Welland Canal Memorial Monument

The Welland Canal memorial monument is located in Merritt Park on King Street. The monument includes a walkway, a fountain with a motif of piled rocks, five life-sized statues, and stone tablets with brass donor plaques.

The Welland Heritage and Multicultural Centre conceived the monument to celebrate the new millennium. It was funded by a federal grant from the Millenium Bureau of Canada and donations from local businesses, organizations, and citizens who purchased bricks in the walkway on which their names were etched.

The canal was vital to the inception and growth of Welland. When the aqueduct for the first canal was built to carry shipping traffic over the Welland River between 1831 and 1833, a settlement grew around the site, and the community came into existence. As the canal expanded, so did its importance as a transportation link, helping the community grow and become a centre of industry. This monument recognizes the workers whose efforts built the canal.

The monument is the work of local artist Bas Degroot and bronze caster William Jurgenson, with many local contractors and City employees assisting with the construction.