Joey Schwartz is the Advocacy Director for the Toronto Bicycling Network (TBN), the largest recreational cycling club in the GTA. He's also a CAN-BIKE instructor teaching at various locations throughout the GTA.
He was on the founding committee of the West Toronto Railpath, when it was a sub-committee of the Roncesvalles–MacDonell Residents' Association back in 1997.
He's also been active with the Bells on Bloor campaign and with Advocacy for Respect for Cyclists (ARC), mostly helping out on the memorial Ghost Bike Rides they sponsor about a week after a cyclist is killed in Toronto.
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- Terri LeRoux Executive Director Credit Valley Conservation Foundation
Terri LeRoux has been the Executive Director of the Credit Valley Conservation Foundation (CVCF) since July 2005.
In this capacity, Terri works collaboratively with the Board of Directors ensuring that financial support from CVCF permits Credit Valley Conservation (CVC) to make continuous progress towards the achievement of its mission.
Specifically, Terri formulates and executes comprehensive fund development strategies that enhance revenue from major donors, foundations, government agencies, and corporations.
Personally obsessed with Ontario’s trail network, Terri has been an active relationship builder, leader and strategist with organizations such as Hike Ontario, National Trails Coalition and the Ontario Trails Council. In her role with CVCF / CVC, she led a successful ten year campaign that raised more than $2 million dollars and constructed 10 kilometers of fully accessible perimeter lake side trail at Island Lake Conservation Area.
As the current project manager of the Credit Valley Trail, Terri is leading the creation of a Trail Master Plan for a continuous 113 kilometer hiking and cycling trail predominantly following the main Credit River valley from Lake Ontario to the Headwaters.
The co-author of two publications, Best Practices for Increasing Walking and Hiking on Ontario’s Trails and the Hike Ontario Young Hiker’s Program, Terri was the recipient of the Hike Ontario Volunteer of the Year Award in 2009.
Prior to non-profit management, Terri worked as a Provincial Park Warden, Fisheries Officer and as a member of the Emergency Response Team for five years in Ontario’s Provincial Parks (Presqu’ile and Algonquin).
Terri currently resides in Halton Hills, Ontario with her husband, Jay and son, Luke.
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- Mark Schmidt, Lead Trails Analyst, Parks Canada
Mark Schmidt began developing trails in the mid 1990’s, while volunteering for several trail organizations throughout Ontario.
In 2001 Mark turned his hobby into a profession and now has over 15 years of professional trails experience including trail design/planning, trail construction, trail management, trail assessment and trail restoration. Mark has also lead over 150 trail education workshops focusing on a range of trail topics from trail design to advanced trail construction.
He joined Parks Canada, as National Trails Analyst, in January 2010 and is responsible for the creation of national trail guidelines, creating new trail resources, working with external partners, and providing trail support for Parks Canada’s field units. In the last 5 years Mark has worked in over 28 Parks Canada sites across the country.
Mark has travelled the world working on trail projects but has spent most of his time working with land agencies in North America. Mark has consulted and worked on trails in almost all the USA States and all Canadian Provinces and Territories. In addition to consulting on trails Mark has experience teaching at Capilano University in British Columbia as lead instructor in the Park and Trail Design courses and as a program convenor.
Mark spends most of the time exploring the world with his wife and 3 little girls. Any leftover time is spent mountain biking, hiking and enjoying the outdoors.
Parks Canada manages a large network or trails across the country. These trails range from high alpine routes in the mountains to flat surfaced trails in the prairies and include a large variety of different uses. Parks Canada’s Lead Trails Analyst will share new approaches being used to ensure that the trails we use today will be around for future generations and how these trails are managed for the variety of uses that modern trails are seeing. Some of the tools being covered include market segmentation and understanding user’s needs, trail conflict resolutions, trail themes and classification, and more.
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- Karen Sun is a Natural Environment Specialist with the City of Toronto.
She has worked on developing and implementing Toronto's Natural Environment Trails Program.
Karen has over 10 years of experience working in the environmental sector for government and non-profit organizations.
Karen holds a Baccalaureate in Environmental Sciences, University of Guelph and a Master's in Environmental Planning, University of Toronto.
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- Wayne Terryberry, Coordinator, Outdoor Recreation & Altitude Team Development
As the Coordinator of the McMaster University Outdoor Recreation Program, Wayne has been leading outdoor trips for 20 years.
A gifted leadership facilitator and seasoned wilderness guide, he is a true adventure professional.
Specializing in canoe tripping, wilderness hiking, climbing and natural history interpretation, Wayne enjoys helping people gain outdoor recreation skills and a passion for the outdoors.
Wayne enjoys live music, traveling, literature and the arts - and all the wonderful joys of life, friends and family.
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- Nekeisha Mohammed is the Communications Officer at Conservation Ontario.
Prior to joining Conservation Ontario, she spent many years working in marketing communications at various Toronto-area hospital foundations and associations.
We thank both Conservation Ontario and Ms. Mohammed for their support of our event.
The Conservation Ontario Healthy Hikes Program is a leading edge program promoting health and well-being through physical activity opportunity available at any one of Ontario's over 200 conservation authorities and conservation areas.
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- Larry Frost, Executive Director, Native Cultural Centre of Toronto
Larry Frost is the Executive Director of the Native Cultural Centre of Toronto. The Native Canadian Centre of Toronto is a membership-based, charitable organization located in the heart of downtown Toronto in a beautifully renovated heritage building. NCCT offers a wide range of programs and services based on Indigenous cultural traditions and teachings. All are welcome.
Since 1962 NCCT has delivered programs and services to urban Indigenous people. The strength and beauty of our people lays in our ability and willingness to share with one another as well as with our non-Indigenous members and other interest groups. This is one of the fundamental values embodied in our distinctive culture.
In 2015-16 the NCCT was instrumental in recognizing the first nations contribution to the existence of trails through a province wide signage project.
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- Mike Bender is the Associate Director, Master Planning and Greenspace Conservation, General Manager, Rouge Park at the Toronto Region Conservation Authority (TRCA).
The TRCA Nature and outdoor spaces are good for people and vital for healthy communities – especially in city regions. They promote healthy living and community building. Explore the wide range of outdoor locations TRCA offers for you to enjoy with your family and friends.
Mike has been instrumental in the development of a wide variety of applications that promotes and sustains decades of practical experience in protecting our environment, educating young people, and engaging communities, enabling TRCA to work with governments, businesses, and individuals to build a greener, cleaner healthier place to live.
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- Patrick Connor, Executive Director, Ontario Trails Council, President Canadian Trails Federation
For 30 years Patrick has led significant social safeguard initiatives for safer streets, improved community health and welfare, as well as completion of hundreds of national and provincial trail planning and development projects. Key achievements include securing $10M+ in funding for Trans Canada Trail (TCT) lands through the National Trails Coalition project of 2009-16 that resulted in thousands of kilometers of TCT trail refurbished and maintained for continued public use.
Since 2003, Patrick has worked closely with TCT to complete the Ontario section of the trail. A convenor of conferences, publisher of papers, and enactor of change, Patrick is equipped with extensive trail development experience aided by a unique practice-based methodology and keen understanding of trail planning processes and stakeholders in Canada.
In 2012, Patrick was awarded the QEII Silver Jubilee Medal for Service to Canada. Dedicated to working locally, provincially and nationally to assist in widening community development and strengthening the communities that agencies serve, Patrick believes in an accepting and tolerant Canada, supported by healthy vibrant communities within it. He is a CSAE Accredited Non-Profit Executive, President of the Canadian Trails Federation, A Member of Economic Developers Association of Canada and other community justice and betterment initiatives.
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- Wendy Strickland, Natural Environment Specialist, City of Toronto
Wendy Strickland comes to the field of trail management through her interest in protecting the natural environment from overuse.
As a Natural Environment Specialist with the City of Toronto, Wendy has spent close to a decade working with the community and other stakeholders to improve and protect natural areas in the Don River watershed north of the Forks.
She holds a Bachelor of Science in Botany and a Masters of Forest Conservation specializing in Urban Forestry, both from the University of Toronto.
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- Janette Harvey, Natural Environment Specialist in the Parks, Forestry and Recreation, City of Toronto
Janette Harvey has worked at the City of Toronto for 11 years, the last 9 years as a Natural Environment Specialist in the Parks, Forestry and Recreation Division.
She is a graduate of the Ecosystem Management program at Fleming College, and has worked in sensitive natural areas across Ontario. In her current role, she engages communities and individuals in the protection, restoration, and sustainable use of natural areas within the Toronto parks system.
Since 2014 she has been working on improving wayfinding in Toronto's parks and ravines through the development of the Toronto Parks & Trails Wayfinding Strategy.
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- Carolyn Woodland, OALA, FCSLA, MCIP, RPP Senior Director, Planning, Greenspace and Communications for the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA)
Since 2002, she has overseen the environmental planning, development review, policy and environmental assessment functions for the conservation authority within 18 municipalities.
She has worked with Waterfront Toronto, the National Capital Commission (Ottawa), the former Crombie Commission, and City of Toronto on many landmark planning and design assignments. She and her team prepared the award winning “The Living City Policies for Planning and Development in the Watersheds of TRCA”, setting new design and technical standards for green infrastructure in new and redeveloping communities.
Carolyn is a landscape architect and planner with almost 40 years of experience as an award winning consultant, academic (University of Toronto), and in public service. She has lectured across Canada on the importance of setting new community directions with an ecological view to planning and urban form.
A few of her trail planning and resource management/tourism projects include Discovery Routes of the Near North, Rouge Park Management Plan, Twenty Valley Tourism Strategy, and the Martin Goodman Trail at Humber Bay Shores.
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- Jason Diceman, Senior Public Consultation Coordinator, City of Toronto
Jason Diceman is a professional meeting facilitator and public participation expert.
He leads the planning and implementation of large multi-stakeholder collaborative workshops that lead to clear outputs, and the design and management of affordable and productive community engagement processes.
Since 2010, Jason has held the full time position of Senior Public Consultation Coordinator for the City of Toronto.
He has lead public consultations for some of the City’s most controversial and high profile infrastructure studies, including downtown separated bike lane installations, the redesign of Front Street at Union Station, new roads and bridges in Liberty Village, contentious multi-use trails, and the Gardiner Expressway financing.
Trailhead Toronto Program - REGISTER HERE
Join us November 24th, Ontario Heritage Centre, 8 Adelaide St. in Toronto for Trailhead Toronto - a discussion about Toronto Trails by the people that build, design, find and use Toronto Trails!
Learn more at
trailheadtoronto.comRegister at:
Trailhead Toronto
| Thursday | | Presenters |
| 8:00 – 8:45AM | Registration | |
| 8:45 – 9:30AM | Opening Remarks | Jack De Wit, President, Ontario Trails; Minister Eleanor McMahon MTCS* |
| 9:30-10:00AM | Implementing Standardized Trails Classification | Mark Schmidt,Parks Trails Analyst, Parks Canada Visitor Experience Branch |
| 10:00-10:30AM | Developing Natural Environment Trails | Karen Sun, Natural Environment Specialist (Acting) Toronto Parks and Forestry |
| 10:30-10:45AM | Break | |
| 10:45-11:30AM | Implementing Effective Wayfinding Signage | Janette Harvey, Natural Environment Specialist, Urban Forestry, City of Toronto |
| 11:30 – 12:15PM | Implementing Accessibility Guidelines – City of Toronto | Karen Strickland, Community Accessibility Programs, City of Toronto |
| 12:15-1:00 PM | | |
| 1:00 – 1:30PM | First Nations and Trail Signage | Larry Frost, Executive Director, Native Cultural Centre of Toronto |
| 1:30-2:00PM | Justifying Trails in an Urban Environment – GHTA Experiences | Wayne Terryberry, Director, University of McMaster Recreation |
| 2:00-2:30PM | The Ontario Trails Act and the Ontario Trails Strategy Implementation Plan | Steve Harlow, Assistant Deputy Minister, Ministry of Tourism Culture and Sport |
| 2:30-2:45PM | Break | |
| 2:45-3:15PM | Toronto Region Conservation Trail Development | Mike Bender, Director Master Planning and Greenspace Conservation Manager, Rouge Park TRCA
with Carolyn Woodland
OALA, FCSLA, MCIP, RPP; Senior Director, Planning, Greenspace and Communications for the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA)
|
| 3:15-3:45PM | Mood Walks and Healthy Hikes | Nekeisha Mohamed, Communications Officer Conservation Ontario with Terri LeRoux, Director Credit Valley Conservation Foundation |
| 3:45-4:15PM | Active Transportation and Trails in the City | Joey Schwartz, Advocacy Director, Toronto Bicycling Network |
| 4:15-4:45PM | Toronto Trails Committee | Patrick Connor, Executive Director Ontario Trails |
| 4:45 – 5:15PM | Thanks | |
As at 27/10/2016 subject to change and availability. *invited
