Brockville Webcam – See Ontario’s Thousand Islands

The Brockville Webcam looks south from the back of City Hall, across Blockhouse Island Park and the municipal marina to the open water of the St. Lawrence River. Ontario’s first incorporated town sits on the north bank here, at the upstream edge of the Thousand Islands, and the camera covers the busiest part of it. Lawns, mature trees and a row of flagpoles fill the foreground, a harbour full of masts sits to the right, and a low shoreline of wooded islands runs along the horizon. Cars move along the waterfront parkway, boats come and go from the slips, and the river changes colour with the sky. A second city camera at the end of Blockhouse Island looks west along the same stretch of water.

About Brockville

Brockville stands on the north bank of the St. Lawrence about 115 kilometers (71 miles) south of Ottawa and 80 kilometers (50 miles) downstream from Kingston, with Toronto some 340 kilometers (211 miles) to the west. The 2021 census counted 22,116 residents. The town was incorporated on January 28, 1832, the first self-governing town in what was then Upper Canada and two years ahead of Toronto. It was called Buell’s Bay before it took the name of General Isaac Brock. The American shore is close: the crossing at Ogdensburg, New York lies roughly 25 kilometers (16 miles) away over the Ogdensburg-Prescott International Bridge.

Blockhouse Island, the flat green point that sits left of centre in the frame, is the city’s municipal harbour and the reason this waterfront looks the way it does. The park spreads across it, the docks run along its edge, and the bay immediately behind it takes its name from what lies under the streets a little further north. The camera’s position on City Hall puts it above the treeline, which is why the far islands stay in shot even in full summer leaf.

That bay is named for the Brockville Railway Tunnel, the first railway tunnel built in Canada. Digging started in September 1854 and the first train ran through on December 31, 1860. The bore runs 530 meters (1,740 feet) beneath the downtown, north from Water Street to Pearl Street, and its south portal opens within sight of the river. It closed in 1970 and reopened to walkers on August 12, 2017, relit with a programmed colour LED system and a recorded music track.

Weather and Climate in Brockville

Brockville has a humid continental climate, Koppen type Dfb, and the four seasons separate cleanly enough that the same frame is hard to recognise from one to the next. January averages -7.2 C (19 F). The marina empties, snow covers the park and the parking areas, and roughly 180 centimeters (71 inches) of it falls across a normal winter. July averages 21.3 C (70 F), and the same view fills with moored boats, parked cars and people on the grass. Precipitation is spread fairly evenly through the year and totals about 1,017 millimeters (40 inches).

The shoulder seasons are the ones worth watching. Spring comes late to the water, and the harbour typically stays quiet for some weeks after the snow has gone from the lawns, so the camera can show bare slips under a warm sky. Autumn works in the opposite order: the maples on Blockhouse Island turn while boats are still in the water, which is the one time of year the foreground is more interesting than the river. Fog can settle on this reach of the St. Lawrence in spring and fall, and when it does the far islands disappear entirely and the frame shortens to the dock line.

Things to Do Near Brockville

The Aquatarium at Tall Ships Landing, an interactive discovery centre about the river and its wildlife, opened in March 2016 and stands a short walk from the point the camera watches. The railway tunnel is the other obvious stop, and it is free to walk: the south portal is a few minutes up from the waterfront, and the full 530 meter (1,740 foot) passage comes out on Pearl Street. Fulford Place, the mansion built between 1899 and 1901 for the patent medicine magnate and senator George Taylor Fulford, is open as a museum, and the county courthouse of 1842 and 1843 still anchors the street grid above the harbour.

Blockhouse Island itself is public park and doubles as a trailhead: the Brock Trail runs past it and links the waterfront to the rest of the town on foot. The harbour is the city’s boating centre, and in season it is the departure point for traffic heading out into the Thousand Islands, the archipelago that begins just downstream and gave Brockville its long standing nickname.

Similar Webcams You Might Like

Three more cameras on Canadian water, starting with the city 80 kilometers (50 miles) upstream where the St. Lawrence leaves Lake Ontario.

• Kingston Webcam
• Parry Sound Webcam
• Baddeck Webcam

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Brockville located?

Brockville is in eastern Ontario, Canada, on the north bank of the St. Lawrence River. It is about 115 kilometers (71 miles) south of Ottawa, 80 kilometers (50 miles) east of Kingston and 340 kilometers (211 miles) east of Toronto. The United States border at Ogdensburg, New York is roughly 25 kilometers (16 miles) away.

What can you see on the Brockville Webcam?

The camera sits on the back of City Hall and looks south over Blockhouse Island Park, the municipal marina and the St. Lawrence River, with wooded islands on the far horizon. Boats, the waterfront parkway and the park’s flagpoles and trees are all in frame.

What is the weather like in Brockville?

It is a humid continental climate with cold winters and warm summers. January averages -7.2 C (19 F) and July averages 21.3 C (70 F). About 1,017 millimeters (40 inches) of precipitation falls each year, including roughly 180 centimeters (71 inches) of snow.

Is Brockville part of the Thousand Islands?

Yes. Brockville sits at the upstream end of the Thousand Islands region on the St. Lawrence, and the city has long used the nickname City of the 1000 Islands. Islands are visible from the waterfront on a clear day.

How many people live in Brockville?

The 2021 Canadian census recorded 22,116 residents.

How old is the Brockville Railway Tunnel?

Construction began in September 1854 and the first train passed through on December 31, 1860, making it the first railway tunnel built in Canada. It closed in 1970 and reopened as a lit pedestrian walkway on August 12, 2017.

Are there two Brockville webcams?

Yes. The City of Brockville runs River Cam South, the City Hall camera that is the main view on this page, and River Cam West, which stands at the end of Blockhouse Island and looks west along the river. Both are available here.

When is the best time to watch the Brockville Webcam?

Daylight hours in the boating season, roughly late spring through early autumn, give the busiest picture, with the marina full and the park in use. Late September and October bring leaf colour to Blockhouse Island while boats are still moored.

Source: City of Brockville