The West Rouge Canoe Club (WRCC) was founded by the West Rouge Kiwanis in 1958 to help develop the young people of West Rouge and surrounding area. They constructed a 16′ x 40′ wooden building close to the mouth of the Rouge River near Lake Ontario on what was known as Ferguson’s Beach. A Kiwanian, owner Russ Ferguson, agreed to have the building on his property for the annual fee of $1.00 which he never accepted. A war canoe was acquired along with a couple of small boats from the Island Canoe Club. Soon WRCC was able to raise enough money to add a K-4 to its fleet.

In 1959, the West Rouge Canoe Club first competed in the Canadian Canoe Association National Championships. While this was a good start, the first few years were very difficult. With only 15 members in the Club, the Kiwanians were putting most of their money into WRCC, while the coaches spent most of their free time repairing boats and fund raising.

By 1962 it appeared that the Club would have to fold. The heavy work load taken on by the organized volunteers was exhausting their initial commitment. The parents of paddlers learned of this, met and realized that the Club played an important role in the community. They decided to get involved: a full executive was formed, a charter was acquired, fund raising schemes were developed and carried out, and a membership drive was launched.

In the mid 60’s, Russ Ferguson’s property was expropriated by the Metropolitan Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (MTRCA), and the Club was asked to move the building to a different site on the beach. In a single day, the clubhouse was hauled by volunteers on railroad ties down the beach to its new location.

Membership along with the size of the fleet continued to grow. The boathouse was bulging at the seams. The WRCC executive met with MTRCA to discuss construction of a new building. Although a new building was not allowed, WRCC was given permission to move an expropriated cottage to adjoin the existing clubhouse. The Club executive and some of the athletes dismantled the cottage, tied two war canoes together and towed the lumber two miles down the river to the new site.

Flat water sprint racing is based on straight 500 and 1000 meter courses. To effectively train competitive paddlers for local, provincial and national events WRCC expanded in 1993 to a second site on Frenchman’s Bay in Pickering. The Pickering Kinsmen donated a trailer, and with assistance of MTRCA and the Town of Pickering, WRCC established a high performance training facility on the west spit of the bay. Competitive paddling in small boats (1, 2, and 4 person canoes and kayaks) and war canoes (14 paddlers) flourished with the number of competitive paddlers rising from 40 to 176 by 1995. With the clubhouse at the Rouge River site; it has remained a major focus for the club and has continued to be the choice location for exposing new and young paddlers to the sport.

Integrating the competitive and recreational aspects of the sport has always been a challenge. The racing community has recognized this and moves are being made to allow athletes to compete in tiers. This will let those newer to the sport and those interested in light competition to participate more fully.