Museoparc Vanier Sugar Shack Rebuilt as State-of-the-Art Facility After Arson

Richelieu Park in Vanier is home to Canada's only urban sugar shack — a facility that has transformed from a humble log cabin into a state-of-the-art venue.

The original shack was built almost a century ago on the property when the Catholic missionary White Fathers, an international order dedicated to spreading Christianity in Africa, owned a theological college there. Legend holds they started tapping maples to make syrup as part of an effort toward self-sufficiency. Several sugar shacks operated on the site over the decades until the previous one was destroyed by arson in 2020.

The new three-year-old structure is a $1 million, multi-purpose facility with a well-equipped kitchen, a spacious dining room seating 60 people, HVAC systems, wheelchair accessibility, and a natural gas-powered, stainless-steel evaporator housed in an insulated, glassed-off room. About half the rebuilding cost was covered by insurance, with the rest funded by public donations and city support.

Nick Paquin, programming and visitor experience coordinator at Museoparc Vanier, defines a sugar shack as a spot where maple sap is harvested, syrup is made, and meals — usually breakfast — are served. The new facility fully meets that definition while offering year-round programming: the space rents for private and corporate events, hosts beer-tastings and board-game nights, and runs day camps for children during summer.

The cluster of buildings on the property also includes Museoparc, a small community museum illustrating Vanier's francophone history, and the Vanier branch of the Ottawa Public Library. The facility benefits from significant volunteer labour from people in the neighbourhood.

The sugar shack sits on a hill in a forest of maples just a few kilometres from Parliament Hill, offering visitors a taste of rural tradition in an urban setting.