Lake Ontario Waterfront Trail News

An Ezine Produced by the Waterfront Regeneration Trust

October 2003

In this issue:

• The Loyalist Parkway to be Signed to the Waterfront Trail
• Construction Begins on Lennox Generating Station Waterfront Conservation Area
• New Lake Ontario Ferry Connection
• The City of Burlington to Review its Beach Master Plan
• An Update on the Health of the Humber River
• A Waterfront Trail Tale From Our Newest End-to-Enders
• Upcoming Partner’s Meeting

Attachments:
WillingFinal.doc

The Loyalist Parkway to be Signed to the Waterfront Trail

The Waterfront Trust is pleased to announce the signing of the Loyalist Parkway to the Waterfront Trail. The Ministry of Transportation has developed plans for a route alignment of the Trail along Highway 33/Loyalist Parkway in eastern Ontario. Efforts are currently underway to install signage. This new section of Waterfront Trail will provide a connection between Adolphustown and Kingston through picturesque countryside and the historic town of Bath. The Trust extends its gratitude to the Eastern Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence River Waterfront Working Group, the Municipalities of Loyalist and Greater Napanee and the County of Lennox Addington for their leadership and persistence in making this extension possible.

Construction Begins on the Lennox Generating Station Waterfront Conservation Area
Kudos go to the Lennox Generating Station for their initiative to naturalize a section of their property, providing wildlife habitat and increasing public accessibility to the area. As part of the future land use strategy for the Lennox Generating Station’s property, the eastern portion of the site is being regenerated to a more naturalized state. The project involves:

- increasing the safety of public access to the on-site park by replacing the existing park on the west side of County Road 21 with a larger, more diverse conservation area on the south east section, adjacent to the waterfront.
- natural regeneration of a provincially significant wetland on the northeast section of the property.

Construction is already underway to reroute Highway 33 to allow space for the proposed waterfront conservation area and a new trail has been cut to provide public access to the wetland. Stay tuned for information about the grand opening currently scheduled for spring 2004.

New Lake Ontario Ferry Connection

Cyclists and trail enthusiasts alike may soon have another way to access the Lake Ontario Trail network. According to an article that appeared recently in the Toronto Star, construction is currently underway to develop a new terminal building in Rochester, New York. The port will be complete with customs and immigration facilities, shops, new roads, parking lots and landscaping. It is hoped that by offering a new, interesting route across the border, the ferry will increase the amount of tourists between the two cities. When Toronto completes its terminal (plans are to have the ferry dock beside Cherry Beach) Canadian trail users will be able to access the Seaway Trail that follows the southern shores of Lake Ontario and American visitors can more readily access the Waterfront Trail. If plans go ahead as scheduled, the ferry service will begin in May 2004. Source: Toronto Star, October 12, 2003.

The City of Burlington to Work on Improvements Around the Port Authority Canal

The City of Burlington will be updating its Burlington Beach Master Plan later this year/early next year to look at enhance cycling connections and park amenities between Burlington Beach and the Port Authority Canal. The timing and financing of these possible improvements are yet to be determined but will be examined during the Master Plan review.

An Update on the Health of the Humber River

The Etobicoke Guardian recently ran an article that described the promising outlook given to the Humber River in a new report card set to be released by the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA). Studies done by the staff at the TRCA show there has been a significant drop in heavy metal levels and organic contaminants in the river over the last 30 years. These results are evident in the decreased levels of contaminant toxins found in game fish from the Humber River watershed over the last 5 years.

The TRCA attributes the decline in heavy metals to a ban on DDT and the phasing out of industrial PCBs. In addition, golf courses in the area are limiting their use of herbicides and pesticides by 75% and a decrease in agricultural activity along the Humber watershed has lead to an overall decline in the amount of phosphorus in the river system. Source: Etobicoke Guardian, September 7, 2003.

The new report card is now available. Contact the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority for more information at 416-661-6600 or http://www.trca.on.ca/

A Waterfront Trail Tale: A Summer’s Journey on the Trail, Part 3

In this month’s installment Kathlene wraps up her end-to-end journey. She successfully completes the second half of her trip in 5 days enjoying spectacular views of Lake Ontario and challenging rides over the rolling hills around Port Hope. Congratulations to Kathlene, our newest end-to-ender and thank you for allowing us to share your wonderful story! To read more about the final stretch of her trip view the attachment “WillingFinal.doc”.

Upcoming Partner’s Meeting

On Friday November 21st the Trust will hold its semi-annual Waterfront Partner’s meeting at the Ruth Clarke Activity Centre in Port Hope. We are pleased to announce our two guest speakers at the meeting will be Jean Francois from Velo Quebec and David Cutter from the Seaway Trail. They will be speaking about the potential for cycling trails to increase tourism based on the success of trails in their regions. More specific details on the meeting will be available shortly.

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.