Pleasure Craft: Everything you need to know

Know before you go!

Prior to using our system, carefully review practices, procedures, and guidelines contained in our Pleasure Craft Guide.

 

Safe travels!

 

 

Other Key Information for Pleasure Craft Users

Pleasure Craft Season Dates
View this season’s dates.

Tolls
Get information about tolls and payment methods for Canadian and U.S. Locks.

Lockage Schedule and Conditions
Get information on the lockage schedule for pleasure craft and learn what to do when you arrive at the lock.

Reservations
Learn how to make a reservation and access our reservation system.

Reservation System Login
Access the Pleasure Craft Reservations System.

Pleasure Craft Bulletins
Access Seaway Pleasure Craft Bulletins, which address issues specific to a given navigation season and register to receive bulletins by email.

Bridge Schedule
Plan ahead. Check the bridge schedule.*
*Applies only to the Larocque bridge and the Saint-Louis bridge.

Other Resources
Access other helpful resources.

FAQ
If you don’t find the answer you’re looking for in the FAQ, please fill out the Feedback Form, on the “Contact Us” page. 


Pleasure Craft Season Dates at the Canadian Locks

Welland Canal

Schedule for the 2023 pleasure craft lockage season:
May 1, 2023 to October 31, 2023

Montreal/Lake Ontario Section

Schedule for the 2023 pleasure craft lockage season:
May 19, 2023 to June 22nd, 2023 from 9 :00am to 5 :00pm
June 23rd, 2023 to September 4, 2023 from 9 :00am to 8 :00pm
September 5th, 2023 to October 9, 2023 from 9 :00am to 5 :00pm


Tolls

Tolls at Canadian Locks

Tolls apply only to pleasure craft up to 300 gross registered tonnes.  Larger craft are subject to the regular tolls payable under the Seaway Schedule of Tolls which is included in the Seaway Handbook, together with the Seaway Practices and Procedures.

St. Lambert Lock, Côte St. Catherine Lock, Iroquois Lock ($25.00 CAD each lock)

Beauharnois Locks 3 & 4 ($50.00 CAD for the two locks)

Welland Canal Locks ($200.00 CAD for all eight locks)

Payment Method at Canadian Locks
Cash is not accepted as payment for tolls at Canadian locks. Pleasure Craft users must use the online reservation system and pay online.

Tolls at American Locks

Pleasure Craft Toll per Lock: $30 (cash, U.S. or Canadian funds)

Payment Method at American Locks
At the American locks in the Montreal/Lake Ontario section, tolls for upbound craft will be collected by the officer in charge at the Bertrand H. Snell lock. Tolls for downbound craft will be collected by the officer in charge at the Dwight D. Eisenhower lock. Every effort should be made to have the exact toll (cash) available. No premium will be allowed for currency exchange rates.

American locks do not accept credit cards nor sell tickets at the locks; however, tickets can be purchased in advance at the www.pay.gov website (via the link below).


Lockage Schedule and Conditions

NOTE: Refer to the Pleasure Craft Guide for procedures and safety guidelines associated with lockages.

All Canadian locks require reservations. Please refer to the reservation section of this website.

 

 

Canadian Lock schedules
Lockage Schedule for Pleasure Craft (Welland Canal)

The pleasure craft schedule for the Welland Canal effective May 1, 2023:

Upbound Transits – from Port Weller to Port Colborne

Transits are available on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday.

On the day of transit, pleasure craft users with confirmed reservations must be in position at the Port Weller small boat dock by 9:00 a.m. and must report in to the Seaway’s Operations Control Centre on VHF Channel 14 (156.7MHz) or by phone at 289-690-4344.

**Pleasure craft registered after the 9:00 a.m. cut off time will not be able to transit until the next scheduled operating day.**

 Downbound Transits – from Port Colborne to Port Weller

Transits are available on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday

On the day of transit, pleasure craft users with confirmed reservations must be in position at the Port Colborne small boat dock by 07:00 a.m. and must report in to the Seaway’s Operations Control Centre on VHF Channel 14 (156.7MHz) or by phone at 289-690-4344.

**Pleasure craft registered after the 7:00 a.m. cut off time will not transit until the next scheduled operating day.**

Lockage Schedule for Pleasure Craft (Montreal / Lake Ontario)

On the day of your transit, consult the lockage schedule to determine lockage times for that day. Lockage information is updated daily at approximately 7:30 a.m. The afternoon lockage times will be revised at noon. Please note, there will be one upbound and one downbound lockage in the morning and one upbound and one downbound lockage in the afternoon at each lock.

  • Pleasure craft lockage times through the South Shore Canal (Saint-Lambert and Côte Sainte-Catherine locks) are scheduled in order to permit passage through both locks in either the A.M. or P.M. (e.g.  Saint-Lambert A.M., Côte Sainte-Catherine A.M.)
  • Pleasure craft lockage times at the Beauharnois Locks are independent of those of the South Shore Canal. Users cannot expect to transit all 4 locks in the a.m. or all 4 locks in the p.m.  Users wishing to transit all 4 locks must schedule one section in the a.m. and the other in the P.M.  For example, a user could schedule Saint-Lambert and Côte Sainte-Catherine in the A.M. and the Beauharnois Locks in the P.M.).
  • Beauharnois lockage times will be coordinated with the pleasure craft bridge lift schedule for Larocque bridge (Salaberry-de-Valleyfield) and Saint-Louis bridge. Pleasure craft operators wishing to transit Beauharnois locks downbound in the morning must present themselves at the Larocque Bridge no later than 9:00 a.m.  Pleasure craft operators wishing to transit Beauharnois locks downbound in the afternoon must present themselves at the Larocque bridge no later than 11:00 a.m.
American Locks

US Snell and Eisenhower Locks
For the U.S. Snell and Eisenhower locks there will be no pre-set lockage schedules for pleasure craft.

We wish you a good season! Be safe!


Reservations

Quick Start Guide for the Pleasure Craft Reservation System

NOTE: The reservation system applies only to the Canadian locks.

About Reservations for Canadian Locks

  • The reservation system is a self-serve system to allow users to reserve a lockage time and pay the pleasure craft tolls for locks in Saint-Lambert, Côte Sainte-Catherine, Beauharnois, Iroquois, and the Welland Canal.
  • Cash is not accepted as payment for tolls at Canadian locks. Users wishing to transit Saint- Lambert, Côte Sainte-Catherine, Beauharnois or Iroquois locks in the Montreal-Lake Ontario Section or the Welland Canal must use the on-line pleasure craft lockage reservation system.
Montreal/Lake Ontario Section

(Saint-Lambert, Côte Sainte-Catherine, Beauharnois, Iroquois)

  • Reservations must be made prior to 7:00 a.m. for a morning lockage and prior to noon for an afternoon lockage on the day of transit.
  • Modifications or cancellations can be made via the reservation system up to 7:00 a.m. (for morning lockages) or noon (for afternoon lockages) on the day of transit.
Welland Canal
  • Reservations must be made prior to 7:00 a.m. on the day of transit.
  • Modifications or cancellations can be made via the reservation system up to 7:00 a.m. on the day of transit.

Pleasure Craft Bulletins

Seaway Pleasure Craft Bulletins provide important information to users. To subscribe to receive these bulletins by email, click here.


Bridge Schedule

There is no fixed schedule for bridges, except for Larocque bridge and the Saint-Louis bridge in the Beauharnois Canal.

Please note that no bridge lifts for pleasure craft will be conducted at the Larocque bridge (Salaberry-de-Valleyfield) and the Saint-Louis bridge during peak hours on week days between 6:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. for the entire navigation season.


Bridge Lift Schedules for Pleasure Craft:

Summer season: May 19 – Oct 9

Larocque (Salaberry-de-Valleyfield) Saint-Louis Bridge

9:00 a.m.

11:00 a.m.

1:00 p.m.

3:00 p.m.

4:00 p.m.

6:00 p.m.

8:00 p.m.

9:45 a.m.

11:45 a.m.

1:45 p.m.

3:45 p.m.

4:45 p.m.

6:45 p.m.

When pleasure craft are present, bridge lifts will be performed at fixed times between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. in accordance to the dates and schedules outlined above. Outside those dates and hours, bridge lifts for pleasure craft will be performed as required. That said, to ensure motorists using the bridge receive adequate notice of an upcoming bridge lift, pleasure craft may experience a wait time of up to 60 minutes.


Other Resources

ABCs of the Seaway