Product Code Database
The Great Lakes Waterfront Trail is a signed route of roads and trails in Ontario, Canada, running between Sault Ste. Marie and the Quebec border following the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River. The trail connects over 150 communities and First Nations. It is a legacy project of the Waterfront Regeneration Trust, and its community partners. Through Toronto, the trail is called the Martin Goodman Trail. The Waterfront Trail is also used by commuters in parts of Southern Ontario. Trail usage at WaterfrontTrail.org
I want to ensure that all of the people of this province benefit from our investments in the Pan Am and Parapan Am Games, because that is how we can grow as One Ontario. Extending our trails system and connecting more communities is a great way for the excitement of the Games to live on well beyond 2015.
- — Kathleen Wynne, Premier of Ontario, October 3, 2013 Trail Expansion announcement. Retrieved 2013-10-03.
The announcement ensures that "the province will work with First Nation and Métis communities and organizations to incorporate Aboriginal markers along the trails to honour the history and culture of Aboriginal communities in Ontario."
Trails will connect to four major Pan Am and Parapan Am Games venues – CIBC Pan Am/Parapan Am Athletes' Village, CIBC Pan Am Park, CIBC Hamilton Soccer Stadium and Pan Am/Parapan Am Fields.
All consultations related to Pan Am/Parapan Am trails will address accessibility requirements under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act.
In November 2013, two waterfront-design firms were selected to reimagine the space at the former Ontario Place grounds in Toronto to incorporate a broader mandate for greenspace and parkland.When completed in 2015, the new park will link to the existing Waterfront Trail.
Since 2013, the Trail has been growing radically, with expansions along the shores of Lake Erie, Lake Huron, Georgian Bay and Lake Huron's north channel, adding over 2000 km to its length.
Controversial decisions to limit some e-bike and mobility scooters have been underway along portions of the trail. "City seeking new ways to regulate Hamilton's E-Bike explosion". Retrieved 2014-07-22.
| +Municipalities and First Nations connected by the Great Lakes Waterfront Trail ! St. Lawrence River !Lake Ontario !Lake Erie & Lake St. Clair !Lake Huron !Georgian Bay !Lake Huron (North Channel) | |||||
| South Glengarry | Loyalist | Niagara-on-the-Lake | Plympton-Wyoming | Northern Bruce Peninsula (Tobermory, Lion's Head) | Greater Sudbury |
| Cornwall | Greater Napanee | Niagara Falls | Kettle & Stoney Point First Nation | South Bruce Peninsula (Wiarton) | Nairn and Hyman |
| South Dundas | Deseronto | Fort Erie | Lambton Shores (Grand Bend) | Georgian Bluffs | Baldwin |
| South Stormont | Belleville | Port Colborne | South Huron | Owen Sound | Espanola |
| Prescott | Quinte West | Haldimand County (Dunnville, Nanticoke) | Bluewater (GAP) | Meaford | NEMI (Little Current) |
| Augusta | Prince Edward County (Picton, Carrying Place) | Norfolk County (Port Dover, Long Point) | Central Huron | The Blue Mountains (Thornbury, Blue Mountain Village) | Sheguiandah |
| Brockville | Brighton | Elgin County (Port Burwell, Port Stanley) | Goderich | Collingwood | Assiginack (Manitouwaning) |
| Gananoque | Cramahe / Colborne | Chatham-Kent South (Erieau, Rondeau Park) | Ashfield-Colborne-Wawanosh (Amberley) | Wasaga Beach | Sables-Spanish Rivers |
| Frontenac Islands (Wolfe Island and Howe Island) | Alnwick/Haldimand | Leamington | Huron-Kinloss (Lucknow, Ripley) | Township of Tiny | Spanish |
| Kingston | Cobourg | Kingsville | Kincardine | Penetanguishene | Serpent River First Nation |
| Port Hope | Pelee Island | Saugeen Shores (Port Elgin, Southampton) | Midland | Township of the North Shore | |
| Clarington | Colchester | Saugeen Ojibway Nation | Tay Township (Waubaushene) | Blind River | |
| Oshawa | Amherstburg | South Bruce Peninsula (Sauble Beach) | Severn Township (Port Severn, Severn Bridge) | Huron Shores (Iron Bridge) | |
| Whitby | LaSalle | Northern Bruce Peninsula (Tobermory) | Orillia | Thessalon | |
| Ajax | Windsor | Manitoulin Island | Gravenhurst | Plummer Additional | |
| Pickering | Tecumseh | Tehkummah (South Baymouth) | Bracebridge | Bruce Mines | |
| Toronto | Lakeshore | Muskoka Lakes (Port Carling, Bala, Minette) | Johnson Township (Desbarats) | ||
| Mississauga | Chatham-Kent North (Pain Court, Mitchell's Bay) | Georgian Bay (Honey Harbour, MacTier) | St. Joseph Island (Richard's Landing, Jocelyn, Hilton, | ||
| Oakville | Wallaceburg | Seguin (Rosseau) | Tarbutt | ||
| Burlington | St. Clair (Sombra) | Parry Sound | Laird Township | ||
| Hamilton | Sarnia and Point Edward | McDougall | McDonald, Meredith and Aberdeen Additional (Echo Bay) | ||
| Grimsby | Carling | Garden River First Nation | |||
| Lincoln | The Archipelago | Sault Ste Marie | |||
| St. Catharines (Port Dalhousie, Port Weller) | Shawanaga First Nation | Prince Township |
Regional Municipalities connected by the Great Lakes Waterfront Trail
The jewel of the Waterfront Trail lies at the Toronto Islands Ferry Terminal where trail users can catch a ferry to the expansive Toronto Islands including Toronto Islands and Hanlon's Point Beach. In 2015, the Waterfront Trail is expected to connect to the huge underground Toronto PATH system. Cyclists and skaters are encouraged on the peaceful island where only utility vehicles are permitted.
Among the artistic touches of this portion of the trail include the architecturally renowned Wave Decks, designed by West8.
The Beaches community in eastern Toronto is an important location on the trail, being one of the only neighbourhoods in Toronto with residential homes next to the lakeshore. The Beach itself is a popular destination, hosting games of beach volleyball, and attracting many cyclists and rollerbladers. North of the waterfront are many small stores and restaurants along Queen Street and The Danforth. From the Beaches, the trail, called the Martin Goodman Trail, runs west along the Toronto waterfront for its entire length, with only a few sections on city streets. Currently, there isn't any path running east along the waterfront from the Beaches.
Port Credit straddles the Credit River with a mix of residential and commercial development along the trail. Most of the trail is separated from traffic with the exception of some residential streets at the east end near the Adamson Estate.
Spencer Smith Park at Burlington is a prime example of the evolution of mixed-use development and city planning in the Greater Toronto Area. In 2013, a new pier was opened by the City of Burlington that anchors the trail along the shores of the lake.
Spencer Smith Park hosts the annual Sound Of Music festival, a longtime tradition and celebration for Halton and surrounding areas.
The 1000 Islands Bikepath is a 37 kilometre trail running parallel to the Parkway between Gananoque and Brockville, forming a section of the Waterfront Trail.
The Waterfront Regeneration Trail is focused on creating a cycling route around the Great Lakes, and has big expansion plans and dreams for the coming years to increase significantly its mileage.Some of the biggest deterrents for cycle tourists are poor road conditions that force cyclists into traffic and a lack of good signage.
Includes
|
|
