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

October 2005

In this issue:

• Workshops Focused on Increasing Participation in Cycling
• Waterfront Trail Completed Through Mississauga
• Ontario Trails Strategy Launched
• Detour of Waterfront Trail at Marilyn Bell Park in Toronto
• A Group of Seven Goes End-to-End
• Oak Ridges Trail Association Launches New Website
• Upcoming Conferences and Community Events:
  • 41st Central Canadian Symposium on Water Quality Research
    

Workshops Focused on Increasing Participation in Cycling

Last week two workshops were held to discuss cycling issues in Ontario. These events are important to help promote cycling and establish a stronger cycling infrastructure. On Thursday October 20th the Trust, in collaboration with our partners, Ontario Parks Association, the Ontario Recreation Facilities Association, Ontario Place, Marshall Macklin Monaghan and CIBC, invited leading expert Marc Jolicoeur of Velo Quebec to share his expertise in a hands-on work session on bicycling systems. Thirty professionals came to discuss how design can address safety issues and potential user conflicts. During the afternoon session a field trip enabled the group to see examples where design has created potential problems as well as developed solutions. The workshop was featured the following day in a half page article in the Toronto Star’s GTA section, written by reporter Kevin McGran.. To view the article click here. Complete follow up from the workshop will be covered in subsequent issues of the ezine. The Trust would like to thank our event sponsors: Ontario Place, Marshall Macklin Monaghan and MTO.

The following Saturday, Nikki Rendle represented the Waterfront Trust at the Cycle Ontario Alliance Cycling Conference in Hamilton. The workshop topics focused on how we can work towards a more bicycle-friendly and healthier Ontario. Representatives from various municipalities and community groups in southern Ontario were on hand to present the successes experienced within their own communities. For instance, participants learned about the City of Burlington’s bike infrastructure planning which sees bike lanes being installed, in most cases on roads slated for construction or to be retrofitted – this puts Burlington far ahead of bikeway planning initiatives in many GTA municipalities.

For more information on Cycle Ontario Alliance go to: www.cycleontario.ca/

Waterfront Trail Completed Through Mississauga

On Thursday, November 3rd, Mayor Hazel McCallion and Members of Council are holding a ceremony to celebrate the completion of the Waterfront Trail through Mississauga. The final link is a recently paved 600-metre trail along the south portion of the Imperial Oil property that lies between Ben Machree Park and JC Saddington Park at the end of Mississauga Rd. The completion follows several years of negotiations between the City of Mississauga, Imperial Oil and the Ministry of the Environment.

The Waterfront Trail is a popular destination for locals and visitors alike in Mississauga and this final link will guarantee further convenience for all trail users. Congratulations to the City of Mississauga for completing their section of the Waterfront Trail!

The ceremony will be taking place at 2 pm on November 3rd at JC Saddington Park (South of Lakeshore Road West at the Bottom of Mississauga Rd). Those wishing to attend should RSVP by phone at (905) 615-4162 or by email at pauline.stevenson@mississauga.ca.

Ontario Trails Strategy Launched

On October 6th, the Ministry of Health Promotion launched its new Ontario Trails Strategy. The strategy is a key component of the Ontario government’s ACTIVE2010 plan to increase the overall health and fitness of Ontarians by the year 2010. The aim of the strategy is to promote and extend Ontario’s trail systems and encourage their use for fitness and recreation activities. The new plan also comes with a $3.5 million commitment from the government.

The Ontario Trails Strategy outlines five strategic directions:

• Improving collaboration among stakeholders, including all levels of government, local and regional trail organizations, businesses and conservation authorities.
• Enhancing the sustainability of Ontario’s trails
• Enhancing the trail experience
• Educating Ontarians about trails
• Fostering better health and a strong economy through trails

We believe that an investment in Ontario’s trails will have far-reaching benefits and we strongly support the notion that promoting and expanding the trails can help improve the health and fitness of Ontarians. We are encouraged and pleased to see that this issue is on the Ontario government’s agenda.

For more information go to: www.mhp.gov.on.ca/english/news/100605.asp

Detour of Waterfront Trail at Marilyn Bell Park in Toronto

The Martin Goodman (Waterfront) Trail has been closed temporarily at Marilyn Bell Park in downtown Toronto to allow construction of the Western Beaches Watercourse breakwall. A new trail will be constructed through the park which will act as a detour route and will also remain a permanent trail after construction ends in April of 2006. Until this new route opens, however, users of the Waterfront Trail are being detoured along the sidewalk adjacent to Lake Shore Blvd and are urged to take extra care when proceeding through this section.

A Group of Seven Goes End-to-End

We recently received an email from a group of seven cyclists who completed an end-to-end trip across the Waterfront Trail this summer. The trip was competed in two stages: the first from Kingston to Toronto, and the second from Toronto to Niagara and Ft. Erie. The entire journey took a total of nine days with the group cycling 70-90 km each day from campsite to campsite along the way. Here are some excerpts from their e-mail:

“I have just returned from a cycling/camping trip on the Waterfront Trail from Kingston-Niagara-Ft. Erie and am so pleased with the trail that I had to write to you and congratulate you for all your efforts in constructing and maintaining the trail.”

“We continued on our route along Lake Ontario passing through some very beautiful and scenic countryside and were absolutely amazed at the clarity and purity of Lake Ontario on the other side of Toronto.”

“The only suggestion I could make towards the trail improvement would be to try and establish the trail in Scarborough, where unfortunately one must cycle or walk along busy streets the whole way.”

“We also used the trip to qualify for the expedition part of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Youth Awards Program for the Bronze, Silver and Gold Levels.”

Congratulations to Raphael, Tony, John, Rachel, Andrew, Carol and Abner, our newest end-to-enders!

Oak Ridges Trail Association Launches New Website

The Oak Ridges Trail Association has announced the launch of its new website: www.oakridgestrail.org. The new site replaces www.orta.ca and offers an updated look and improved navigation as well as additional website content. Among the new features are: an overview map of the trail, a news board, a calendar of events, a photo gallery, an online document library and access to an online version of their quarterly newsletter, Trail Talk. The site also contains information on how to purchase the ORTA guidebook and other merchandise.

For more information about the ORTA or for contact information, visit their new website at www.oakridgestrail.org.

Upcoming Conferences and Community Events

41st Central Canadian Symposium on Water Quality Research

The Canadian Association on Water Quality and the National Water Research Institute have organized The Central Canadian Symposium on Water Quality Research to take place on Feb 13th and 14th at the Canada Centre for Inland Waters in Burlington, Ontario. This conference will offer participants a chance to network and share research on a wide variety of topics related to water quality.

The organizers of the conference are currently looking for papers dealing with all aspects of water quality research. They are also accepting proposals for oral and poster presentations. Students strongly encouraged to apply. The deadline for receipt of abstracts is Dec. 16th, 2005.

For more information about the conference, including session themes, accommodation and registration information, contact Morgan Boenke at Morgan.Boenke@ec.gc.ca.

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

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.