Renfrew Power Generation is concerned about public safety.

The waterways near hydroelectric dams and stations are not safe places for recreation at any time of the year. In winter, ice forming near a dam or hydroelectric station can be thinner and less consistent than ice in other locations because of changing water flows beneath it.

Stay clear of all dams and Generation sites and obey the signs

Our aim is to provide you with information and resources that will help explain our role in responsibly harnessing the power of the Bonnechere River to generate electricity.

The Bonnechere River
The 145-km Bonnechere River has a rich and colourful history. Since the retreat of the glaciers from this region, the Bonnechere River has been a key transportation corridor.

The river first attracted the Aboriginal people who may have inhabited the area as early as 5,000 years ago (Kennedy, 1970). Fur traders who established trading posts at Golden Lake, and as far as Lac Lavielle in Algonquin Park in the 1820s and 1830s, used the Bonnechere to transport their goods (Kennedy, 1970). The lumbermen and settlers to the Ottawa Valley also relied on the Bonnechere as a key transportation route.

Although no longer used as a primary transportation corridor, the Bonnechere River retains its value to the local economy as an important recreational waterway.