It was a project by Austro-Canadian industrialist Frank Stronach to build an experimental model community for people displaced by Hurricane Katrina.
Canadaville occupied 3.69 square kilometres (912 acres) of land near the Atchafalaya River and opened in early December 2005.
Rather than simply providing temporary shelter to the evacuees, Stronach intended Canadaville to help its residents integrate into a long-term holistic farming community that would raise livestock and seafood to be served at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale, Florida.
As former Canadian member of Parliament Dennis Mills described it, "this is no FEMA Village.
In 2007, CTV Television Network (Canada) aired a documentary called "Welcome to Canadaville," showing the opposition that the Canadaville project met from some residents of its host town, Simmesport, led by the mayor.