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Current Projects
Regeneration In Action!
PRIORITY PROJECTS
With all the improvements on the waterfront, there remain critical priorities for the Waterfront Trail. Establishing an active transportation route to connect Belleville and Trenton, resurfacing the Murray Canal, resurfacing the St. Lawrence Bikeway, and perhaps above all--rerouting the Waterfront Trail through Lynde Shores CA and off the treacherous Bayly/Victoria Road. The Trust continues to in bring these priorities to the attention of senior government for consideration.
Working with its community partners, the Waterfront Regeneration Trust has complied the 2010 Waterfront Investment Program. The Program comprises 25 projects, involves 16 municipalities and represents an investment of $18M on the Lake Ontario and St. Lawrence River waterfront. The WRT continues its discussions with senior orders of government to gain their participation. Together the projects will deliver important safety improvements, move the trail closer to the water's edge and enhance visitor experience with innovative and attractive new parks and naturalized spaces.
While the past decade saw hundreds of large and small transformations of the water's edge, the next will witness local communities along Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River taking bold steps to improve their waterfronts. Here are some of the initiatives to improve Lake Ontario's waterfront.
KINGSTON
LAKE ONTARIO PARK--$4.5 M project that will make the park more of an year-round attraction thanks to the addition of an outdoor skating rink, which will serve as a splash pad in the summertime. Work is expected to take about two years, and has been staged to keep the park open for people. Other improvements include new pathways, shoreline and beach improvements, plus a canoe rental business and extended fishing platforms. January 2012
MISSISSAUGA
INSPIRATION LAKEVIEW (FEB 2011)
On February 17, 2011 the City of Mississauaga unveiled the exciting results of its visioning exercise for hte 250 acres site formerly occupied by the Lakeveiw Generating Station. The vision is based on eight guiding principles that recall the nine waterfront principles published in Regeneration. Guided by expert from here and abroad, it is clear that participants unleased their imagination to dream boldly for the future of the site. They call for the creation of a sustainable community that will serve as a model internationally. The Waterfront Trail moves to the water's edge and deep into the vastness of the lake on a refurbished pier. A series of canals offer a variety of shelter boating experiences in warm months and skating in winter. The massive, almost indestructible foundation for the Generating Station remains on site and is the location for a series of temporary art exhibits. It is re-christened the Art Generating Station.
For more information about the City's Waterfront Strategy visit: http://www.mississauga.ca/portal/residents/inspirationlakeview
TORONTO
Waterfront Toronto is leading work that is redefining Toronto's waterfront bringing award-winning designs and new environmental function to an urban waterfront.
Mimico Waterfront Park
The final 500 m of Trail will close a hazardous gap in the Waterfront Trail. Moving trail users off Lakeshore Rd and onto a beautiful trail system. Phase One, which opened in 2008, begins at Norris Crescent Parkette and stretches east to Superior Avenue. Construction of Phase Two, which begins at Superior Avenue and stretches east to Humber Bay Park West, began in July 2011 and is scheduled to open in fall 2012. Toronto Region Conservation Authority is a lead partner on the project. Click to view the TRCA project update.
On July 28th, 2008, Waterfront Toronto and the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) celebrated the opening of Mimico Waterfront Park – Phase I. |
 Photo: TRCA |
Queen's Quay Boulevard
Waterfront Toronto is transforming this street into an iconic waterfront boulevard that will better accommodate pedestrians and cyclists. It will become the gateway to Toronto's waterfront experience and for many the introduction to the Waterfront Trail.
Water's edge promenade from Sugar Beach to Sherborne Common
Eventually this promenade will extend to Parliament Street. Located on at the water's edge, it features landscaping, benches, and a generous promenade and boardwalk.
Port Union Waterfront Trail
Phase One moved the Trail to the water's edge and created new aquatic habitat from Highland Creek to Port Union, very close to the Rouge GO Station. The second phase underway will extend the water's edge experience to the mouth of the Rouge River and the entrance to Pickering's stunning section of Waterfront Trail. Toronto Region Conservation is the lead partner on the project. Project is expected to open Summer of 2012.
Sherborne Common
Completed in 2010. The park features a wide open greenspace, a skating rink that doubles as a splash pad in the summer, a striking zinc-clad Pavilion, and a stunning water channel with three dramatic art sculptures. Sherbourne Common will become a well-used destination for city residents and visitors all year-round. Moreover the park plays an important role in treating the neighbourhood stormwater.
Ajax
SHORELINE IMPROVEMENT STRATEGY--BRINGING SWIMMING BACK TO AJAX
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Ajax once had a thriving beach waterfront-- and so it might once again. The Town has completed an exciting and successful public consultation process to learn what people wanted for the waterfront. To summarize:
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BELLEVILLE
Jane Forrester Park
$15 M project to rejunvenate the park and eliminate the discharge of contaminated run-off into the Bay of Quinte. A Special Public Realm Canadian Urban Institute Brownie was awarded to Meyers Pier Redevelopment from Belleville on November 3, 2010. The contaminated site was renamed Jane Forrester Park and redeveloped into a vibrant public park, with a revitalized marina. It has inspired investment in the area around the park site and helped revitalize the waterfront. Read the Intelligencer article on the award.
WATERFRONT TRAIL PROJECTS 2010
By the conclusion of 2010 there will be sixteen new improvements and enhancements to the Waterfront Trail. People are so excited about the additions that they are sending photos to the Trust. A special congratulations to Cobourg Town Council and the Fullerton Family for reaching an exciting agreement setting the stage for a extension of the Trail at the water's edge.
1. Grimsby Peace Park
2. Pedestrian Bridge over QEW in Hamilton (connecting Waterfront Trail to Red Hill Valley Trail)
3. Lakeside Park Restoration, Mississauga
4. Trail Resurfacing through JC Saddington Park, Mississauga
5. Waterfront Trail improvements at Ontario Place, Toronto
6. Wave Decks, Toronto
7. Sugar Beach, Toronto
8. Sherbourne Park, Toronto
9. Signed Route through Eastern Toronto (Scarborough)
10. First Nation's Gateway, Pickering
11. Carruthers Marsh Pavilion, Ajax
12. Resurfacing of Trail from Anstead Crescent to Pickering Beach Road, Ajax
13. Lakefront West Park, Oshawa
14. Expansion of the waterfront boardwalk west to Hibernia Street, Cobourg
15. Frontenac Arch Biosphere receives Geotourism Charter from National Geographic Society’s Centre for Sustainable Destinations.
16. Improvements to Charlottenburgh Park, Township of South Glengarry
St Catharines
WATERFRONT TRAIL EXTENSION ALONG PORT WELLER SPIT--COMPLETE!
Niagara Region and the City of St.Catharines have partnered
to develop a 2.7 km extension to the Waterfront Trail in Port Weller.
The water’s edge trail will extend along the Port Weller Spit
to a scenic lookout, where users will be treated to spectacular views
of Lake Ontario. The new trail will also complete the Welland Canal
Trail, which is part of the Greater Niagara Circle Route. Construction
is expected to begin in spring of 2008. ![[complete]](images/check.gif){kind=small} Complete! |
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Hamilton
HAMILTON RECEIVES FUNDING FOR BRIDGE OVER QEW
| On March 28th, the Ontario government announced that Hamilton will receive $14 million in funding to create a Recreational Trail Hub and Waterfront Link, which will include a signature pedestrian bridge across the QEW between Burlington Street and Centennial Parkway. The Trail and Waterfront Link will increase public access to the waterfront, create more opportunities for recreation and leisure, foster tourism, restore natural habitat and ultimately enhance the image of Hamilton.
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 Proposed bridge design |
The project involves:
- A trail to the waterfront
- Waterfront link (pedestrian bridge)
- Recreational Trail Hub, outdoor recreational facilities (soccer fields, picnic areas, etc.) and Trail Connection to the Red Hill Valley trail system
- Ecological Restoration - rehabilitation plantings in the former landfill sites at Rennie and Brampton Street sites adjacent to the trail and waterfront link
- Interpretive signage
Design and tender drawings are expected to be completed by Fall 2008 and construction is anticipated to be completed by Summer 2010.
SIGNING SCARBOROUGH WATERFRONT TRAIL
One of the most significant gaps in the Waterfront Trail just got a whole lot smaller. As you know the long-term goal for the Waterfront Trail is to create a dedicated route as close to the water’s edge as is environmentally feasible. In Scarborough, such an alignment is decades away, necessitating the creation of a street-based interim route that connects Toronto and Durham.
Thanks to Councillor Paul Ainslie and the City of Toronto’s Pedestrian and Cycling Infrastructure Department, Waterfront Trail signs have been installed from Bellamy Road to the Rouge River Park this June (2008). The route offers cyclists and walkers a lovely tour of residential streets, avoiding Kingston Road, and links them to the wonderful Port Union Waterfront Trail-Phase One, which was completed by Toronto Region Conservation in 2006. Phase Two began earlier this year and once completed (2011) will establish a waterfront trail from the Port Union GO station to the mouth of the Rouge River.
In addition and thinking more long-term, the Toronto Region Conservation Authority is leading a public consultation process to create a plan for the Scarborough waterfront. The Trust has participated in stakeholder consultations to date and looks forward to working with the TRCA on the Scarborough Section of Waterfront Trail.
Whitby
IMPROVEMENTS ON THE WAY FOR BAYLY STREET
Major improvements are on the way for the notorious stretch of Trail along Bayly Rd in Whitby. This stretch along Bayly Street has been a long-standing area of concern for the Trust and Waterfront Trail users due to the high vehicle speeds, narrow shoulders and dangerous bridge crossing. The Region of Durham is moving forward in its plans to widen Bayly Street between Ajax and Whitby, including a 3m wide off-road trail on the south side of Bayly which will connect to the existing Waterfront Trail at Halls Road in the West and to Whitby Shores Greenway in the east. These improvements, which also include a viewing platform on the south side of the bridge overlooking the Lynde Shores Conservation Area, will improve the quality, safety and comfort of this stretch for Trail users.
Loyalist
CRCA PLANS LAND ACQUISITION
The Cataraqui Region Conservation Authority (CRCA) has announced plans to raise $1 million to buy a substantial portion of the Bayview Wetland, west of Kingston. The CRCA will buy 700 acres with help from its fund-raising arm, the Cataraqui Conservation Foundation, and community partners including Loyalist Township. This is a highly desirable property acquisition since it is located along an inland corridor linking Parrott’s Bay to Collins Bay/Lemoine Point. The CRCA is hopeful that a trail loop might someday link the Bayview property to the Waterfront Trail, along Lake Ontario.
South Glengarry
EASTERN GATEWAY TO ONTARIO’S WATERFRONT TRAIL RECEIVES FUNDING
Canada Build Funding secured to establish the Waterfront Trail and Greenway from Lancaster to Curry Hill
The Township of South Glengarry secured $2.6 million from the Canada Build program to establish the Waterfront Trail and Greenway from Lancaster to Curry Hill. With a local contribution of $1.3 million, this amounts to a total investment of $3.9 million. The project will significantly improve the safety and quality of the experience for people using Ontario’s Waterfront Trail and Greenway. Further, since the Waterfront Trail now connects directly to Quebec’s 4,300 km cycling system, la Route verte, the County’s project will also greatly enhance Ontario’s “front door” for visitors arriving from Quebec.
The project involves the full rehabilitation of the road surface and the installation of generous two-metre bike lanes and signage on both sides of a 12 km section of the South Service Roadway. With its completion one of the few remaining gaps in the Waterfront Trail east of Cornwall will be closed. The project is expected to start in June 2009 and will be completed in late fall 2009.
Making the Connections: Welcome Kiosk at the Border Complete
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Last July the Trust announced funding from the Ministry of Tourism to install trail signage and construct a welcome kiosk at the border of Ontario and Quebec. The Township of South Glengarry has completed construction of the kiosk and trailhead signs will be installed in the structure in the spring. The funding also included the installation of blue tourism signs promoting both the Waterfront Trail and la Route verte on the road at the border of Ontario and Quebec. Click here for more info. |
Together the two projects —the kiosk and the installation of the
bike lanes will provide trail users with a well marked, safe and welcoming
eastern gateway to Ontario’s Waterfront Trail.
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