NYS Canal System benefits flow far and wide (Your Letters) Updated 10:51 AM; Today 10:51 AM Canal Corp. Director Brian Stratton (left), NYS Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul (cebter) and Joe Treglia, executive director of the Chittenango Landing Canal Boat Museum, kayak on the Old Erie Canal in Chittenango on Aug. 6, 2020. The canal reopens for the season on May 21, 2021. Facebook Share To the Editor: Along with millions of New Yorkers and visitors from all over the world, we look forward to our historic New York State Canal System opening on May 21, 2021. Like it has throughout its nearly 200-year history, the opening of New York’s canals ushers in a new season of recreational and commercial activities with social and economic benefits that flow far and wide.