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While the National Capital Commission has repaired and re-opened most of its pathways damaged in last spring’s great flood, the Voyageurs Pathway in Gatineau isn’t expected to be ready until the summer.

A number of NCC pathways along the Ottawa River — including those behind Parliament Hill — were closed last year after being eroded by floodwaters. The NCC had said it would rebuild the pathways by spring 2018 to “higher standards” to prevent further damage next time there is flooding.

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On Friday, the NCC said it has successfully repaired most of its damaged property — except for the Voyageurs Pathway, between the Portage Bridge and Canadian Museum of History.

“It will demand work that is more significant and complex, requiring diverse land access permits and specific environmental evaluations,” said NCC spokeswoman Dominique LeBlanc in an email. “Moreover, contrary to Ottawa River Pathway, behind Parliament Hill, the NCC does not own all the lands crossed by that stretch of the Voyageurs Pathway.”



The pathway should be fully rehabilitated by the end of summer, she said.

Other pathways were re-opened much earlier, including the one behind Parliament Hill, which LeBlanc said became available for public use back in November 2017. In addition to higher standards of construction, LeBlanc said it is now also equipped with “more resilient vegetation along the path to mitigate against future flooding.”