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.
St. Thomas Elevated Park - an OTC Supported Park Project The park is to be Canada’s first elevated park.
The management master plan outlines an achievable process to design, construct and manage the St. Thomas Elevated Park. Additionally, the plan defines the concepts and costs for the park to guide its creative design. It also considers visitor impacts, programming and the potential of the park to contribute to branding St. Thomas as the Railway City and as a tool for community and economic revitalization.
Passive uses are those that can be done on a solo basis such as hiking, biking, cross-country skiing and also running, jogging and just quiet contemplation.
Active uses are those uses that involve groups using traditional venues such as sports fields and play structures as well as more extreme examples including zip lines and bungee jumping.
As an active trail segment in proximity to the Trans Canada Trail, the elevated park is an exciting attraction, with potential to generate significant visitor expenditures. Trail users can be expected to be overwhelmingly represented by hikers, cyclists and cross-country skiers.
Ontario Trails - We Keep Adding Trails!! On a regular basis the trail community sends us more trails to add to our website!Add yours today.
Forested Dunes Nature Trail
The hike from Outer Drive to Mud Creek and back is approximately 5 km and leads through the 139-acre Forested Dunes Nature Reserve, part of the 150,000-acre Port Franks Dunes & Wetlands Complex designated provincially as an Area of Natural & Scientific Interest (ANSI) and nationally as an Important Birding Area (IBA).
The old Mud Creek pedestrian bridge which provided access from Huron St. in Port Franks was removed in 2011 due to safety concerns.
Contact Ross Atkinson with the Lambton Shores trail Blazers for more information.
This equestrian-only trail is in the Greenbelt in east-end Ottawa. The trails are flat and wind through woods and beside fields, and along an old rail bed. There is one gully near the entrance to navigate.
Maps are available at www.cerec.ca or visit our FB page. No overnight camping on site. $10 day pass, available at trail head.
For more information, including maps, please visit our Web site at http://www.cerec.ca
This granular surface trail forms an 880 metre loop through the O’Neill Nature Preserve, a large standing woodlot on the outskirts of Chatham.
The trail was built as a result of collaboration between a number of local organizations and individuals, including the Rotary Club of Chatham, Carolinian Canada Coalition, the Municipality of Chatham-Kent, and nearby residents.
Directions: The trail can be accessed through Thornhill Park, at 114 Thornhill Crescent, and Midwood Oxley Park, at 223 Oxley Drive, in Chatham (see attached map).
Interested in learning more about this or other trails in Chatham-Kent? Visit www.chatham-kent.ca/trails or check out the CK Trails Facebook page.
SIGN OUR PETITION TO SAVE THE TRAIL! COUNCIL MEETS IN OCTOBER SIGN SOON!
Save the Prescott Russell Trail. Many people use and love this trail.
The trail is 72 kilometers long and it runs through 8 townships and many towns in eastern Ontario.
The Prescott-Russell Rail Trail is the only outdoor recreational facility of its type in the area. The trail enables healthy hiking, active walking, dog walking, safe cycling off-road and winter snowmobiling.
Suddenly and without notice there is discussion of closing the trail. Many people love and rely on the Prescott-Russell Rail Trail. This trail is beautiful and a main corridor of travel and recreation for many people.
There have been no trespass complaints from landowners. Many local community members have fought for this trail and regularly work to maintain it.
The Ontario Trails Council asks you to sign this petition because we do not believe leaders fully understand the benefits of the Prescott-Russell Rail Trail to people's health, to tourism and to the environment.
Ontario Trails Council Supports Trail DevelopmentThis week the Ontario Trails Council was pleased to support two capital grants on behalf of members. One was for Prince Edward County, the other for Central Lake Conservation Authority. In addition we are working on supporting the fundraising effort of the St. Thomas Elevated Park.
Prince Edward County Millennium Trail
The County is applied for a grant under the Ontario 150 Fund to improve the Millennium Trail.
This funding application is to improve the surface of the Trail, establish five staging areas with parking and signage and add signage along the Trail.
Central Lake Conservation Authority The key project components of the Heber Down Conservation Area Public Use Renewal Project are the expansion of nature trails in Heber Down Conservation Area with an accessible trail loop and picnic facilities to connect and celebrate Ontario's natural history with the urban growth center and multiculturalism of the Town of Whitby.
Other components include a comfort station, information kiosk, Raptor Watch lookout, and landscape/restoration areas. The larger project also includes retrofitting a fishing pond, replacement of pedestrian bridges, trail rerouting to facilitate connections with new trails and infrastructure, and stream improvements.
Central Lake Conservation Authority - Central Lake Ontario Conservation Authority (CLOCA) was established in 1958. CLOCA's mandate is to establish and undertake programs to promote the conservation, restoration, development and management of natural resources in partnership with local Municipalities and the Province. As the key project will take place on CLOCA owned conservation lands, CLOCA will lead the implementation of the project, and deal with the day to day components of project design and construction.
SIGN OUR PETITION TO SAVE THE TRAIL! COUNCIL MEETS IN OCTOBER SIGN SOON!
Save the Prescott Russell Trail. Many people use and love this trail.
The trail is 72 kilometers long and it runs through 8 townships and many towns in eastern Ontario.
The Prescott-Russell Rail Trail is the only outdoor recreational facility of its type in the area.
The trail enables healthy hiking, active walking, dog walking, safe cycling off-road and winter snowmobiling.
Suddenly and without notice there is discussion of closing the trail. Many people love and rely on the Prescott-Russell Rail Trail.
This trail is beautiful and a main corridor of travel and recreation for many people
There have been no trespass complaints from landowners. Many local community members have fought for this trail and regularly work to maintain it.
The Ontario Trails Council asks you to sign this petition because we do not believe leaders fully understand the benefits of the Prescott-Russell Rail Trail to peoples health, to tourism and to the environment.
Projects Will Help Grow Local Economies and Create Jobs Ontario and the federal government are investing over $88 million in 35 municipal and First Nation projects to build and repair critical infrastructure, help create jobs, and spur economic growth across the province through the Small Communities Fund.
Patricia A. Hadju, Federal Minister of Status of Women and Michael Gravelle, Ontario Minister of Northern Development and Mines, were in Greenstone today to make the announcement. Greenstone will benefit from federal and provincial support for the second phase of the Geraldton water line rehabilitation. This project will improve the health and safety of area residents by providing clean drinking water.
Projects across Ontario include improving waste management and water treatment facilities, and repairing bridges and highways.
Ontario is making the largest investment in public infrastructure in the province's history - about $160 billion over 12 years, which is supporting 110,000 jobs every year across the province, with projects such as hospitals, schools, roads, bridges and transit. Since 2015, the province has announced support for more than 475 projects that will keep people and goods moving, connect communities and improve quality of life. To learn more about infrastructure projects in your community, go to Ontario.ca/BuildON.
Investing in infrastructure is part of the government's economic plan to build Ontario up and deliver on its number-one priority to grow the economy and create jobs. The four-part plan includes helping more people get and create the jobs of the future by expanding access to high-quality college and university education. The plan is making the largest investment in hospitals, schools, roads, bridges and transit in Ontario's history and is investing in a low-carbon economy driven by innovative, high-growth, export-oriented businesses. The plan is also helping working Ontarians achieve a more secure retirement.
QUICK FACTSOntario and the federal government are each providing over $44 million for the 35 projects, which have a total cost of more than $141 million. Recipient communities will be responsible for the remaining project costs.
Through the Small Communities Fund, Ontario and the federal government are each providing $272 million over 10 years to support infrastructure projects in communities with populations under 100,000.
In August 2015, the province launched its second SCF intake.
Eligible applicants include municipalities, local services boards, public sector bodies, Indigenous band councils, private sector for-profit organizations, and non-profit organizations.
Sale of Hydro One Shares Will Be ReInvested in Infrastructure, Job Creation and Economic Growth
Ontario has dedicated $3.2 billion from the sale of Hydro One shares in 2015 to the Trillium Trust, a fund for infrastructure projects that will help create jobs and strengthen the economy.
This follows on the government's 2015 Budget and Fall Economic Statement commitment to dedicate all net revenue gains from the sale of Hydro One shares to the Trillium Trust, to build key vital, long-term infrastructure projects and transportation across Ontario.
Ontario previously credited $1.35 billion in net proceeds from the sale of the Province's shares in General Motors, bringing the total balance of the Trillium Trust to over $4.5 billion. Additional net revenue gains from unlocking value from Hydro One has allowed the government to increase dedicated funding to Moving Ontario Forward by $2.6 billion in the 2015 Budget, bringing the total to $31.5 billion over a 10-year period, and supported an increase in total infrastructure spending to an unprecedented $160 billion over a 12-year period.
Ontario is on track to generate approximately $9 billion in gross proceeds and other revenue benefits from broadening the ownership of Hydro One, while remaining the largest single shareholder. Taxpayers continue to benefit from dividends in the company, allowing the government to increase investments in infrastructure programs such as GO Transit Regional Express Rail and the Ontario Community Infrastructure Fund without further raising taxes, increasing debt or cutting public services.
By investing more than $160 billion over 12 years, Ontario is making the largest investment in public infrastructure in the province's history. These investments will support 110,000 jobs, on average, every year across the province, with projects such as hospitals, schools, roads, bridges and transit. Since 2015, Ontario has announced support for more than 475 projects that will keep people and goods moving, connect communities and improve quality of life. To learn more about infrastructure projects in your community, go to Ontario.ca/BuildON.
Maximizing the value of provincial assets is part of the government's economic plan to build Ontario up and deliver on its number-one priority to grow the economy and create jobs. The four-part plan includes helping more people get and create the jobs of the future by expanding access to high-quality college and university education. The plan is making the largest infrastructure investment in hospitals, schools, roads, bridges and transit in Ontario's history and is investing in a low-carbon economy driven by innovative, high-growth, export-oriented businesses. The plan is also helping working Ontarians achieve a more secure retirement.
QUICK FACTS
Regulations under the Trillium Trust Act, 2014 ensure that net revenue gains associated with the sale of designated assets are credited to the Trust to support Ontario’s key infrastructure projects such as roads, bridges and public transit. This ensures transparency on the net revenue gains that are being credited to the Trust.
In April 2016, Ontario raised an additional $1.97 billion in gross proceeds from a secondary offering of more than 83 million common shares in Hydro One. The government will dedicate the net proceeds of this transaction to critical investments in transit and infrastructure throughout Ontario through the Trillium Trust.
Ontario remains the largest single shareholder of Hydro One, allowing taxpayers to continue benefiting from dividends from ownership in the company.
Barn Quilt Trail in Prince Edward County -
By Bruce Bell, The County Weekly News/The Intelligencer
Tuesday, August 30, 2016 2:55:34 EDT PM
BRUCE BELL/the intelligencer Pat and Ron Dubyk are pictured with a barn quilt in front of the County home. The pair started the Prince Edward County Barn Quilt Trail in 2013 and along with a team of volunteers now have close to 150 installed throughout the municipality.
PRINCE EDWARD COUNTY - It’s quickly become the largest outdoor art gallery in the County. MORE>>>>>>>
Prince Edward Regional Trail Committee supports PEC County - see their FB pagePrince Edward RTC Meets to support a PEC Application to Ontario 150 - The funding application is to improve the surface of the Trail that Rotary did not do, establish five staging areas with parking and signage and add signage along the Trail. In addition we have just completed a new Facebook site for the Millennium Trail.
Please join if you would like and also encourage others who are interested. This site provides currently available information and can be used to communicate with everyone on a continuing basis. Information on public meetings will be added.
Ontario Trails Council - Trails Management Certificate How is Your Trails Committee Doing? In the fall of 2015 the Ontario Trails Coordinating Committee endorsed the Ontario Trails Implementation Strategy. On of the action plan items was to assess and better understand how the province and the OTC could support Regional Trail Committees.
Over the past 20 years communities have used RTC's to reduce conflict, find resources and advance trails
TAKE THE SURVEY!
With over 50 committees operating throughout Ontario, many started or supported by the efforts of the OTC, we want to know how you are doing. We believe that trail committees bring the best people together to manage trails!We also want to support your community work, recognize it and get supports for it. From members, local government and the province. Partnerships always welcome at Ontario Trails!
Our Partnership is just the beginning! We thank you for becoming a partner, here are some of the benefits that are now yours - Great Benefits!
Access to insurance, trail insurance and other services from CAPRI. Advocacy Information
Your voice in Toronto, in your town and city, and in Ottawa, representing you on issues that matter to you. Trail Legislation, Landowner Rights, Best Practices, Funding and Grant Programs. Latest Information for Having Your Best Trail
Partners can access the latest information to learn more about healthy living, trail planning, trail protection and managing your trail. OTC members get access to E-newsletter and programs like the Trillium Trail Network.
Ontario Sport and Recreation Communities Fund Increasing Opportunities for Ontarians
Ontario is helping to increase opportunities for people of all ages and abilities to get active, stay fit and lead healthier lives.
Through the Ontario Sport and Recreation Communities Fund, the province is investing $7.2 million in 2016-17 to support local, regional and provincial organizations that offer quality programs and services to keep Ontarians active in sport, recreation and physical activity.
Eleanor McMahon, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport, was in Tiny, Ontario today to announce that, as part of this fund, the province is providing more than $20,000 to Come Play with Us: Rev Up for Active Gaming in Tiny! This one-year project will encourage approximately 150 adults and seniors in the Township of Tiny and surrounding areas to learn about recreational activities and become more physically active.
This year, the Ontario Sport and Recreation Communities Fund is supporting 129 local, regional and provincial projects. These grants will help people across the province get involved in sport and recreation, improve their physical literacy, and strengthen their communities through coaching, youth development and volunteer development.
Investing in sport, recreation and active living in communities across the province is part of the government's economic plan to build Ontario up and deliver on its number-one priority to grow the economy and create jobs. The four-part plan includes helping more people get and create the jobs of the future by expanding access to high-quality college and university education. The plan is making the largest infrastructure investment in hospitals, schools, roads, bridges and transit in Ontario's history and is investing in a low-carbon economy driven by innovative, high-growth, export-oriented businesses. The plan is also helping working Ontarians achieve a more secure retirement.
QUICK FACTS
Since 2013, the Ontario Sport and Recreation Communities Fund has supported over 360 projects across the province.
Now in its fourth year, the Ontario Sport and Recreation Communities Fund has invested more than $28.8 million since the program was launched.
In 2016–17, Ontario Sport and Recreation Communities Fund projects are expected to reach over 220,000 people.
The Ontario Sport and Recreation Communities Fund supports Game ON – The OntarioGovernment’s Sport Plan, which aims to make opportunities available for all Ontarians to get involved in organized sport; the Healthy Kids Strategy, which is aimed at reducing childhood obesity; and the Stepping Up Framework, which aims to improve children's health and well-being.
Everyday Ontario Trails assists trails in Ontario - Service Request Form
The Ontario Trails Council requests that folks start using it's Service Request form so that we can track the supports we provide to trail organizations in Ontario - a lot of which is unfunded.
Our work, leading to Bill 100, or an Ontario Trails Implementation Strategy benefits all trails, but not all support our work, so if you want our valuable assistance please complete this form going forward so we can track requests!
We believe in trails and would be happy to assist as per our mandate and mission, but a priority, given resource and time constraints will be given to our partners first.
Please consider supporting our work
We wish to thank all those organizations who have renewed their membership. Please renew today, our work is more important than ever! Help us help groups keep their trails open. Please consider making a donation or taking out a membership today! We rely on the generous support of the Canadian trail community to allow us to do our work.
Our Mission - to promote the preservation, management, use and development of trails.
Everyday, somewhere in Ontario we educate, support a group, lead or assist a community improving its quality of life through trails.
The 72-kilometre Prescott-Russell Recreational Trail at Vankleek Hill. DARREN BROWN / POSTMEDIA
While city officials in Ottawa think about ways to expand bike paths, those in the rural county of Prescott and Russell are pondering closing a 72-kilometre trail.
The Prescott and Russell Recreational Trail, which opened about a decade ago, runs on an unused Via railway line from St. Eugene in the east, through Vankleek Hill and Plantagenet, then skirts the Larose Forest and Alfred Bog before ending in the village of Hammond, close to Ottawa’s eastern boundary.
But the path, which is also used by snowmobilers, hikers, dog walkers and horseback riders, is under-utilized. There have been complaints that the long distances where the trail runs past agricultural fields are “flat and boring.” Others don’t likethat there’s no cellphone service in certain areas, said Guy Desjardins, mayor of Clarence-Rockland and chairman of the United Counties of Prescott and Russell.
Cyclists have also complained that the stone dust surface of most of the trail is only suitable for all-terrain bikes, and there are few amenities along the way.
Meanwhile, it is costing $400,000 a year to maintain the path, cut grass and repair features such as bridges, said Desjardins. To continue maintaining the entire trail would mean a one-per-cent tax increase for the county’s 85,000 residents spread over 2,000 square kilometres.
However, there’s the possibility of saving parts of the trail, such as the portion around the village of Bourget, said Desjardins. This part of the trail is paved and lighted, and there’s an old railway station under consideration for renovations.
Patrick Connor, the executive director of the Ontario Trails Council, said he was surprised to hear Prescott-Russell is considering closing the trail. The council is developing multi-use trails on unused railway lines all over Ontario, and closing a trail is rare.
“It’s a very significant trail in Eastern Ontario. It binds the communities together,” said Connor, who added that the council provided funding to refurbish parts of the Prescott-Russell trail only last year.
Connor said there are economic development possibilities and infrastructure funding sources available. “The Ontario Trails Council would be more than happy to sit down and look at ways to keep it open. Too much time, effort and investment has been put into it.”
Multi-use trails built on railway beds help to keep bicycle, snowmobile and other traffic off roadways, said Connor. One railway trail near Guelph is used by Mennonites for horse-and -buggy traffic, for example. In rural areas, trails are a more cost-effective way to improve physical fitness than building pools and arenas, he said.
“Trails are the No. 1 growing recreational infrastructure.”
The possibility of giving up on the trail came up recently during budget discussions, said Desjardins. The trail was created through a lease agreement with Via, which included an agreement to maintain areas around the railway line.
A final decision is to be made in budget sessions this fall.
Ontario Proclaims the “Ontario Trail Act” With over 2,500 trails, supporting 19 recreational activities, in 430 communities = 80,000 km in length, Ontario has one of the largest trails systems in North America. Today the Ontario Trails Council was pleased to be informed by the Government of Ontario that the Ontario Trails Act has been proclaimed. The Ontario Trails Act, changes other Acts of Legislation to reduce liability exposure for land owners, increase fines for trespass, as well as introduce other changes that will make it easier for groups to hold events, while providing better guidance on issues of risk exposure and liability. “We attended a number of sessions to secure and promote better understanding of the Act as it moved through parliament, “says OTC President Jack De Wit. “we worked with all stakeholders; the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport, we sat with the Ontario Federation of Snowmobiles, the Bruce Trail, Hike Ontario, Conservation Ontario, Ontario Federation of Trail Riders as well as landowners and others to make an act to improve recreational trail in Ontario. We thank all for their input and both Minister McMahon and Minister Coteau's offices for their support.” The Ontario Trails Council has over 240 members representing various trail stakeholders that are directly affected by this legislation. Economic Development, non-profit, community clubs, sport groups, tourism offices, health units, provincial and municipal parks, conservation authorities have all worked with the Ontario Trails Council to bring focus to government on trail issues. “Ontario Trails Council regularly communicates about, negotiates, develops and implements trails throughout Ontario,” said Patrick Connor Ontario Trails Executive Director. “The Ontario Trails Act is a positive response to the member surveys, round table discussions and numerous phone calls and concerns people have expressed through OTC to make positive change for trails in Ontario. The “Ontario Trails Act” gives trails a place of importance.” Going forward, Ontario Trails Council and its members will work with all groups to affect more positive change. We have written a Landowners Bill of Rights, we are working on Accessible Trails and a Provincial Trails Count for 2017. For more information on Ontario’s trails visit the our website at www.ontariotrails.on.ca -30-
JOANNE LAUCIUS, OTTAWA CITIZEN
