Ontario Trail News - for more Ontario Trail News subscribe to Trailwise

L-R - TRCA Chair, Gerri Lynn O'Connor, Michael Chan, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport; MPP Dixon; Marlaine Koehler, Executive Director Waterfront Trail; Kathleen Wynne, Premier of Ontario; Patrick Connor Executive Director Ontario Trails Council; Jack De Wit, President Ontario Trails Council, Paul Labarge, Board Member Trans Canada Trail.

This year we estimate 107 trail projects worth 21 million dollars in Ontario. Today we participated in the Ontario government announcement by Premier Wynne, of 3.5 million for a Pan Am Legacy Trail, which is part of the Trans Canada, Waterfront and Toronto Region Conservation Authority systems. This will help complete the Trans Canada Trail in Ontario by their target date of 2017. Ontario Trails Council has logged 100,000's of kilometers of travel in support of the TCT in Ontario over the past decade. We are pleased to see OTC Members, TRCA, TCTO, City of Toronto, Waterfront Trail and Pan Am Path all benefit through this significant provincial investment in GTA Trails. Thanks Ontario!http://news.ontario.ca/opo/en/2013/10/ontario-expanding-trails-in-time-for-the-peoples-games.html?utm_source=ondemand&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=p

__________________________________________________________________________________

Web Page

Ontario Trails - an opportunity for economic development includes trails in your Ontario!

News Release

Helping Communities Attract Investment and Create Jobs

Ontario moving forward with Investment Ready Program

August 19, 2013 11:30 a.m.

Office of the Premier

Premier Kathleen Wynne spoke at the annual conference of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario today, where she unveiled new details about Ontario's Investment Ready: Certified Site Program.

The new program gives investors a greater degree of certainty when looking for development opportunities in Ontario municipalities. It will help companies looking to locate or expand their businesses in Ontario make quick, informed decisions and get projects underway sooner.

Designed to appeal to global investors, the program will give municipalities a chance to showcase their communities, attract new investment and help create jobs. This new initiative is part of the government's strategy to foster a competitive business climate in communities across Ontario. 

Quick Facts

• Ontario’s Investment Ready: Certified Site Program is Canada’s first province-wide certified site program.
• The program will provide detailed information on locations within a community that are ready to be developed, including availability, utilities servicing, access and environmental concerns.
• To be eligible for the program, sites will need to meet mandatory requirements in relation to site ownership, availability for sale/lease, minimum property size, public road access, municipal planning and zoning, and servicing and utilities.
• Applications will need to be submitted jointly by either municipalities or economic development organizations and the owner(s) of the site.
• Financial assistance will be available to help cover some of the costs incurred during the certification process. The application process is set to open later this year.

Quotes

We are confident that our new site certification program will make it easier for businesses to grow and expand in communities across the province. We want to do everything we can to help create jobs and attract investment to build strong, vibrant communities and we look forward to working together with our municipal partners.”

Kathleen Wynne

Premier of Ontario

The Investment Ready program will help communities across the province attract investment and create jobs. This is just one of the ways our government is strengthening local economies in partnership with municipal leaders.”

Dr. Eric Hoskins

Minister of Economic Development, Trade and Employment

Site Certification is another important tool to help our members attract investment projects to the communities they serve. Competition for international investment is intense, and a certified site designation can help a development opportunity stand out from the crowd.”

Heather Lalonde

CEO, Economic Developers Council of Ontario

Ontario Trail News - Activity, Trails Tourism, New trails and more!

More bike lanes outside GTA
Toronto Star
There are more bike lanes in the GTA than in all of Ontario. You would think that once you get outside of the GTA it would be paradise for cyclists, but not so. About 10 years ago I was living about two miles outside of Fenelon Falls and would enjoy ...
See all stories on this topic »


This summer's best DIY fun
NOW Magazine
You're on your bike between May and October, so learn to navigate properly at Cycle Toronto's free Street Smarts workshops (cycleto.ca) to June 15 at various locations. Once you've mastered the roads, fine-tune your vessel. Bike Pirates (bikepirates ...
See all stories on this topic »


Geocaching boom fuels new field of tourism for savvy promoters
Toronto Star
Some tourism groups have watched the geocaching trend blossom over the past ... that area,” says John Robb, president of the Ontario Geocaching Association. 


Designing cities for better health: If you build it, they will walk
Globe and Mail
Many Canadian cities have also officially adopted the new urban planning thinking, especially Toronto, where the public health department released a report in 2011 on how communities shape the health of residents, and Vancouver, which is also a strong ...
See all stories on this topic »

These downtown signs are made for walking
St. Catharines Standard
OK, I recognize the dangers of speaking about downtown Toronto and downtown St. Catharines in the same breath. Not exactly comparing apples to apples. More like watermelons to plums. But there's a principle here that applies to both. Walking is a good ...
See all stories on this topic »

Ontario conservation group fears endangered species taking back seat to ...
Toronto Star
Wildlands League, a leading Ontario conservation agency, resigned from the Endangered Species Act Panel earlier this week and wrote to Premier Kathleen Wynne outlining its concerns. “If the regulations your government is about to enact go forward as ...
See all stories on this topic »


Ottawa to celebrate 'Horse Day' on June 1
Horsetalk
The day will begin with a horse-drawn wagon ride taking guests from the parking ... Search and Rescue team – Ontario's first mounted search and rescue unit.


Butter Tart Trail advocates seek 'cease and desist order' for trademark ...
Wellington Advertiser
“We feel that's an infringement of our Butter Tart Trail,” Marshall said. The township has Toronto-based Dimock Stratton, a law firm specializing in trademark cases, handling the issue. Despite the two different names, Marshall feels “it is the same ...


PELHAM: Town earns coveted 'Bike Friendly' designation
Bullet News Niagara
Pelham resident and working group member David Hunt was also honoured during the 2013 Ontario Bike Summit by the Share the Road Cycling Coalition for his advocacy, leadership and dedication to “Building Bicycle Friendly Communities” in Ontario.
See all stories on this topic »

New Rules for Species at Risk Protection

May 31, 2013

Ontario Moves Forward with Protection for 65 More Endangered Species

Ontario is simplifying rules for landowners, municipalities and businesses under its Endangered Species Act (ESA), while maintaining its place as a North American leader in species protection. On July 1, Ontario is streamlining its approach to species at risk protection by implementing standardized rules and an online registry for certain low-risk activities.
The changes include:

• Making it easier for volunteers and researchers to undertake projects that protect endangered species
• Simplifying requirements for municipalities to carry out activities that protect human health and safety, such as road repairs
• A time-limited transition provision that will allow projects currently in development to continue while mitigating adverse effects on endangered species
• Harmonizing requirements under the Endangered Species Act and Crown Forest Sustainability Act to preserve protection while avoiding overlap

The existing approval process remains for all other activities. The Province will continue to ensure compliance through education and outreach, as well as monitoring, auditing and enforcement.
Protecting Ontario's biodiversity is part of the Ontario government's plan to ensure a healthy environment for future generations.

QUICK FACTS On July 1, 65 more species will benefit from habitat protection. Ontario protects about 150 threatened and endangered species, including polar bear, chimney swift, butternut and wolverine. For July 1, a new species at risk website will be launched to provide easy-to-access information to help users comply with the Endangered Species Act. An example of low-risk activities includes a landowner who wants to cut down an endangered butternut tree. The landowner will be able to register and plant additional butternut elsewhere, which is faster and simpler than going through an application process. Since 2007, Ontario's Species at Risk Stewardship Fund has supported more than 600 protection and recovery projects and restored more than 24,000 hectares of habitat. Ontario helps protect the province's biodiversity, including fragile ecosystems and species at risk, by supporting the Invasive Species Centre, the only one of its kind in Canada.

LEARN MORE

• Protecting Species at Risk in Ontario
• Find out more about Protecting Species at Risk in Ontario.
• Read the report of the Endangered Species Act Panel set up by the Ministry of Natural Resources to advise on improving the administration of the act.
• Read Biodiversity: It's in Our Nature, the government's 10-year plan to protect biodiversity.