Vanier Sugar Shack
Less than 5 km from downtown Ottawa, the Vanier Sugar Shack is the only operating sugar shack in an urban setting in North America. Located in a 17.5-acre sugar bush in the heart of the nation’s capital, the Vanier Museopark keeps the tradition of maple syrup production alive, traditions established in Vanier by the White Fathers circa 1940.
They are proud to offer quality food from local producers in an enchanting setting where old-time charm blends with modernity. This is what you will experience at the new Vanier Sugar Shack.
History of the Richelieu Park Sugar Shack
Built in 1939 by the White Fathers of Africa, the original shack served to ensure a certain self-sufficiency for the group. In the early 1960s, they modernized their facility by building a second, more spacious sugar shack on the same site. The White Fathers left Vanier in 1976 and the production of maple syrup ceased at the same time in Richelieu Park. In the mid-1980s, the City of Vanier installed its City Hall in the buildings of Richelieu Park. The mayor at the time, Gisèle Lalonde, had the idea of reviving the sugaring parties to bring the community together and celebrate maple syrup artisanship, a French Canadian tradition. About ten years later, the group Action Vanier took over the organization of the Sugar Festival and the management of the sugar shack. A third sugar shack was built by a host of volunteers and inaugurated in 1998. Action Vanier upholds the sugaring tradition in Vanier until the winter of 2011. Since the 2012 sugar season, it is the Vanier Museopark who is responsible for perpetuating this tradition. In August 2020, the Vanier Sugar Shack was destroyed due to arson. From that moment on, the community rallied together, already discussing its reconstruction. The groundbreaking ceremony took place on December 3, 2021, and the inauguration of the new sugar shack was held on March 28, 2023. The 2023 Sugar Shack is the fourth sugar shack on the White Fathers’ domain. It remains the only urban sugar shack in North America. Built in the heart of a dense 17.5-acre maple forest with over 500 taps, the Vanier Sugar Shack produces approximately 500 litres of maple syrup each sugar season.
