A monument to workers who died building the Rideau Canal will be recast and replaced, after it was damaged this week.

President of the Ottawa and District Labour Council, Sean McKenney says the Celtic cross monument was found broken into four pieces on Monday.

McKenney told Newstalk 580 CFRA's Ottawa Now with Evan Solomon it appears the monument was damaged accidentally, as a result of carelessness rather than vandalism.

"There were a couple of visitors, I've been told, that were younger folks horsing around on the monument," he said.

McKenney called the damage "heartbreaking" and said he hopes people understand the significance of the memorial.

"We don't mind people are touching the monument; we think they can do that. We certainly want them to come down and see it, that's why it's there," he said. "But recognize that this is a marker, that this for a thousand workers and their families who lost their lives."

The $18,000 monument was first unveiled in 2004. The inscription at its base reads “In Memory of the 1000 workers & their families who died building this canal 1826-1832.”

McKenney says the number of people who have come forward, offering to help pay for repairs, is heartwarming, but he the cross is covered by a warranty.

"We do have a warranty on it," he said. "It won't be able to be put back together, but a monument company has told me that, in a couple of months, it will be recast and put up again."