The European explorers sought to find a route from New France to the Western Sea, and from there to China[5] and hence auspiciously the region where the canal was built was named Lachine.

Due to the continuous disposal of industrial waste, the canal contains harmful substances,[6] though the water quality is said to be good.

[7] The area of the canal is a traditional meeting place between the various indigenous groups of the region, the Algonquin, Huron and Iroquois.

Suggestions for a possible canal to bypass the Lachine Rapids dated back to the time of early explorers such as Samuel de Champlain.

[8] The first construction in 1689 was intended to bring water to the flour mills of the Sulpicians and increase the flow of goods.

After a peace treaty was made between the French and the Iroquois in 1701, there was hope by the Sulpicians that the canal project would be restarted.

After the War of 1812, there was a hightenede interest in a canal to bypass the rapids and facilitate the transfer of goods in the region on larger boats.

[9] After more than 130 years of failure, a consortium that included the young Scottish immigrant John Redpath was successful.

John Richardson was Chairman of the Committee of Management of the canal project and its chief engineer was Thomas Brunett.

[12] The new canal officially opened in 1825, helping turn Montreal into a major port and eventually attracting industry to its banks when the Society of Sulpician Order decided to sell lots.

[citation needed] During the 1840s, under Chief Engineer Charles Atherton, the Lachine Canal was deepened to allow heavier ships to pass through and hydraulic power was introduced to the industries on its banks.

[13]: 5  Through the enlargement of the canal, its use changed from solely a means of avoiding the Lachine rapids to that of an industrial region within Montreal.

[13]: 7  Throughout the mid to late 1800s, industries all along the banks of canal experienced consistent growth through the access to this energy source.

[11]: 8–9 Soon after the opening of the Lachine Canal in 1825, many of Montreal's merchants convinced the city's government to set up a harbour commission.

This proved to be very important for the Lachine Canal because its workshop in Point St. Charles provided a link to the Atlantic during the winter months.

[citation needed] The lower section of the Lachine canal was entirely filled in between 1965 and 1967 and closed to commercial navigation in 1970 and reopened to pleasure craft in 2002.

At its zenith from 1880 to 1940, the industrial and manufacturing area adjacent to the canal was once the largest in Canada in terms of both the number of firms and diversity of its output.

House values have skyrocketed and many real estate developers have turned the century-old industrial factories and warehouses, like that of Dominion Textiles (5524 Saint-Patrick, now Complexe Dompark) & Simmons Bedding Company (4710 St-Ambroise, now Complexe Canal Lachine) into loft buildings.

Complexe Dompark recently celebrated its 100th anniversary and now houses more than 90 multimedia, fashion, publishing and service industry-based companies in custom designed lofts.