marc Bergevin sitting on the red chair:
‘‘To be exact, I left Pointe-Saint-Charles in 82. So coming back here is good for a few things, a few reasons.’’
The camera zooms out and Marc Bergevin points to downtown Montreal, we get back to a close-up shot.
‘‘Actually, been close to the Bell Center which is right behind me and our practice facilities in Brossard. With Champlain Bridge and Victoria which are two bridges I could take. And also being back were have some families are still living here, I have cousin in Pointe St-Charles. With the canal being all done, with the biking and the jogging, I think it’s a nice place to live. You get Atwater market which is right here. I just love being here. I feel like it’s home. I really, Montreal is my home, but Pointe St-Charles and this area, le sud-ouest, it’s even more my home.’’
A side view of Marc Bergevin, leaning on a fence along the Lachine Canal is followed by aback view of Marc Bergevin looking at the canal with downtown Montreal in the background.
Official Parks Canada credits. End of music.)
© Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, represented by Parks Canada, 2015
Parks Canada’s red chairs: where it all started
In 2011, our friends at Gros Morne National Park came up with the idea to place sets of Adirondack chairs in lesser-known, stunning locations around the park, inviting visitors to enjoy and share on social media. Today, the iconic red chairs can be found in over 100 locations administered by Parks Canada.
Where will your next red chair moment be?
Lightbulb Did you know?
The Parks Canada red chairs are made from 100% recycled plastic saved from Canadian landfills.
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