Rivercare 2000 was a way to take care of the magnificent Rideau Waterway in Eastern Ontario using the ecosystem approach. The basic framework was put together over the fall and winter of 1999 by representatives of the Cataraqui Region Conservation Authority, the City of Kingston, Parks Canada — Rideau Canal, the (then) Regional Municipality of Ottawa-Carleton, and the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority.

The idea was to put together all of the known environmental projects that had an impact on the quality of the Rideau, shake out the top priority items, fund raise from the three levels of government, and undertake the environmental protection measures necessary to protect this beautiful waterway well into the next century.After a couple of years of trying, the Steering Committee decided that the timing was just not right to pursue the Rivercare project at this time and it was shelved. During that development period, we produced several useful documents including an update on the scientific state of the Rideau, the most recent sampling of public opinion on what needs to be done to improve the Rideau, and a vetted list of the top 150 pressing environmental projects waiting for funding that would contribute to long term health of the waterway. It is waiting to be picked up again when the time is right.

Click here to download the Executive Summary of the Rivercare 2000 Project made to the Eastern Ontario Liberal Caucus on March 22, 2000.