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

June 2006

In this issue:

• Recent COIP Project Celebrations
  • Hamilton opens Lakeland Centre
  • Wainfleet Rail Trail opening in Niagara
• Burlington opens Discovery Landing and Rotary Central Pond
• County of Lennox and Addington opens County Trails
• An End to End Story
• Bringing More Cycling Tourism to the Trail

Recent COIP Project Celebrations

June was a busy month for our partners in the Lake Ontario Waterfront Investment Program. Two more projects, the Hamilton Lakeland Centre and the Wainfleet Rail Trail were unveiled during June as part of the Canada-Ontario Infrastructure Program (COIP) projects. By 2008 the COIP program will contribute $9.2 million towards 52 projects along the Lake Ontario Waterfront Trail.

Hamilton opens Lakeland Centre

On June 22, the Hamilton Conservation Authority hosted the official opening of the Lakeland Centre, a new attraction located within Confederation Park in Hamilton. The unique new facility features a 30-foot lighthouse style viewing centre, a banquet hall, a community pool and a parking lot that can accommodate up to 300 cars. The Lakeland Hall, located within the Centre, can accommodate up to 150 people and with its vaulted ceilings and exposed beams, makes for an attractive location for weddings, meetings and other events.

The Lakeland Centre is one of five projects in Hamilton that were part of the Lake Ontario Waterfront Investment – Canada Ontario Infrastructure Program (COIP). In addition to the contribution from the COIP program, funding for the Lakeland Centre was also received from the Hamilton Conservation Authority, City of Hamilton, and Hamilton Waterfront Trust.

For more information about the Lakeland Centre or for site tours, contact Yvonne Tomasin at (905) 547-6141 ext. 5101 or email ytomasin@conservationhamilton.ca.

Wainfleet Rail Trail Opening in Niagara

On June 12, the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority, in partnership with the Township of Wainfleet, the Waterfront Regeneration Trust and the Trans Canada Trail, hosted the official opening of the Wainfleet Rail Trail at the Wainfleet Wetlands Conservation Area. The new 12 km stretch of trail follows the former Grand Trunk Railway Corridor, linking the Wainfleet Wetlands via the Trans Canada Trail, the Welland Canals Parkway Trail and the Greater Niagara Circle Route. It is an exciting new addition to the Region of Niagara’s already extensive network of trails.

The Wainfleet Rail Trail has been designed as a multi-use trail for walkers, cyclists, horseback riders and nature enthusiasts and is easily accessible for users with restricted mobility. Waterfront Trail users can make a side-trip to the Wainfleet Rail Trail via the Welland Canals Parkway or the Greater Niagara Circle Route, both of which link up with the Waterfront Trail in the Region of Niagara.

For more information, visit
www.conservation-niagara.on.ca/conservation_areas/wainfleetrailtrail/railtrail.html or the contact the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority administration at 905-788-3135.

Burlington opens Discovery Landing and Rotary Central Pond

Another exciting addition to Lake Ontario’s waterfront was recently unveiled in Burlington. June 24th marked the opening celebrations for two new family destinations: Discovery Landing and the Rotary Centennial Pond. Discovery Landing is a glass-enclosed observatory that faces the lake, providing a remarkable view of water and great opportunities for weather watching. The observatory is open to the public year round and offers exhibits and interactive displays (including a 7-foot tornado!) and programs on weather, the environment and the history of the waterfront in Burlington. The new facility also houses Spencer’s on the Waterfront, a family restaurant, and the Bite Café.

Rotary Centennial Pond is a new attraction that will provide year round recreation on the waterfront, operating as a skating rink in the winter and a 14-inch deep reflective pond in the summer which will be used by model boating clubs.

Discovery Landing is open daily from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. For more information visit cms.burlington.ca/English/Discovery-Landing.html.

Congratulations to everyone involved in these projects for the wonderful new amenities on Lake Ontario’s waterfront!

County of Lennox and Addington Opens County Trails

On May 24, the County of Lennox and Addington announced the official opening of County Trails, a network of recreational trails spanning Lennox and Addington and the Land O’Lakes region. The new trail system encompasses 12 trails and nearly 600 km of circular routes! The routes, which vary in length and difficulty, follow county and selected roads and have been designed to accommodate cyclists, walkers and in-line skaters.

For more information, visit www.countytrails.com or call 1-800-840-4445.

An End to End Story

Last month we received an email from our first official end to ender of the season. Trina from Edmonton gave us a detailed account of her cycling trip, which took her along the Waterfront Trail from Niagara-on-the-Lake and then on to Ottawa over the course of 10 days in May. We thought we would share some of her comments about the Waterfront Trail:

“What a lovely day of riding through the countryside, taking the [Glenora] Ferry across to Picton and along the Loyalist Parkway. Historic, scenic vistas, beautiful old buildings – gorgeous!”

“Draw bridges, locks and interesting bridges through Hamilton. After the turn-off around the lake, the trail is particularly lovely – right along the lake, wide easy riding.”

“Signage problems were the only real difficulty, but this is better than many others I’ve been on, where there are twists and turns.”

“It’s one of the best trails I’ve been on for cycle touring. Thanks!”

Thanks for sending us your story Trina and congratulations on completing the end to end challenge!

Bringing More Cycling Tourism to the Trail

We recently received an email from Bike On Tours, a tourism company specializing in self-guided tours in Ontario and Quebec, offering suggestions on how to make the trail more attractive for visiting cyclists. The two main suggestions were:

• Increase the availability of bike rentals along the trail
• Provide luggage transfer services for cyclists

We are asking cycle shops and tourism organizations to please contact us if these services are provided in your municipality or if you are planning on providing them in the future. We can then put you in touch with Bike On Tours and other tourism groups that will want to make use of these services. Please contact David at info@wrtrust.com or by phone at (416) 943-8080.

Thanks to Howard from Bike On Tours for providing us with these suggestions.

Cheers!

Vicki Barron, Executive Director;
Marlaine Koehler, Program Director;
Nikki Rendle, Project Manager;
and David Arcus, 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 Ontario St.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.