Canard River of the Minas Basin. The river was once tidal for most of its length but a series of dykes first built in the 1600s held back the tide which is now stopped near the river's mouth by the Wellington Dyke. The upper reaches of the river are often referred to by the dykes which once spanned the river - Upper Dyke and Middle Dyke. The Canard river was known to the Mi'kmaq people as Apocheechumochwakade meaning "home of the black duck". The Mi'kmaq also used the mouth of the river for shad fishing. Acadians settled along the river in the
Canard, Nova Scotia Canard, Nova Scotia Canard Street, also known as Route 341, runs through the community following the Canard River and is bisected in the middle by Route 358 which divides the community between Upper Canard to the west and Lower Canard to the east. The corner was known by the names of Canard Corner and Hamilton Corner but is best known by locals as "Jaw Bone Corner". The name stems from a large set of whale jaw bones which were mounted at the crossroads after a whale stranded and died on the Canard River in the early 19th century. The community