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Lake Ontario Waterfront Trail News
An Ezine Produced by the Waterfront Regeneration Trust
CIBC* COIP*The Lake Ontario waterfront municipalities, conservation authorities and community groups*The Eastern Lake Ontario – St. Lawrence River Waterfront Working Group MapArt* Niagara Freewheelers Bicycle Touring Club* Regional Niagara Bicycling Committee St. Lawrence Cement* Tilley Endurables
July 2005
In this issue:
- The Path to Bicycling Success: Bikeway Planning and Development Workshop—Thursday October 20, 2004
- Waterfront Trail Profiled in Ottawa Citizen
- Waterfront Trust ‘On the Map’ in the City of Toronto
- Trail Improvements on Toronto’s Waterfront
- Trust Portfolio Transferred to the New Provincial Ministry of Health Promotion
- Durham Embarks on Regional Cycling Plan Study
- Cycling to Niagara to Brockville, Twice!
- July’s Featured Community Group: The Biosphere Network in Lansdowne, Ontario
- Upcoming Events
- Visit our website at www.waterfronttrail.org/trail-events.html
The Path to Bicycling Success: A Bikeway Planning and Development Workshop
Velo Quebec has demonstrated its leadership in the area of creating bicycling systems through its work on the 4300 km La Route verte. In collaboration with the Trust, the Ontario Parks Association, the Ontario Recreation Facilities Association, and Ontario Place, Marc Joliceour of Velo Quebec will lead a workshop on Bikeway Planning and Development. The workshop will be conducted at various locations throughout Canada – this is the first-time it will be offered in Ontario. Be sure to mark Thursday, October 20, 2005 from 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m on your calendars. The session will be held at Ontario Place in Toronto. Registration information will be distributed via email and in the next ezine.
Waterfront Trail Profiled in the Ottawa Citizen
Recently, the Ottawa Citizen featured an impressive two-page article,
complete with colour photographs, profiling the Waterfront Trail and its
proposed extension to the Quebec border. The article, entitled “Well
Spoken: Ontario and Quebec to link vast network of bike trails,”
appeared on June 12th, coinciding with the first day of our 2005 bike
tour from Brockville to Montreal. The article highlighted one of the reasons
for our bike trip - to lay the foundation for a linkage between the Waterfront
Trail and Quebec’s Route Verte. The article also featured an interview
with our own Vicki Barron, Executive Director of the Trust. In it she
summarized the history of the Trail as well as discussing our current
goals and initiatives.
Articles such as this one are wonderful tools for raising awareness and
interest in the Trail. We would like to express out thanks both to Daniel
Drolet and the Ottawa Citizen. Stay tuned to our website for a link to
the article to be posted in the near future.
Our photo-itinerary from our Brockville to Montreal tour is now up on
our site. To read more about our trip, to view our photos and to read
Kate Harries Toronto Star article: “Cycle Paths Lead to Adventure”
go to www.waterfronttrail.org
and click on River Tour: Brockville to Montreal.
Waterfront Trust ‘On the Map’ in the City of Toronto
The Waterfront Trust’s trailhead signage program is well underway
with plans to install new trailhead signs in each community along the
Waterfront Trail.
The first of the signs has been installed in Toronto. Working in partnership
with the Toronto Waterfront Revitalization Corporation, the City of Toronto,
the Province and the Government of Canada, twenty-one trailhead signs
along Toronto’s Waterfront Trail have been installed from Marie
Curtis Park in the west to the Balmy Beach Park in the east. The signs
are posted at all major access points to the Trail.
The response to the signs has been very positive. Nikki Rendle from the
Trust recently staffed a booth at a City of Toronto Environment Day event.
People indicated they were pleased with the signs and found them useful
for navigating their way on the Trail. One man in particular commented
that he was happy to see the signs installed and that through the signs
he had discovered he could use the Trail to visit other communities along
Lake Ontario.
Trail Improvements on Toronto’s Waterfront
The Toronto Waterfront Revitalization Corporation (TWRC) recently held
a public consultation forum on their upcoming project that will make improvements
and additions to Toronto’s Waterfront Trail from Marilyn Bell Park
in the west to Leslie Street in the east. These improvements will include
repair and maintenance in some sections of the trail and overall filling
in gaps in the trail system. Vicki Barron represented the Trust at the
public meeting and submitted the Trust’s comments on the proposed
improvements. Click here to view
her letter to the TWRC.
For more information on this project visit the TWRC’s website at
www.towaterfront.ca
Ministry of Health Promotion
The Province recently announced the creation of a new ministry devoted
to promoting sport and recreation as well as healthy living in Ontario.
As the portfolio for trails in Ontario has been transferred over to this
ministry, the Trust has sent congratulations to Mr. Jim Watson on his
appointment and introduced him to the partnership of municipalities, conservation
authorities, community groups and businesses that are dedicated to expanding,
enhancing and promoting the Trail. We have outlined the goals and objectives,
highlighting the importance of the trail to the community as a place for
recreation, fitness and retreat. Fitness and being close to nature are
the top two reasons people use the Trail. Vicki Barron will be representing
the Trust at an upcoming meet and greet event with the new Minister.
The partnership between the Waterfront Regeneration Trust and the provincial
government is an important asset for both parties and remains one of the
keys components to the Trail’s success. We look forward to working
in collaboration with the Ministry of Health Promotion to enhance the
Trail and continue to promote outdoor recreation along the waterfront.
Click here to view Vicki Baron’s
letter to Minister Jim Watson.
Durham Embarks on Regional Cycling Plan Study
The Region of Durham has announced that it has initiated a study to develop a comprehensive cycling plan aimed at expanding and integrating cycling facilities in the region and promoting cycling both for recreation and as a viable mode for commuting. The Plan is being developed partly in response to recent surveys that show a strong interest in cycling in the region as well as a desire for improvement in the local cycling infrastructure. One of the main challenges is how to connect communities as well as key attractions and destinations for cyclists, when often the most direct route is along busy Regional roads that do not provide on-road cycling facilities like bike lanes, paved shoulders and signed only bike routes. The goals of the project include:
- improving the visibility and accessibility of cycling routes
- increasing safety on the network
- integrating with other modes of transportation, including public transit
- highlighting scenic areas and routes
For more information on this study please visit Durham’s website at www.region.durham.on.ca/cycling
Cycling from Niagara to Brockville, Twice!
We recently received an email from Hamiltonians Pat Elliot-Moyer and
Steve Abbott about their trip on the Trail from Niagara-on-the-Lake to
Brockville. After spotting our Pedal Passport pamphlet on a visit to William’s
Coffee Pub on the Hamilton Waterfront Trail, the pair was determined to
complete the Trail’s end-to-end challenge. It was more convenient
for them to use one car so they rode each day to their destination and
then back to their car – they covered the route twice! Their daily
rides ranged from 30 to 160kms. Here’s an excerpt from their email
that we wanted to share with you:
“We are Bruce Trail End to Enders and loved every minute of the
challenge. After completing that goal we were looking for a similar challenge
that would lead us to discover more of our own backyard…”
“We began by accessing your website and downloading our first set
of maps. Then we called your office and had such friendly and excited
reception…The trail, as we had hoped, took us into communities and
parks that we would never have discovered any other way.”
“The best part of the whole trail was the view of Lake Ontario!
In some newer communities on the waterfront, there were public multiuse
trails right on the water in front of the waterfront condos! That was
a nice surprise!
“A couple of suggestions: Signing in some areas was lacking and
needs to be improved…in other areas it was extremely well done!”
For their efforts Pat and Steve will be receiving our End-to-End Awards
Package complete with a certificate, Tilley Hat and pin. Congratulations,
and thanks for the feedback!
July’s Featured Community Group: The Biosphere Network, Lansdowne
Ontario
The 1000 Islands-Frontenac Arch Biosphere Reserve designated in November
2002 is the 3rd in Ontario, the 12th in Canada, and one of over 400 around
the world. The group accomplishes their work by trying to network the
117 natural and historic conservation organizations, the myriad of economic
and social development groups, and the educational and scientific community
and to steer towards a more integrated and effective approach to living
on earth.
Just as the Thousand Islands form a stepping stone land bridge across
the St Lawrence River, so too does the Frontenac Arch form a bridge that
connects the landforms of the Algonquin and Adirondack Park regions. The
Thousand Islands are formed where Lake Ontario spills over and into the
St . Lawrence River. The biosphere reserve boundaries follow a rough natural
triangle between Brockville, Gananoque and Westport Ontario and extend
into South Frontenac Township and around the borders of Frontenac Provincial
Park.
The Biosphere Network is a voluntary network of nature and history organizations,
working together to promote and support shared efforts and to implement
programs for conservation, development, research and education in the
Thousand Islands-Frontenac Arch region.
For more information visit: www.biospherenetwork.com
Upcoming Events
To learn about upcoming waterfront festivals or major community events
happening along the waterfront this summer visit our website at
www.waterfronttrail.org/trail-events.html
Happy Summer!
Vicki Barron, Executive Director;
Marlaine Koehler, Program Director;
and Nikki Rendle, Editor Lake Ontario Waterfront Trail News
The Waterfront Regeneration Trust
372 Richmond Street West, Suite 308
Toronto, Ontario
M5V 1X6
Tel: 416-943-8080
Fax: 416-943-8068
Email: nr@wrtrust.com
www.waterfronttrail.org
Visit www.waterfronttrail.org to download 90 online colour maps of the Waterfront Trail, from Niagara-on-the-Lake to Brockville!
Thank You to our Supporters!:
- CIBC
- The Lake Ontario waterfront municipalities, conservation authorities and community groups
- The Eastern Lake OntarioSt.Lawrence Waterfront Working Group
- MapArt
- Niagara Freewheelers Bicycle Touring Club
- Regional Niagara Bicycling Committee
- St. Lawrence Cement
- Tilley Endurables
- The Trust would also like to thank the Canada-Ontario Infrastructure Program (COIP) for its generous support of the 51 projects that comprise the Lake Ontario Waterfront Investment Program.
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