Waterfront Trail and Greenway News

An Ezine Produced by the Waterfront Regeneration Trust

COIP*The waterfront municipalities of Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River, conservation authorities and community groups* MapArt* Dun-Map*Regional Niagara Bicycling Committee* The MMM Group* Heart and Strok Foundation* Mountain Equipment Co-op* Toronto Cyclists Union

August 2008

In this issue:

• September 25th Partners Meeting
• Sign Up to Be One of the 22 Pilot Communities for Walk & Bike for Life’s Community Led Action Plan and Trails for Active Transportation projects
• Niagara Unveils Online Library of Scenic Bicycle Routes
• Tell Us About Your Waterfront Projects
• Australia Out to Beat Canadian World Record Walk

Upcoming Conferences and Community Events

• Great Waterfront Trail Adventure - 2009 Registration Now Open
• Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup

SEPTEMBER 25TH PARTNERS MEETING: Countdown to the 2009 Great Waterfront Trail Adventure

When: September 25, 10am - 2:30pm
Where: Rotary Park Pavilion, Ajax
Registration: $50 per delegate payable by cheque to the Waterfront Regeneration Trust
Lunch: Catered by Great Temptations
Waterfront Exhibit: Bring display panels and brochures describing your local waterfront projects and events to share with your waterfront colleagues

Please RSVP to da@wrtrust.com by Friday, September 12th.

Mark September 25th in your calendar to join us for a day-long workshop in Ajax. The Program for the September Waterfront Partners meeting and workshop includes:

• results of the first annual Great Waterfront Trail Adventure
• plans for Year two of the Great Waterfront Trail Adventure
• infrastructure projects—closing the Gaps.

A mere eight months ago we met to conceptualize an adventure that would encompass 41 communities, with 8 days of riding, over 680km along the shores of Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River. The 1st Annual Great Waterfront Trail Adventure is now over and it is time to evaluate year one, and plan for the 2nd Annual Great Waterfront Trail Adventure.
To facilitate this our assessment, the Trust has conducted two extensive surveys of GWTA participants, gaining valuable information that will assist our planning for year two and provide important evaluation of the Trail and waterfront experience from the user’s perspective. In addition we have invited professionals from the health, environment and tourism fields to discuss how we can further use the event to promote key messages to participants.

In the afternoon we’ll turn our attention to how the profile gained from the tour will help with the next round of infrastructure projects. The full agenda for the meeting can be found at http://www.waterfronttrail.org/wn-2008PartnersMeeting.html.

The partners meeting is a good time to share information about your waterfront projects and plans. To that end, please bring along your project boards or displays to create an informal exhibit of the many waterfront projects that are being planned and implemented. If you would like to include a display of your waterfront project, please let us know in advance.

Please RSVP to da@wrtrust.com by Friday, September 12th.

Cheques for registration to be sent to:
Waterfront Regeneration Trust
372 Richmond St. West, Ste. 308
Toronto, ON M5V 1X6


SIGN UP TO BE ONE OF THE 22 PILOT COMMUNITIES FOR WALK AND BIKE FOR LIFE’S COMMUNITY LED ACTION PLAN AND TRAILS FOR ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS

BY: GIL PENALOSA, WALK AND BIKE FOR LIFE

Walk & Bike for Life is a non-profit organization based in Port Credit, Ontario, with a mission to promote walking and cycling as a recreational activity and as a healthier, more sustainable mode of transportation. We are working to become an influential advocate for improving walking and biking infrastructure, as well as improving resources for greenways, trails, and urban parks.

We are in the process of choosing 22 communities that will take part in our Community Led Action Plan (CLAP) and Trails for Active Transportation (TFAT) projects. Since the launch of the TFAT and CLAP projects in July of this year, we have received an enthusiastic response from communities all across the province interested in taking action and planning for a more sustainable, healthy future.

The CLAP and TFAT projects are made possible by funding from the Ministry of Health Promotion’s Communities In Action Fund and Trails for Life Grant. These grants will go toward the development and implementation of a series of public meetings, workshops, and follow-up resources in each of the 22 pilot communities chosen for the CLAP and TFAT projects.

The CLAP for Life project will be implemented in communities in the Hamilton, Halton and Peel regions, and will focus on integrating walking and cycling into the local transportation system. The TFAT project will be held in communities located along the Waterfront Trail or in communities that have existing trail systems, and will cover issues such as trail connectivity, trail accessibility and the integration of trails with community life.

Gil Penalosa, an internationally renowned walking and cycling expert, and Executive Director of Walk & Bike for Life, will be facilitating the workshops across the province. “Basically we want to create a process for communities to organize and advocate for much better pedestrian and bicycling facilities and to create healthier communities where the residents will live happier. It is not about baby steps, with issues such as global warming, the obesity crisis, traffic congestion, and economic problems, we need to take major leaps,” notes Penalosa.

The total estimated value of the services provided by the project (TFAT or CLAP) to each community is $10,000. This includes pre-workshop research, promotions, consultation services, a presentation session, a 3-4 hour hands-on workshop session, a comprehensive final report, and long-term support provided to Community Action Groups. To be one of the 22 pilot project communities, Walk & Bike for Life is asking for a commitment of $1,500 (15% of the cost) from each community. The remaining cost is covered by Walk& Bike for Life as part of their commitment to the program (25%) and the grants from the Ministry of Health Promotion (60%).

In addition, project communities can request additional presentation sessions from Walk & Bike for Life to specific group(s) that may not be able participate in the 3-4 hour workshop. This could include a presentation to local councillors, MP’s, municipal staff, the business community, Public Health Boards, School Boards and any other interested parties. The cost of these additional sessions would be arranged individually depending on the nature of the session.

Our priority is to work with enthusiastic communities, and facilitate an engagement process that remains sustainable in the long term. We are willing to work in collaboration with the community so that cost is not a barrier to participation.

Walk & Bike for Life is excited to move forward with the objective of developing Community-Led Action Plans and forming Community Action Groups across Ontario. We will be choosing the list of 22 pilot communities by the end of September, therefore we strongly encourage all community groups and interested partners to contact us if they are interested in collaborating to organize a workshop and develop an action plan for their community.

Contact:
Sarah Rotz, Project Manager (CLAP-Hamilton, Halton and Peel regions)
srotz@walkandbikeforlife.org
Amanda O’Rourke, Project Manager (TFAT-Waterfront Trail and Northern communities) aorourke@walkandbikeforlife.org


NIAGARA UNVEILS ONLINE LIBRARY OF SCENIC BICYCLE ROUTES

Planning a cycling trip in the beautiful Niagara region just got a lot easier, thanks to a new online resource developed by the Region of Niagara and its partners. Cyclists can now choose from a library of 200-300 pre-selected scenic tours, each one containing a map and turn-by-turn directions in PDF printable format. The routes are searchable by start municipality, distance and difficulty level. Different routes showcase the various attractions and that Niagara has to offer, including magnificent falls, wineries, orchards, waterways, lakes, parks, quaint historic villages, agri-tourism destinations, urban centres and the Niagara Escarpment world biosphere reserve.

To access this new resource, please visit http://www.niagararegion.ca/exploring/cycle/Bicycle-Niagara.aspx.

Congratulations to the Region of Niagara and its partners (Healthy Living Niagara, the Regional Niagara Bicycling Committee, Tourism Niagara, the Niagara Freewheelers Bicycle Touring Club, the Niagara Agri Tourism Centre, and others) for creating such an excellent new resource for cyclists.


HELP US PROMOTE YOUR WATERFRONT PROJECTS

We are updating the Projects section of the Waterfront Trail website (http://www.waterfronttrail.org/projects.html). This is one of the more popular sections of the website and useful way to share information about the many projects that are underway to improve and expand the Waterfront Trail and Greenway with people and colleagues from other municipalities.

Please send us a brief description and photo of your waterfront projects or programs to be included in this list. If you have the project on your website, then send a hyperlink that we can post. Local Waterfront Regeneration Projects will be distributed to federal and provincial contacts and waterfront MPs and MPPs along with our annual report on the Waterfront Partnership’s Accomplishments.

Please kindly send all material to David Arcus at da@wrtrust.com.


AUSTRALIA OUT TO BEAT CANADIAN WORLD RECORD WALK

On Sept 1st, Australia will attempt to beat the world record, currently held by Canada, for the largest simultaneous 1 km walk. On October 3rd, 2007, Canada claimed the World Record for the largest simultaneous 1 km walk at 231,635 participants. It took place at 1,011 venues from coast to Coast. Ontario’s effort, with over 160,000 participants was a result of support from the Ontario Ministry of Health Promotion’s Communities in Action Fund. The Trust did its part, hosting a 1 km walk along the Waterfront Trail in Toronto.

“We wish our Australian friends success in eclipsing our record. There is an urgent need to promote walking and create walkable communities to impact staggering obesity rates and the juggernaut of climate change. These are global issues. It is time to put walking on national agendas. If any country wants to challenge our world record, we welcome that for the greater good of society!” says Harry Sawchuk, event organizer for Green Communities Canada.

The “rivalry” dates back to 2005, when Alberta set the record with 79,280 people. Western Australia walked into the record books on 1 September 2006 with 100,915 people from over 540 separate walk sites all walking 1 kilometre at the same time.

Although Green Communities Canada is not organizing a World Record Walk this year, they are seeking funding for a 2009 event, engaging all provinces and territories. To support this plan, contact local MPs and MPPs to let them know this is a worthwhile project.

Thanks to Green Communities Canada for providing us with this announcement. For more information please visit www.greencommunitiescanada.org or http://www.worldrecordwalk.ca/.

UPCOMING CONFERENCES AND COMMUNITY EVENTS:

GREAT WATERFRONT TRAIL ADVENTURE – 2009 REGISTRATION NOW OPEN

July 4-11, 2009

Registration is open and filling fast. Help promote the adventure by posting the following link on your events website: http://www.waterfronttrail.org/gwta_web/.

Thanks for your help in spreading the word!

TD GREAT CANADIAN SHORELINE CLEANUP

When: September 20-28, 2008

Many waterfront communities are participating in the annual TD Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup. This is a national conservation initiative coordinated by the Vancouver Aquarium. Every September, tens of thousands of Canadians from every province and territory take part in a national cleanup week, and work together to ensure that Canada’s shorelines are kept clean and healthy.

In addition to removing litter participants in the program also record the types and quantities of litter found on Canada’s river, creek, lake and ocean shorelines. These results are used to help pinpoint the causes of shoreline debris in order to identify the most effective solutions to local, national and international litter-related issues.

For more information visit the website at www.vanaqua.org/cleanup.

Cheers!

Marlaine Koehler, Executive Director;
Vicki Barron, Director of Administration and Special Projects;
Petrina Tulissi, Manager of Promotions and Events;
Ian Lobb, Tour Director, Great Waterfront Trail Adventure Tour; and
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
• Dunmap
• Niagara Freewheelers Bicycle Touring Club
• Regional Niagara Bicycling Committee
• St. Lawrence Cement
• 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.