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Join the OTC

The Ontario Trails Council is a charitable organization, established in 1988, that promotes the creation, development, preservation, management and use of recreational trails.

Over past years membership got: a working Ontario Trails Strategy, new Regional Trail Committees, $25 Million in federal funding for communities (NOT OTC!), 84 trail projects in Ontario equaling 16.4M, and work to enhance the Waterfront Trail, Toronto Trails, Lake Erie Coastal Trail, Trans Canada Trail and 2,000 other trails in Ontario. We do this with your support!

MEMBERSHIP FORM - PDF                              MEMBERSHIP FORM - WORD DOC

Membership Dues

Large $772.50 CAD             Medium $257.50 CAD             Small $103.00 CAD             Friend of Trails $25.75 CAD             Student $20.60 CAD

Benefits to Individual

• Savings on conference/seminar registration
• Monthly e-bulletins
• Access to OTC trails database
• Great gift price!
• Savings on trail literature/maps

$25.75 + $3.38 = $29.13 (includes 13% HST)

Benefits to Student

• 4 editions of the OTC newsletter Greenways
• Access to OTC trails information
• Conference and selected literature savings

  * must provide student verification
$20.60 + $2.67 = $23.27(includes 13% HST)

Types of Members

Our members include municipalities, conservation authorities, parks, trail management groups, trail clubs, trail user groups, health units and other trail-related supporting organizations.

Benefits to Organization

• Access to Trail Insurance package
• OTC Web page representation
• Option on registration in Trillium Trail Network
• Access to Professional Development sessions, i.e. Trails Tourism Practices, Trails Tort Reform, Trail Design Build Workshops
• User conflict resolution
• Representation on OTC trails maps
• Regional Trail Management Committee development
• Knowledge exchange
• Office services and networking support
• Advocacy benefits - provincially and nationally
• Savings on conference/seminar registration

PRICING - Buy fax, credit card or mail (all include 13% HST)

	Base	HST	Total
Less than 200 users	$103.00	$13.39	$116.39
Between 200 and 5000 users	$257.50	$33.47	$290.97
Greater than 5000 users	$772.50	$100.42	$872.92

These prices do not include PayPal fees.              

You can support the OTC in a number of ways. One way is to add one of the badges below to your website or blog. Or become a member! Options below.

Simply cut and paste the text beneath a badge into your HTML:

Ontario Trails Council - Trail Education and Trail Counts Program

http://www.participaction.com/association/the-ontario-trails-council/

http://www.summerfunguide.ca/

Ontario Trails - Members and Services

Ontario Trails Council - Trails Education and Trail Counts

http://www.participaction.com/association/the-ontario-trails-council/

http://www.summerfunguide.ca/

Ontario Trails Council - Trail Education and Trail Counts

http://www.participaction.com/association/the-ontario-trails-council/

http://www.summerfunguide.ca/

http://www.ontariotrails.on.ca/learn/courses

Ontario Trails News - Summer 2014 Archive

http://www.ontariotrails.on.ca/connect/newsletter

Toronto pushing customizable cycle tourism options

A group of cyclists is lead through the busy streets of Kensington Market while on an organized bicycle tour in Toronto on Saturday, July 12, 2014. (Darren Calabrese / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

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Alexandra Bosanac, The Canadian Press
Published Monday, July 14, 2014 9:30AM EDT 

TORONTO -- Inside a hotel in the grey, concrete-dominated downtown core, Stephanie Kampmann thought Toronto seemed dark, congested and uninviting.

The first-time visitor from Germany had resigned herself to the idea that Vancouver, the next leg of her cross-Canada tour, would make up for the disappointment. Seeing the city as a cyclist, she says, gave her a new perspective.

On a bright July morning, Kampmann, her husband Axel and their two teenaged children took a pass on the sightseeing bus and zipped around the city as many locals do -- by pedal power. Led by a guide from Toronto Bicycle Tours, Kampmann and her family covered significant territory in the span of a few hours, crossing well-known tourist destinations such as the CN Tower, the Rogers Centre and the Eaton Centre off their list.

But it was the sights otherwise inaccessible by tour bus -- the side streets and the little green patches tucked away between looming office buildings -- that made her trip special, she says.

Letter - MNR Closes Canoe Portage "The Public Has No Right To Use Ontario's Public Lands"

Written by Simon Guillet Guilletville, ON.

Monday, 14 July 2014 11:16

Dear Brenda, According to the Ontario Liberal government, and the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR), in their own words, “the public has no legal right to use Ontario’s public lands. It only has a privilege.”  And it is a “privilege” that we are being denied more and more by this government.  Many believe that the government is badly mistaken and that Ontarians do have the legal right to access their own public lands under Section 3 of the Ontario Public Lands Act and under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.  It is a point that must be challenged in court, if only we could afford it as private citizens. For decades, the government through the MNR has severely restricted access to over 2,000 of our best lakes and vast areas of prime public lands, mostly for the benefit of the remote tourism industry and its “guests” willing to pay big bucks for the remoteness, which means that no locals will bother them. Now, the MNR is taking their privatization of public lands one step further by blocking canoeists from using a very historic portage at Bala Falls.  The MNR claims that it’s for reasons of “public safety” but Bala residents are certain that the real reason is to allow the construction of a huge hydro-electric project at Bala Falls, one that residents do not want nor need.  The case is now before the Ontario Court of Appeals with the township of Bala maintaining that the Public Lands Act gives people the right to portage if a route existed before the Crown sold or disposed of its land. The government’s position is that aspect of the legislation doesn’t apply. Canoeing and portaging is an intrinsic part of Canada and our history; it is how our country was opened up by explorers.   Our rivers served as our highways for centuries by the aboriginals and early settlers and the fur trade. It is part of our identity; we have always had the right to portage, without which the right of navigation is meaningless.  It is our land – and we want to be able to enjoy its beauty and splendour.  It is our historical right, dating over four centuries. However, we Ontarians deserve what we tolerate.  Already, most of our biggest and best lakes are off limits to us unless one registers as a paying guest at high-priced tourist lodges.  Many of our forest roads, built with public money, are closed off and posted “No Trespassing” so that we cannot enjoy our natural heritage.  What’s next on the MNR’s agenda?  If they succeed closing portages in Bala, there will no doubt be other closures of portages.  Is this the beginning of the end of the only remaining free means of accessing and enjoying our remote wilderness? Simon Guillet Guilletville, ON.

Ontario Trail News Summer 2014 - Archive

http://www.ontariotrails.on.ca/connect/newsletter

A new approach is needed to curb the loss of farmland

Guelph Mercury

By Owen Roberts

It's rare to hear much optimism about farmland preservation in Ontario.

Even with such high-profile measures at the Greenbelt in place, we're still losing farmland at a breakneck pace. Last year, the Ontario Federation of Agriculture estimated 100 acres of farmland disappears in this provinceevery day to development.

I believe it. Look around at almost any Ontario community, especially now that the growing season is in full swing and the line between farmland and development is clearer.

Recognition is growing that farmland is essential to the future of feeding a hungry world in the eyes of the general public, says the province's other major general farm group, the Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario.

Yet sprawl is everywhere. Overall, society has yet to connect the dots when it comes to food production and farmland availability. If it had, we'd see more of a backlash against the kind of farmland disappearance that continues everywhere.

It's said only about five per cent of Ontario land is suitable for agriculture … and for the most part, that's the same land being paved over and used for housing, malls and other uses not related to food production. When it's used for development, it's unlikely it will ever be used for growing food again.

But all's not lost. The Christian farmers' federation thinks there's hope for farmland preservation — and maybe even what it calls "positive gains"— with the new government.

Here's why. In the Liberals' election campaign, a program called Farms Forever was proposed. Basically, it would lessen farmland loss through agricultural easements. The Ontario Farmland Trust explains that through the program, willing farmers would receive tax advantages or other incentives to protect their farms with easements that would prevent future non-agricultural developments on the land, such as housing subdivisions and aggregate pits.

OAKLEY – Liberal Budget: The Greenbelt

Toronto, ON, Canada / Talk Radio AM640

Laura Taylor

July 14, 2014 08:47 am

The Liberals are planning to expand the outer boundary of the Greenbelt — about 800,000 hectares of protected land that largely encompasses an area from Peterborough around the western end of Lake Ontario to Niagara Falls — a move some say will hurt farmers. This restricts the use of the land along with reducing its value. How will this affect you?

Ontario Trail News Summer 2014 - Archive

http://www.ontariotrails.on.ca/connect/newsletter

All road users share safety responsibility

Local cyclists and motorists encouraged to show better cooperation by sharing space on area roadways

Share the Road

Special to This Week

The Kawartha Lakes OPP, Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit and Kawartha Cycling Club have joined forces once again to spread the Share the Road message. Signs like this one have been posted along popular cycling routes across the City of Kawartha Lakes.

Kawartha Lakes This Week

(KAWARTHA LAKES) Provincial police, health officials, and driving and cycling enthusiasts in Kawartha Lakes have once again teamed up to encourage people on bikes and in cars to share the road this summer.

To reinforce the message, more of the yellow Share the Road signs - purchased through an Ontario Ministry of Transportation grant - have been installed along area roadways that are frequently used by cyclists. The signs are one of the more visible parts of the Share the Road campaign, which reminds drivers and cyclists to share space and respect each other’s place on the road.

“Cycling is becoming a more popular pastime and tourist draw in the City of Kawartha Lakes,” notes Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit health promoter Lisa Kaldeway. “That makes it even more important to support safe cycling by ensuring all road users are aware of each other’s rights and responsibilities.”

Youth honoured with Duke of Edinburgh gold awards

Richmond Hill, Thornhill students give back to community

Richmond Hill Liberal

The Governor General of Canada, the Right Hon. David Johnston, presented The Duke of Edinburgh’s gold award to more than 100 young people in Ontario June 20, seven of them from southern York Region.

The Duke of Edinburgh Award is given to youth between the ages of 14 and 25 who demonstrate high levels of involvement in the community. Each youth must complete requirements in four categories (community service, skill development, physical recreation and adventurous journey) and then earn a bronze, silver or gold level of the award.

Stephanie Chan of Richmond Hill tutored science and math at her school and volunteered with a senior citizen home assisting the residents. Her adventurous journey consisted of a four-day canoe trip exploring Algonquin Park and she enjoys recreational activities such as skiing, skating, swimming and canoeing. After participating in the Shad Valley program and trip to France as an international student, she feels that Award has given her a wider understanding of the world around her and encouraged her to pursue interests, such as backcountry hiking.

Ricardo de Sequeira also a student from Richmond Hill who enjoys hiking. He hiked to the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania and said through the experience he learned how much he enjoys his favourite physical activities: running and strength training. He also attended a forum for young Canadians interested in politics and how our government operates. In his community he has been a Special Olympics volunteer, swim instructor, lifeguard and is a tuck shop manager.

Richmond Hill’s Jeffrey Lam has achieved bronze, silver and gold levels of the award. He has volunteered with Free the Children, Dragon Ball fundraising, Gala for Yee Hong Geriatric Centre, Heart and Stroke Fundraising Gala and a Scarborough Chinese Outreach committee fundraising gala. For his adventurous journey, he went dog-sledding through Algonquin Provincial Park for five days. A baritone saxophone player who also enjoys badminton, he also spent a week at the Terry Fox Memorial Centre learning about healthcare.

Justin Lam from Richmond Hill credits the award and program for opening him to activities and experiences he normally would not have tried. His adventurous journey was spent in British Columbia where he participated in a four-day hiking trip in Garibaldi Provincial Park. He enjoyed education programs on First Nations’ history and culture in both British Columbia and Ontario. He enjoys photography, swimming and tennis. Lam hopes to become a lawyer and hopes to land an internship at a top law firm.

Tariq Haji is from Thornhill and has achieved the bronze, silver and gold level of the award. He volunteers with Ismaili Volunteer Corps, the Ontario Science Center and during Rogers Cup as a ball boy. For his adventurous journey he spent six days in Algonquin National Park on a canoe trip. He enjoys cooking, soccer, tennis and table tennis. He travelled to Jonquiere, Quebec where he learned about Quebec culture and brushed up on his French.

Joshua Morris is another Thornhill student who has also received all three levels of the Duke of Edinburgh Award. His community service was offered to charities such as Canadian Blood Services, Telethon for USA as well as the Terry Fox Run. He did a four-day hike in Algonquin Park for his adventurous journey and also assisted with building homes in West Virginia for Habitat for Humanity. He enjoys hockey and tennis and Morris said he has learned the importance of volunteering and helping others through the program.

Adrian Chan is from Markham and has received his bronze, silver and gold levels of the award. He has been involved in shoreline cleanups, developing habitats for salamanders and birds, as well as planting trees. He went on a hiking expedition in Wiarton, Hope Bay and Cape Croker for his adventurous journey. He is a skilled pianist and enjoys cycling and yoga. He also travelled to Costa Rica to work on various turtle conservation efforts. He will attend university in the fall and hopes to become a civil engineer.

For more on the Duke of Edinburgh program, visit www.dukeofed.org

- Lyrel Robinson

Ontario Trail News Summer 2014 - Archive

http://www.ontariotrails.on.ca/connect/newsletter

City opens new bike lanes on Simcoe Street

New bike lanes open on Simcoe Street

 

Traffic services Const. Hugh Smith explains how motorists could get a $150 fine, as police patrol new bike lanes on Simcoe Street.

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Chris Kitching, CP24.com
Published Wednesday, July 9, 2014 7:25AM EDT 
Last Updated Wednesday, July 9, 2014 7:49AM EDT

Toronto police officers are monitoring a stretch of Simcoe Street, as cyclists ride along a new set of bike lanes for the first time.

The city officially opened the bike northbound and southbound bike lanes between Queen and Wellington streets Wednesday morning.

Friendship flotilla forges relationships between Aboriginal youth and police

Posted on 7/9/2014 1:38:00 PM by Alison Sandor

The flotilla leaves from Dow's Lake

Alison Sandor

Officers from six different police forces in Eastern Ontario and Western Quebec put aside their badges and guns Wednesday to take part in the annual Cops and Kids Friendship Flotilla.

The flotilla featured teens from five different Aboriginal youth groups located in Ottawa and it's all about fostering relationships.

With life vests strapped on and oars in hand, police officers and youth in 31 canoes paddled away from the dock.

Ontario Provincial Police East Region Chief Supt. Daniel Redmond said this is a great chance to interact with youth.

"And in a different role - not with our uniforms on and very social," he said. "[It's] to show there's another side to police officers and what we do every day and why we do what we do and get to know where they're from."

Annual regatta next weekend in Carleton Place

Carleton Place Almonte Canadian Gazette

By  Tara Gesner

Make plans next weekend for fun, sun and cheering on local paddlers at the annual Carleton Place Canoe Club (CPCC) Regatta.

The two-day regatta, July 19 and 20, is the club’s most important event of the competitive calendar, with canoe/kayak competitors of all ages from more than half a dozen clubs in Ontario and western Quebec taking part.

“Athletes come and check out their competition before the eastern Ontario and national championships in August,” Alison Lunn said.

Lunn is director of communication and promotions (alumni, current members) at the CPCC.

The Carleton Place Canoe Club Regatta begins at 8 a.m. and runs until 5 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday.