Ontario boasts over 80,000 km in trails. Whether you're in downtown Toronto or North of Superior, we have a trail for you.
The Ontario Trails Council is a registered charity, led by volunteers who promote the development, management, use and conservation of Ontario's trails.
You'll find everything from gentle walking trails to rock faces for climbing and water routes to canoe and kayak.
Equine Guelph, the horse owners' and care givers' center at the
University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada, has announced a second offering
of its online horse behavior and safety workshop April 1-14, 2013. This
two-week online course is designed for people who would like to learn
more about best practices for handling horses safely. Education is pivotal for prevention. Injuries due to horses are one of
the leading causes of animal-related hospitalizations and fatalities,
according to the Canadian Agricultural Injury Reporting (CAIR). A recent
study conducted by the University of Kentucky (UK) Healthcare/UK
College of Agriculture revealed that 40-60% of equine-related injury
patients believed their injuries were preventable and due to rider
error. "The first 'Horse Behavior and Safety eWorkshop' sold out within two
hours of announcement," notes Gayle Ecker, director of Equine Guelph.
"We are pleased by the interest that horse people are showing in
educating themselves about 'why' horses behave the way they do in order
to become safer handlers." ___________________________________________________________________________________
MPP Wants Money for Rural Ontario
Sunday, March 10, 2013 2:23 PMby
Bayshore News Staff
Bill Walker calls on Liberals to share gas tax money with rural Ontario.
(Toronto) -
Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound MPP Bill Walker on Friday called on the
Wynne Liberals to support sharing the provincial gas tax money with
rural Ontario. Walker’s comments came during debate on his PC colleague and MPP
John Yakabuski’s private member’s bill, entitled The Gasoline Tax
Fairness for All Act. The Bill amends the Public Transportation and
Highway Improvement Act to permit the gas tax to be shared with both
urban and rural municipalities. Currently, only about 80 of the 440-plus
municipalities in Ontario receive these gas tax transfer payments. The gas tax is about 31 per cent of the price of gas, which includes
an 11 per cent gas surcharge, 8 per cent HST and 13 per cent federal
gas tax. _________________________________________________________________________________
Timmins Kayak Challenge and Festival back on the Top 100 list
As expected, the Great Canadian Kayak Challenge and Festival
in Timmins has been named among the top 100 Festivals and Events in
Ontario, according to recent news release. This is the second year in a
row for the honour. The Timmins event is held each August to highlight the history of the
Mattagami River as well as to showcase various artists, musicians and
others who work to make the three-day festival a successful community
celebration. Festivals and Events Ontario (FEO) is proud to announce the 2013 Top
100 Festivals & Events in Ontario, sponsored by VIA Rail Canada.
These Top 100 recipients represent festivals and events that excel
within the industry, said the news release. Included in the Top 100 are
the Festivals & Events of Distinction, a select group which
represent some of the most well known and respected celebrations in the
province; celebrations which draw both an international and domestic
audience. Other Northern events listed in the top 100 are the Kapuskasing
Lumberjack Festival, the Bon Soo Winter Carnival and Mattawa Voyageur
Days. Submissions from FEO members were received for consideration in the
fall of 2012 and were judged by an independent panel of judges.
Festivals and events of all kinds from every corner of Ontario were
represented in the submissions – from community festivals to
internationally recognized events. _________________________________________________________________________________ Trailbuilding - March 13-14, 2013 Albion Hills Conservation Authority
Daniel Scott from IMBA writes,
"Students will come away with a firm understanding of the fundamentals
of trail design for both hard surface and naturally surfaced trails of
various user types. A working knowledge of the design process from the
planning phase to ground proofing trail alignments will be both
discussed and experienced with examples and a field exercise which will
include using field measurement equipment and flagging a trail alignment
for construction."
EVER WONDERED WHO IS USING YOUR TRAIL AND WHEN? LOOKING FOR MORE THAN
JUST A STATIC COUNT OF TRAIL ACTIVITY? TELL OTHERS ABOUT WHAT TYPE OF
PERSON IS USING YOUR TRAIL, WHAT MAKES YOUR TRAIL A POPULAR
DESTINATION...AND MORE!
WE HAVE YOUR ANSWER.
Utilizing smartphone technology trail users can now complete a short survey that:
Logs in the trip
Single counts individual users
Consolidates results for centralized reporting
Consultation on survey content.
We ask your questions - the facility manager asks what they want to know!
Allows for separate trail counting
Multi-season operation
24/7collection
Identifies quality of trail experiences
Provides you feedback loop
Wherever there is a smartphone signal, and YOUR trailhead you could be
gathering and collecting additional information that will make for a
better trail! Got great trails? Get the feedback that keeps you in the
know!
LOW MAINTENANCE
Using weatherproof decals our methods allow users to quickly and easily
provide you with information you need to assess, improve, direct,
re-direct, or provide information to the user - while on the trail. Our
proprietary method has been developed by over 140 trail users and with
the input of The City of Thunder Bay and Norfolk County Trail Managers.
LOW COST
$50.00 per trail per year (max 3 trails) includes:
Decal design
Decal Printing - max 6 sheets, various size decals
More decals option (fee charged)
Survey Set-up
Survey reports
All system maintenance
Regional Comparisons
Seasonal variances
Trail differentiations
Use patterns
PACKAGES
OTC Member? - Take $25.00 off each package!
Blue - 4-10 trails: $300.00 plus HST and registration fees
Maximum 20 sheets of decals
Green - 10-20 trails: $500.00 plus HST and registration fees
Maximum 40 sheets of decals
Gold - 20 or more trails: Starting at $1,000 plus HST and registration fees
TBD
We've kept the price low - comparible pairs of static counters, that
provide no demographic or qualitative information start at @$750.00 a
pair, per trail - at OTC we are maintenance free, so operating cost is
never an issue! Get information on your rural trails - save on gas,
training, maintenance and get better connected to your customer: THE
TRAIL USER!
VARIOUS DECAL SIZES TO MEET YOUR NEEDS!
8 decals per sheet - each decal is @4.5" (W) X 1.12" (T) or 11.43cm (W) X 2.8cm (T)
4 decals per sheet - each decal is @ 6" (W) X 1.75" (T) or 15.24cm (W) X 4.44cm (T)
2 decals per sheet - each decal is @ 9" (W) X 2.25" (T) or 22.86cm (W) x 5.72cm (T)
NETWORKED TRAIL TRAFFIC SERVICE -
Do you have a trail that comes into your area from somewhere else? Is it
managed by someone other than you? Ever want to know how much trail
traffic was passing through, staying. or going away from your place - on
your trail? Trails network and they cross jurisdictions. How much
maintenance are you doing for traffic that comes from someone else's
trail? We can answer that! Watch this space for our Trillium Trail (C)
Decal. It is designed specifically for trail networks
OTHER FACILITIES?
Do you have a trail that comes into park, runs around the arena or pool
and you'd like to know more about cross flow and traffic integration?
Ontario Trails can offer this same method to integrate additional
feedback from your other recreation facilities as well - producing for
you a comprehensive report on traffic, quality of experience at your
arena, pool or tourism destination - giving you a sense of aggregate
operation and our 4 F's - "fit, flow, funding and function."
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Call Patrick at 877-668-7245
execdir@ontariotrails.ca
*Shipping and handling extra
** Colour print extra
Our Plan for 2013 – "From Recreation to Tourism" There are a lot of new
trails and trail tourism partnerships in RTO8. The Ontario Trails
“Trailhead Ontario 2013″ Committee is is pleased to announce the Holiday Inn Waterfront Peterborough as the location of our conferencing. Site locations for our trail education program are being determined now.
NATURAL/ HISTORIC SITES
When you’re entering the region from any direction the noticeable
feature that differentiates Peterborough from other Cities or Counties
in Ontario is the distinct rolling hills. These hills, while beautiful
when full with fall foliage, have a unique history behind them. When
the last ice age was receding, it left behind large pockets of sediment,
which it picked up while proceeding to grow and freeze everything in
its path. These pockets of sediment are what create the rolling hill
effect you see now. The leftover hills are called Drumlins and
Peterborough is home to one of the largest Drumlin fields in Canada.
The reason is unknown, however when traveling along the trails or the
roads, makes sure you keep an eye out for the next hill and think about
how it really was created.
Become a Trailhead Ontario Presenter - tell us about yourself!
Ontario Trails Council
liaise with the province, and through membership input we conduct a
variety of surveys and create reports that guide decision makers at all
levels - these include:
And more.
We can get you to a significant trails audience.
______________________________________________________________________ Ontario Trail Council Membership
Membership renewals for 2013 started going out December 1st, 2012. Thanks to the 77+ organizations that have renewed so far!
On
behalf of OTC we thank you for your support. If there is a group you
know that is not a member contact us and we'll send them a note on
membership benefits.
Formal Beltline Report | Cycle Toronto Cycle Toronto Midtown member Michael Black has written the definitive guide to the Beltline Trail, including a detailed look through its (often tumultuous) history, ... cycleto.ca/beltline-report _________________________________________________________________________________ Cycling through Northumberland's Hills Northumberland News Magazine recognized the club as the best cycling club in eastern Canada. NHCC, an incorporated club, is a member of the Ontario Cycling Association. _________________________________________________________________________________
We are having a Friends of Bark Lake Gathering for those who worked or attended as a camper at The Ontario Camp Leadership Centre in Irondale. You, your family and camp friends are invited to join us. Please bring Ontario Camp Leadership Centre Bark Lake photos, memorabilia and your stories. https://www.facebook.com/barklakefriend
on Saturday December 29, 2012. at 12 noon.
at Angels Diner 23 Wellington Street East, Guelph, ON N1H 3R7 http://www.angelsdiner.ca/
_________________________________________________________________________________
Ontario Government Encouraging Kids to Stay Active
It's cold outside in Ontario, but that's no reason to stay indoors.
As the temperature drops and with shorter winter days, it can be tempting to stay indoors. However, it is important for everyone - especially kids - to exercise and stay healthy year round. There are lots of fun ways to be physically active during the winter with friends and family, such as:
For days when the temperature drops too low for outdoor activities, kids can have fun exercising indoors. Community centres across Ontario offer activities for children and youth such as swimming, basketball, indoor soccer, martial arts and dance.
Ontario has an ambitious goal of reducing childhood obesity by 20 per cent over five years. Achieving this goal will help our kids become healthy adults and is an important part of the McGuinty government's Action Plan for Health Care.
Trail condition update for Glebe Park: Glebe Park -The lit loop was rolled and the lights are working. The trail has been dragged to the Peter Rabbit but sections are rough.
Join us for Our Trails Think-tank - the new Ontario Recreational Policy and it's impact on Trails - The re-alignment of tourismdestination marketing organizations and their implementation of a trail tourism economy inspired sessions on Trail Tourism - bring your RTO to our roundtable! UPDATE: We are starting this process with a meeting in RTO 7, February 23rd, 2012.
SAY YES to TRAILS - bring your elected officials to this event. While here they will learn about the economic, health, and social benefits of trails. Teach them how to create jobs, safer communities and have a healthier population when they SAY YES to TRAILS! UPDATE We are e-mailing clerks and sent letters, we ask the membership to follow-up and enquire who will be attending from their area.
New for 2012 – The Ontario Trails Council has developed a comprehensive 14 part, trail education program. Supported by members and the Ontario Trillium Foundation OTC will be offering on trail site education for at least one full day. This compliments the conferencing on day one. Watch the program content section for updates as our program is developed! UPDATE Day 3, June 19th will see trails training on-site. We are running our first two courses by the end of February. Watch Ontario Trails Education and Skills Development Program for dates.
Oxford County Trails Committee –Interactive trails? We’ve got them and we are going to show at least 3 different trails tourism variations to participants. Heritage and Trails, Nature and Trails and Eco-Tourism Trails. There are three significant trail developments underway in SW Ontario, the Canadian Southern Rail to Trail Conversion, the Development of the Carolinian Canada Coalition/Lake Erie Waterfront and the Guelph to Goderich Greenway – each is emblematic of network trails and best use of unused lands – trails! UPDATE Time adjusted June 18 - 3pm to 8pm extended for your participation!
Register Today - Register now, pay later - you can register to pay at the event or by sending a cheque. However the hotel will be looking for another instalment payment and it would be nice to hold this from some registrations. Single day, two day and three day packages available - booths, tables and floor space too! We are looking for coffee break sponsors. Call or email us today. Thanks!
Wolves with horses TbNewsWatch.com
Because of the far distance, and subsequent expenses, between Thunder Bay and southernOntario, where university equestrian clubs are common, the Lakehead ...
Toronto Sun
“I believe that if you are going to operate a vehicle on our roadways, whether it is a vehicle like a bicycle that you are driving or a moped or a small cycle or whatever it is, you should know what the rules of the road are,” Shiner told reporters ... See all stories on this topic »
Ten easy tips to maintain your brain Toronto Star
Start a walking club with neighbours or friends, take up dance lessons with friends, ... Talk to a new colleague every week, volunteer for a company event, ...
NorthumberlandView.ca
(BRIGHTON, ON) – The Northumberland Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) has received numerous complaints regarding ATV use on the highways on the 10th Line in ...
