Waterfront Trail and Greenway News

An Ezine Produced by the Waterfront Regeneration Trust

CIBC* COIP*The waterfront municipalities of Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River, conservation authorities and community groups*The Eastern Lake Ontario – St. Lawrence River Waterfront Working Group* MapArt* Dunmap*Ontario Ministry of Health Promotion* Regional Niagara Bicycling Committee* St. Lawrence Cement* Tilley Endurables

September 2007

In this issue:

• Conference Wrap-up
• Trust Wins Website Award
• World Record Walk
• Wal-Mart Evergreen Green Grants Program

Upcoming Conferences and Community Events:

• Balls Falls Thanksgiving Festival

WATERFRONT CONFERENCE WRAP-UP

Thank you to everyone who participated in the Beyond Regeneration: The Trail Ahead for helping to make the conference such a success. We heard from some amazing speakers on a wide range of topics and got a chance to connect on some key issues through our table discussions.

This was the first full partners’ meeting in five years and the first one since our partnership expanded to include communities east of Brockville. In many cases this was the first time our partners from as far as Cornwall and Niagara-on-the-Lake got to meet each other.

The discussions were extremely informative and we thank you all for your feedback and suggestions. We will be posting a detailed conference “Wrap-Up” on our website within the next week which will include:

• detailed summary of results from discussion sessions
• photos of the events
• slide shows from presentations in pdf format

A few things are clear from our preliminary review of the discussion question results:

1. With a signed route now available the partners feel strongly that it is the time to promote the communities along the Trail and the Trail itself through an annual event. Such an event would be a key opportunity to promote the trail as an important piece of green infrastructure that supports healthy environments and healthy lifestyles
   
   
2. Our partners believe it is important to continue the investment in the Trail with the goal of bringing the trail off-road and as close to the water as possible. The three priorities that emerged are:
   • closing gaps
   • establishing north/south connections, and
   • adding enhancements and facilities
   The Trust currently has a portfolio of 34 future projects from our partners, which we are using to develop the next application for infrastructure funding.
   
   
3. Partners continue to see value in the Collaborative Communications and Promotions Program, which includes a number of promotion the website, signage and brochure development. This indicates that the Trust should continue to coordinate resources in this regard.

Stay tuned to our website for a more detailed summary of the discussions.

The Trust would like to thank all of our sponsors for their support, and the Canadian Urban Institute for their help in organizing the event!

Expansion and Enhancement of the Waterfront Trail and Greenway – Official Celebration

An official celebration was held to celebrate the completion of the 52 projects that comprise the Expansion and Enhancement of the Waterfront Trail and Greenway. Representatives from both the federal and provincial governments, as well as CIBC were on hand to help celebrate and to say a few words. We also heard from Mayor Steve Parish from Ajax and Councillor Vicki Schmolka from Kingston who spoke about their projects as part of the program. To close the celebration, two bronze plaques were unveiled which will be installed at either end of the Waterfront Trail to commemorate the completion of this remarkable program.

The 52 projects represent a $30 million dollar investment, including $9.2 million from the federal and provincial governments through the Canada-Ontario Infrastructure Program.

Trail Ride:

Thank you to everyone who helped us to celebrate Waterfront Trail and Greenway Day by riding the Trail from Mississauga to Pickering. It was quite a sight to see a fleet of cyclists taking over the Trail with their Waterfront Trail flags flying behind them!

The day started off with a tasty breakfast and stunning scenery provided by the Lakefront Promenade Public Marina and the City of Mississauga (special thanks to the City and to Dave from the marina!). Harbourfront provided a beautiful rest stop along the way and the City of Pickering put on an amazing reception by dressing up Petticoat Creek Conservation Area and arranging for the massages, fire truck cool down, music by Muhtadi, and even help in carrying the bikes up the stairs. Thank you to Ontario Power Generation for the BBQ lunch and ice cream, and to Starbucks who provided snacks in Pickering and set up a great refreshment stand (a welcome treat near the end of the ride!).

Most importantly our partners got a first hand view at riding a well signed route and a stretch with no signage and many have said they now understand the importance in having a clearly signed route in building confidence and increasing the enjoyment of the trail experience.

We also had a number of great speeches over the course of the day:

• Toronto City Councillor Adam Vaughan stressed the importance of NS connections to the Trail and waterfront.
• Councillor Patricia Mullin spoke of Missisauga’s record of keeping the waterfront accessible
• Councillor Jennifer O’Connell spoke of Pickering’s achievements in regenerating their waterfront and of coming improvements to the western gateway.

Also in attendance were former Pickering Mayor and current MPP Wayne Arthurs, as well as MP Mark Holland, Mayor Steve Parish of Ajax and Kingston Councillor Vicki Schmolka, who all rode the entire stretch
Stay tuned to our website for photos of the ride.


TRUST WINS WEBSITE AWARD

We are very proud to announce that our website (www.waterfronttrail.org) was selected as a winner in the American Trails Website Contest! Winners were selected from across America in categories that highlight the wide variety of site sponsors, special features, and creative promotion of trails and greenways on the Internet. The Trust won for “Best Site for Kids and Families.” Our website currently features two amazing campaigns aimed at families and children:

• The “Tastes of The Trail” Starter’s Kits provide suggestions for 8 separate family-friendly day trips along the Trail, including maps and itineraries
  
  
• The Great Waterfront Trail Adventure features an interactive map designed to introduce kids to what the Waterfront Trail has to offer, as well as suggested weekend itineraries for families. This campaign also saw the distribution of 250,000 Great Waterfront Trail Adventure brochures to schools and tourism bureaus across Ontario

Check out both of these features under the “Get Started” icon on our website, which takes you to our Get Started on the Waterfront Trail page: http://www.waterfronttrail.org/getstarted.html.

The Trust would like to acknowledge the Ministry of Health Promotion for their support in creating these two campaigns.

A full list of winning websites can be found at www.americantrails.org.


WORLD RECORD WALK

Join us on Oct. 3 to help set a World Record! We are helping Green Communities Canada beat the existing record set by Australia. There is no fee, just fun, so mark off Oct. 3 at 12:30 on your calendars and come join us at Coronation Park in Toronto. See details below.

Who: Anyone who would like to participate
When: Oct. 3 - meet at 12:15, walk at 12:30
Where: Coronation Park in Toronto, in front of HMCS York at the Waterfront Trail trailhead sign (just off of Lakeshore Blvd. W between Fort York Blvd and Bathurst). See Waterfront Trail map 2-11 (http://www.waterfronttrail.org/maps/wt-2_11.pdf)
Parking: People can park at Ontario Place
Walking Route: We will walk a 1km loop towards Ontario Place
Contact: Petrina at pt@wrtrust.com or 416-943-8080 for more information or to register for free
Official Website: www.worldrecordwalk.ca

WAL-MART-EVERGREEN GREEN GRANT PROGRAM

Thanks to Evergreen for providing us with the following announcement:

Evergreen’s Common Grounds grants program is currently accepting applications for the Wal-Mart-Evergreen Green Grants Program. Green Grants is a national program that helps fund community-based restoration and stewardship initiatives in urban and urbanizing areas. For more information, please visit http://www.evergreen.ca/en/cg/cg-funding.html.

The deadline to apply is October 31, 2007.

UPCOMING CONFERENCES AND COMMUNITY EVENTS:

BALLS FALLS THANKSGIVING FESTIVAL

When: October 5-8, 2007
Where: Ball’s Falls Conservation Area in Jordan, Ontario

This year’s festivities will feature over 140 juried artisans, a gourmet food tent, live entertainment, children's entertainment and activities, heritage demonstrations and an assortment of food and beverages. There will be courtesy shuttle buses to and from the parking lot and a courtesy parcel check. Admission is $6 per person, children under 14 are FREE when accompanied by an adult and on Friday, Oct. 5th seniors pay only $3.00. Purchase a weekend pass of $12 and enjoy access all weekend long! FREE PARKING

Thanks to the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority for providing us with this announcement.

Cheers!

Marlaine Koehler, Executive Director;
Vicki Barron, Director of Administration and Special Projects;
Petrina Tulissi, Manager of Promotions and Events;
and David Arcus, Project Coordinator, 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: info@wrtrust.com

Visit http://www.waterfronttrail.org to download 77 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.