Lock 9, located near Lantz, is the final lock in the Shubenacadie Canal Waterway. Like Lock 8, it was built as an in-river lock. Also like Lock 8, little remains of Lock 9, although some remnants are visible when the water level is low.

Beyond this point, the Shubenacadie Canal Waterway becomes mostly free of human influence. Boats leaving Lock 9 would follow the natural course of the snaking Shubenacadie River for a distance of about 60 km (37 mi) before reaching the community of Maitland on the Bay of Fundy.

This reliance on nature was a double-edged sword. Although it eliminated the need for further construction costs, the tidal action of the river and its plentiful sandbars routinely caused problems for larger vessels. Even the maiden voyage of the canal flagship Avery from Halifax to Maitland in 1861 was interrupted by the steamer running aground in the river. Coupled with the relatively lower populations of the communities in the area, this northern section of the waterway saw substantially less traffic than the portion south of Grand Lake.