Banook Canoe Club paddles into the future with energy efficient, accessible updates

The historic Banook Canoe Club gets a much-needed facelift.

The Banook Canoe Club in Dartmouth, N.S., has a rich history of producing national champions and Olympic medalists, but the building recently started to show its age.

Upgrades and renovations aiming to preserve the club for future generations have been ongoing since 2022.

“The Banook Canoe Club has been here since 1903. This was the cottage country for the Dartmouth area and you’d come here in the summertime and you’d get on the water and there’s been a long tradition since then of many, many families and many children having a great time on the lake,” says club manager David Jarrett.

A previous study showed that the building was in need of major repairs.

“The building was going to fall into the lake. Basically, we had to tear out all of the foundation, we lifted the building up so that it would all be accessible, the same level everywhere. All the wharves and docks are all new, it’s been a lot of work,” Jarrett says.

The latest phase of the renovations is focused on accessibility and energy efficiency.

“It’s going to be fully accessible, so we have washrooms in the lower level now and we also have an assessable lift to go up and down between the two levels and we’re going to have solar panels on the roof,” says Jarrett.

“We’re going to have electric outboard motors. We have one now onsite, the goal is to not have any impact on the environment and make it so that the community can use it and if they have accessibility issues we hope we’ve removed them all.”

Jarrett estimates the project costs about $8 million. The club has had support from three levels of government and the community.

“Children come down here for July and August and it’s like being at a cottage. They’ll build bonds with all of their friends, they get to compete against other clubs. I think it’s a glue for the community, it strengthens the community. And the Worlds come here every four or five years and usually when people come here, if they come from Europe, they just can’t believe that we have this as a natural resource,” he said.

“Everyone has really rallied around Banook to make it so that it can last for another 120 years.”

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