Aug 31, 2025
Southern Alberta

“Amazing. I didn’t realize the beautiful area was an industrial wasteland.”

(Can’t read the full email – click here for the online version.)

The oldest continuously operated canal system in North America, The Rideau Canal, was opened back in 1832. It connects the city of Kingston, (once the capital of Upper Canada) on the northeastern shore or Lake Ontario, with Ottawa – now Canada’s capital.

The impetus for the canal’s construction was the war of 1812, (which we Canadians like to smugly remind our American brethren, they lost). At that time, the naval shipyards in Kingston were critical to Canada’s defense and a secure supply route from there to Montreal, along the St. Lawrence River, crucial to winning any war with the US. It was learned later that the Americans had plans on blocking shipping between the two cities. A canal that connected Kingston to Ottawa, and then to Montreal, would circumvent any such blockage.

A similar canal, connecting Lake Ontario, to Lake Huron, bypassing Niagara Falls and Lake Erie was considered in 1833. Due to a number of reasons, including the large number of locks it would require, the canal route was not fully completed until 1920.

These two canal systems, with a total length of over 300 miles, were initially conceived for both military and industrial reasons. They opened up thousands of square miles of Ontario’s interior for lumber, mining and homesteading. 

Back in July we had the opportunity to visit many locations within this large swath of Ontario, from Georgian Bay (Lake Huron) to Ottawa and Kingston.

What struck me was the transformation of historical ports and industrial acreages to prime and highly desirable recreational land. The canals reach across hundreds of freshwater lakes, which in summer, are highly sought after by urban Canadians, seeking refuge from the concrete jungles that make up greater Toronto. 

From the old grain and lumber ports of Midland and Parry Sound to the mills of Smiths Falls – the key industry these days revolve around marinas catering to boating and water enthusiasts. High end retail shops, restaurants and pubs have sprouted up at each center.

Even more amazing is the sight of luxurious yachts whose home berths are in Florida. Apparently, many wealthy retired, and semi-retired Americans use these two canal systems as the norther portion of the Great Loop Route, a 6,000-nautical mile boating circumnavigation of the eastern half of North America. This route involves a continuous waterway that connects the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, the Great Lakes, and the inland river systems; over 15 states and provinces in two countries.

Back during the turn of the 20^th century, many of these towns were booming from shipping, lumber and trade. No one looked upon them as desirable tourist destinations.

Then, with the completion of the Saint Lawrence Seaway, better rail, car and air transportation arenas, most of these same locations were in decay and their industrial weirs, docks and railyards, eyesores.

What I find interesting is the complete revival of these areas and how the waterways, lakes and canals that attracted industry now attract those seeking recreation. I imagine that during the early 1960s few people could not have imagined the resurrection that has taken place.

There is a lesson here for those running or managing a business. Whenever you experience a set-back or loss, it is important to take stock of your situation. Not just a look at what you could do better but how else could you deploy the assets you have? What other market(s) could you approach? Could you retool your business model into something more profitable?

Recall that the behemoth, Amazon was originally trying to sell books online. Then they undertook selling almost all commonly sold items to the online world. Throughout most of it’s history during this period, the company lost money. But in their efforts, they built up one the world's most robust and safest, data platforms. These days, the company makes the majority of it’s profits via selling data storage to other companies and governments.

If you are open and interested on learning how you can re-engineer your business, I recommend you take advantage of my free training. 

Until next week, 

Stay healthy and focus on profit! 

 - Hugh 
The “Profit Accelerator” Expert

P.S: When I was first hired as a business coach, I thought that I had to get my clients huge wins, right off the start. That I had to help them be fantastically successful in attracting new clients and customers. That every promotion they did had to be a home run.

Only with experience and time, did it become apparent that consistent improvements of as little as 1% and 2% would yield bottom-line increases of 50%, 100% and more, within a year. It wasn’t necessary to hit “homeruns” to help my clients achieve big profit gains. 

The group I am with has developed the best tool I have seen or used that shows exactly how this can be achieved. If you are interested in seeing what it is, click here. 

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