Lake Ontario Waterfront Trail News

An Ezine Produced by the Waterfront Regeneration Trust

November/December 2003

In this issue:

• 2003 Accomplishments

As 2003 comes to a close we thought this would be a great opportunity to share with you our accomplishments over the past year. We’ve made excellent progress on our priority programs which you will see below in the list of program accomplishments for 2003. We would like to thank all of our partners for their continued participation and support for the Waterfront Trail and we look forward to building on our successes in 2004.

COMMUNICATIONS & PROMOTIONS PROGRAM

2003 ACCOMPLISHMENTS

WEB SITE DEVELOPMENT

We are now looking at an early spring 2004 change over. Watermark Design has come up with a new layout for our website and Marlaine and Nikki have met with MapArt to discuss adding the electronic maps of the Trail to our site. MapArt will be updating their base maps in early spring 2004 – so this is likely when the maps would be available to us. In addition, we will include the updated community profile information that was collected this past summer (see Community Profile & Activities Update below). The new site will also have the ability to allow us to create links with our community partners websites.

The web site continues to enjoy excellent visitation statistics (see below) demonstrating the excellent reach the Trail gains and the importance of investing in an update and redesign of the site.

Web site hits (2003 from April to October): April – 183,880; May – 171,044; June – 237,489; July – 301,286; August – 225,980; September – 180,078; October – 145,930.

TORONTO STAR ARTICLE

On July 10, 2003 the Toronto Star (Travel Section) printed the article, which highlighted our bike trip on the Seaway Trail. The Trust staff developed the article collaboratively and we were able to include references and information on the Lake Ontario Waterfront Trail, including our web site address. We have now developed a contact and friend in the Travel Section of the paper and are hoping to collaborate on other Trail related articles.

EZINES

We have been creating and publishing our monthly electronic magazine, which highlights greenway initiatives and activities. The Ezine provides an efficient and effective way to communicate success stories on the waterfront to both our partners and other interested parties. Our subscriber base is approx. 900.
We have also changed the method in which we manage our subscriber base and have gone to a list serve, which allows us to quickly and effectively send out the Ezines and manage our subscriber information.

COMMUNITY PROFILE & ACTIVITIES UPDATE

We received partial funding through a Labatts People in Action Program to hire a student to update the waterfront communities profiles, including such information as park and trail amenities – washrooms, parking, access points etc. In addition the student compiled the summer event listing for all significant waterfront events and we posted this information on our web site as well as including it in our Ezine publications.

PARTICIPATION AT OCTOBER WORLD CYCLING CHAMPIONSHIPS IN HAMILTON

The Trust manned a booth at this 6-day event; in addition to introducing the trail to new users we were also able to provide updated information to current users. In terms of hard copy materials we sold 500 copies of the Trail Map Book and distributed over 1,000 copies the cycling brochure. Estimate that we reached over 200,000 people from our target audience of recreational cyclists. The feedback that we received on the Trail was very positive.

CYCLING TRAIL BROCHURE

This interim (while SuperBuild projects are underway) promotions piece was created and 12,000 copies were printed; and over 1,000 were distributed at the Cycling Championships. We are also starting the distribution of the brochure to our Partners and other distribution outlets.

PROMOTION ADVERTISEMENT FOR INSERTION IN SPRING/SUMMER 2003 MUNICIPAL RECREATION BROCHURES

We developed an advertisement featuring the Waterfront Trail and targeting recreational cyclists that our municipal Partners can customize and insert into their spring/summer 2004 Municipal Recreation Brochures. We received excellent feedback on the design and content from the Marketing and Communications Committee as well as the attendees at the November 21st Partners’ Workshop. Many of our partners have agreed to run the ad this summer.

MAPART AND THE REVISED VERSION OF THE MAPBOOK

The Trust has finalized a partnership with MapArt that will see the Waterfront Trail alignment promoted and included in all the mapping products produced by MapArt that cover the geography of the Trail. This will give us very broad coverage in the GTA and allows us to take advantage of MapArt’s incredible distribution network. Further, MapArt has agreed to update the routing information as part of its regular mapping update process. As consequence, the public will have access to excellent maps featuring the Trail; and the Trust is no longer in the difficult position of acting as publisher/distributer for a publication. MapArt will use the Trail logo and will provide space to describe the Waterfront Trail in its mapping books as well as direct people to our website for more information.

The Trust will focus on the developing an excellent website which will feature detailed maps of the trail that are downloadable and suggested itineraries.

WATERFRONT KIJIMBA KIND AND WEBSITE

The Trust has submitted an application to the Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) to fund a four-year program that would result in the installation of 30 Kijimba Kind sculptures in 10 locations along the waterfront and the redesign of our website. The application is being made under the collaborative stream of OTF. Our collaborative partners for Phase One of the project are: Brockville, Brighton, Oshawa, Mississauga, Hamilton, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Dorsey James, and XTL Transport. The 4-year work plan has a budget of $666,702. We are requesting full funding for the initiative. Municipalities who agree to become site partners will coordinate community involvement in the sculpture design, and contribute site enhancements and transportation costs. An OTF decision will be made in May 2004.

The Trillium submission represents another example of the Trust working with municipal partners to attract funds (especially funding from senior levels of government) to the waterfront that would not otherwise be available.

PROPOSAL TO ONTARIO POWER GENERATION (OPG)

As a follow up to our October 6, 2003 meeting with OPG officials, Marlaine prepared and submitted a proposal to OPG to become a donor. The proposal included a request for funds to extend the trail east from Quinte West to Brockville. Specific elements of the program include trailhead signage in the eastern communities; trail audit of the eastern section of the Trail; web site development; partners meetings. The proposal also indicates that the Trust is applying to OTF for the Kijimba Kind sculptures and suggests that should this application be approved, the Trust would request OPG participate in this program by contributing additional funds. A meeting of the OPG donations committee was to be held in early November but as a result of the provincial election, the committee meeting has been postponed until January.

PRESENTATIONS & SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS

Trust staff has given presentations/information on the Trail at the following events:

• Commerce Courts Environment Week Display with CIBC
• Launch of the “Other Map of Toronto’ by the Green Tourism Association
• Dufferin/Wellington Trails Workshop
• Eastern Ontario Trail workshop Group Annual Meeting
• Environmental Convergence Conference at OPG – Darlington
• Niagara Region Cycling Committee
• Niagara Freewheelers Club
• Institute of Environmental Studies Fall Speakers Series

WATERFRONT PARTNERS MEETING – November 21, 2003

The Trust organized and hosted a Partners’ Workshop and invited two experts from the Velo Quebec and the Seaway Trail to share with the waterfront network how they are taking advantage of the growing interest in cycling tourism. “Bicycling Beyond Borders”. Approx 50 partners and Trail representatives attended.

WATERFRONT TRAIL SIGNAGE

Early in 2003, we received approval from all of the eastern Ontario communities for the extension of the Trail to Brockville. Since that time we have been working closely with these communities and their local partners to ‘catch up’ to the work that is in place to the west.

The Trust and the Eastern Lake Ontario Waterfront /St. Lawrence River Working Group have successfully won approval from MTO to sign the Loyalist Parkway from Aldophustown to Kingston (approximately 40 kms). While local municipalities along this stretch of waterfront have indicated a strong desire to become part of the Waterfront Trail, MTO has jurisdiction over this portion of the road. Signage could not be installed without their approval. An agreement between the Trust and MTO was reached this September. Signs were delivered early October and should be in place by November. Signs have also been sent to Gananoque who is ready to sign their route. Brockville is also ready to sign their waterfront next spring.

The Trust continues discussions with the St. Lawrence Parks Commission regarding the incorporation of their bikeway into the Waterfront Trail. Management staff is supportive and will make a presentation to their Board later this year. This extension was initiated by the ELOSR Working Group.

PARTNERSHIP WITH THE GREEN TOURISM ASSOCIATION

Last spring the Trust signed on as a partner of the Green Tourism Association (GTA). Their mission to promote urban green tourism to tourists and residents of Toronto provides a great opportunity to increase public awareness about the Waterfront Trail. Through the partnership with the GTA over the past year the Trust has had a feature article published in the GTA’s quarterly newsletter, a descriptive listing on the association’s web site, the Waterfront Trail route displayed with the Trust’s logo on the new Other Map of Toronto as well as opportunities to display information at GTA events. The Trust looks forward to continuing to work together with the GTA in 2004.

Cheers!
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

Purchase your copy of the Lake Ontario Waterfront Trail Mapbook at Mountain Equipment Co-op (400 King Street West) and Sporting Life Stores in Toronto (1-877-772-2262 to find a store location near you).

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 Canadian Ontario Infrastructure Program (COIP) for its generous support of the 51 projects that comprise the Lake Ontario Waterfront Investment Program.