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 2006

In this issue:

• Trust Joins Water Guardians Network
• Rattray Marsh Living Discovery Centre Project
• Hamilton Waterfalls Survey

Upcoming Conferences and Community Events:

• Planet in Focus -International Environmental Film and Video Festival for 2006
• McMaster University Burlington Campus Open House

Trust Joins Water Guardians Network

The Trust is pleased to announce our joining of the Water Guardians Network. This network is comprised of NGO’s and citizens’ groups from across the province, joining together to track and assist in the implementation of source water protection. The launch of the network comes on the heels of the province’s announcement of the passing of the Clean Water Act. The network will work on a local scale to monitor the implementation of the Act and facilitate public participation and education on source water protection.

‘Source water protection is fundamental to the goals and objectives of the Waterfront Regeneration Trust. We welcome the opportunity to share information and participate in initiatives that share our goals and objectives to protect and enhance the quality and quantity of the Lake Ontario and St Lawrence River waters,’ says Vicki Barron, Executive Director of the Waterfront Trust.

For more information about the Network and source water protection, visit www.cela.ca.

Rattray Marsh Living Discovery Centre Project

Rattray Marsh in Mississauga is about to undergo a series of enhancements and infrastructure improvements designed to turn it into a “Living Discovery Centre.” Using donations secured by the Credit Valley Conservation Foundation and an anonymous donor, Credit Valley Conservation will implement a series of restoration efforts aimed at “improving and enhancing the environmental health of the Marsh and creating educational opportunities for visitors to this wonderful natural and cultural resource in Mississauga.”

As the main Trail facility through the marsh, the Waterfront Trail will be a primary focus of the improvement efforts, which will include:

• surface upgrades
• railing needs along boardwalks
• boardwalk improvements or construction
• signage

Work on this project is already underway and Waterfront Trail users should be aware that in order to implement these improvements, sections of trail will have to be closed or rerouted temporarily over the course of construction. We will do our best to post these announcements in our ezines and on our website. Any questions or concerns regarding construction or route changes can be directed to Tim Wood at Credit Valley Conservation (twood@creditvalleycons.com).

We look forward to seeing these exciting new enhancements to what is already an important natural and educational resource and a wonderful amenity along the Trail. These current infrastructure improvement activities are in addition to recent improvements made as part of the Trust’s Lake Ontario Waterfront Investment Project of the Canada-Ontario Infrastructure Program (COIP). This program helped fund several projects in Rattray Marsh including the reconstruction of the Silver Birch entrance as well as boardwalk and pathway construction. For more information on the COIP program go to www.waterfronttrail.org/projects.html.

Thanks to Tim Wood from Credit Valley Conservation for providing us with this update.

Hamilton Waterfalls Survey

The Hamilton Conservation Authority (HCA) has developed a survey to gather input from the public about the city’s waterfalls. The HCA’s Waterfront Project Team is exploring tourism and marketing possibilities linked to the city’s numerous waterfalls (over 70 have been documented so far) with a goal of making Hamilton known around the world as the City of Waterfalls. The survey looks at the ways in which residents and visitors experience the falls and what amenities they expect to see at these locations.

The HCA has been working closely on this project with City of Hamilton staff, the Bruce Trail Association (from which most of the waterfalls can be accessed), Hamilton Naturalists’ Club, Tourism Hamilton and numerous interested citizens.

To take the survey, please visit http://survey.business.mcmaster.ca/ss/wsb.dll/17/HamiltonWaterfallsSurvey.htm

Thanks to Grant Leigh from the Bruce Trail Club for providing us with this notice.

Upcoming Conferences and Community Events

Planet in Focus International Film and Video Festival for 2006

Tickets for this year’s Planet in Focus Film Festival are now on sale. The 2006 festival runs from November 1 to 5 and will feature over 80 films from across Canada and around the world. Screenings take place at the Royal Ontario Museum and Innis College in downtown Toronto.
Global urban concerns will be featured alongside other environmental issues in animated films, edgy documentaries, and dramas that make up the range of compelling Canadian and international works.

For the full festival schedule, film and event descriptions, and to buy tickets, visit www.planetinfocus.org.

McMaster University Burlington Campus Open House

The City of Burlington and McMaster University have signed a Memorandum of Understanding that sets out the next steps in creating a McMaster campus in Burlington. The proposed campus will be located on the Burlington waterfront near Elizabeth St. and Pine St.

An open house will be held on Thursday, November 2, 2006 to discuss the proposed McMaster University- Burlington Campus. Mayor Rob MacIsaac and Dean Paul Bates of the Degroote School of Business, along with staff from both McMaster and the city will be available to answer questions about the proposed new campus and what this means for Burlington and downtown.

For complete details, please visit http://cms.burlington.ca/PageFactory.aspx?PageID=2501. To attend the event, please RSVP by Tuesday, October 31, 2006.

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.