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

August 2005

In this issue:
• Natural Spaces Program and the Natural Spaces Leadership Alliance
• Waterfront Trail “on the Map” in Niagara
• Lennox and Addington’s County Trail Network
• Around the Lake in 9 Days
• Upcoming Events

NATURAL SPACES PROGRAM AND THE NATURAL SPACES LEADERSHIP ALLIANCE

The Ontario Government has established the Natural Spaces Program to
further the province’s objective of a creating a clean and healthy natural
environment. An advisory group, chaired by the Trust’s Executive Director,
Vicki Barron, has been appointed to play a key role in the program’s
development and implementation. Members of the Natural Spaces Leadership
Alliance include representatives from conservation and resource industry
related organizations.

By providing tools and resources to landowners, the program will assist
those who voluntarily want to contribute to good stewardship of Ontario’s
natural heritage. The program will also provide a way to share partnership support and experience among environmental and stewardship organizations, participating landowners, and local and provincial government. The program covers an area south of a line from Midland through Peterborough to Ottawa considered to hold Ontario’s highest diversity of plants and animals. Key aspects of the program include:
• $6 million grant to Ontario Heritage Trust to acquire and secure natural
heritage properties
• Support for the restoration of lands and forests in southern Ontario
• Reduction of property taxes to eligible landowners under the managed
forest tax incentive program
• Mapping of natural heritage systems across southern Ontario to identify
areas that benefit from restoration and tree planting

A web page for the program has been developed through the Ministry of
Natural Resources website with more details on the initiative. Visit the
site at www.naturalspaces.mnr.gov.on.ca

WATERFRONT TRAIL "ON THE MAP" IN NIAGARA

Two new Waterfront Trail trailhead signs will be installed next month in
the Niagara region - one in Paradise Grove where the Waterfront Trail meets the
Niagara River Recreation Trail (Mile Zero) and a second in Grimbsy at the
historic Elizabeth St. Pumphouse. The Trust has received responses for its
call for quotations for the fabrication and delivery of trailhead signs.
In total the Trust expects to install 25 signs along the waterfront from
Niagara-on-the-Lake to Brockville and has requested that municipalities
sign additional staging areas of the Trail.

Last month we informed you about the installation of 21 signs in the City
of Toronto. Feedback from the public has been very positive and the Trust has
received a number of requests from businesses that want poster copies of
the signs.

LENNOX AND ADDINGTON COUNTY'S COUNTY TRAIL NETWORK

Council in Lennox and Addington County have approved a policy to create
a County Trail Network – a series of 12 recreational routes totaling 576
kms along county and local municipality roads and MTO managed roads. Most roads in the network will eventually have paved shoulders between 1.2m and 1.5m wide that will allow for recreational use. Currently about 25% to 30% of the network already has paved shoulders. Future work will be undertaken as the opportunity arises.

According to the new policy adopted by County Council, paved shoulders will be considered for future roadwork. The decision to pave the shoulder will depend upon three criteria: whether the road is part of the network; economic feasibility of paving shoulders; and physical feasibility of paving shoulders.

The rational behind this policy is to increase the safety of trail users
with the construction of a roadside feature to promote recreation activity
in the area. There are a number of anticipated benefits with the creation
of the network. These include increasing the health benefits of users as
well as increasing tourism and economic development in the region. Paving
the shoulders of roadways also creates an added cost saving benefit as it
decreases the need for shoulder maintenance.

The network will establish connections to other existing trail routes such as the Waterfront Trail,
Cataraqui Trail and Trans Canada Trail. The next step for the County is to install signs along the network routes shoulder routes. MTO is considering the County’s request for the
installation of directional signs on their roads. The plan is to install 11 trailhead signs by fall 2005.An opening launch is tentatively planned
for spring 2006. In addition a website is under development, and brochures
and other promotional materials are being produced to generate awareness about
the County’s trail network.

This policy is the result of work that has involved a series of
stakeholder steering committees that began in 2003. The steering committees involved a
broad range of partners including area trail network representatives,
staff from all levels of government and recreation and tourism operators. After
the launch it is anticipated a third committee will be established to
oversee the management of the network.

AROUND THE LAKE IN 9 DAYS

A few weeks ago the Trust received an email from Jim Parker and Jim Attard
detailing their recent 9-day cycle counter-clockwise around Lake Ontario.
Starting and finishing in Grand Island New York, they rode a total of 945
kms (587 miles) and averaged about 103 kms (64.5 miles) per day. Here
are some excerpts from their email:

“Total mileage was 587 miles, total enjoyment, best vacation ever!”

“Victoria St./Bayly St. (in Durham Region) was the worst road of the
whole trip, gravel shoulders along with the heavy traffic was a little scary.”

“We had many people who helped us along the way. As soon as I pulled out
the map to get my bearings, there was always a friendly person to help.”

Congratulations Jim and Jim!

UPCOMING EVENTS

To learn about upcoming waterfront festivals or major community events
happening along the waterfront this summer visit our website at
www.waterfronttrail.org/trail-events.html

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.