Great Cataraqui River Trail

(l to r) Kris Herbert, Neal Unsworth, Brian Osborne, Ed Farrar, Mary Farrar and James Brown
discuss the trail

A walking and cycling trail up the west side of Kingston’s Great Cataraqui River has been dreamed of for many years, first by Phil Quattrocchi as long as 25 years ago and since then by the Kingston Environmental Advisory Forum. The City’s 2003 Cycling and Pathways Study also delineated a possible route.

On Nov. 1 City Council passed a $2.8 million proposal to begin work on Stage I of the Great Cataraqui River Trail. Mary and Edward Farrar, the two main instigators of the project say they are very happy with City Council’s decision to back the project. Stage 1 is estimated to take up to ten years to complete.

When the Farrars moved to Kingston two years ago they began exploring the area and they too designed a possible route. Edward’s background as a geophysicist and his consequent love of maps were the starting points. At first the trail was simply to be a pedestrian and cycling trail but as the Farrars explored further it has become a “Heritage Trail” with over 35 documented sites of Aboriginal, French, British, Industrial and Natural Heritage interest on the west side of the Great Cataraqui River alone.  This trail celebrates aspects of Kingston’s history other than Sir John A. – a truly welcome and somewhat neglected aspect of our city’s tourism portfolio. When City Staff became involved, they enthusiastically embraced the project and decided to include pathways on the east side of the Great Cataraqui River returning to Kingston from Kingston Mills.

The Farrars’ original plan was to proceed along the waterfront on the west side of the river from the La Salle Causeway to John Counter Blvd. and then farther north on the water side of the CN railway to a small rail underpass leading to the Kingston Mills Road and then on to Kingston Mills. Problems occurred when CN said that the trail had to be at least 30 m from the centre of the tracks. Then Parks Canada objected because the trail would be forced to proceed through a protected wetland. The Farrars would still like to see an educational trail through this “Urban Marsh” at some point. However, for the time being, the proposed pedestrian and cycling trail will go from the La Salle Causeway to John Counter Blvd. Then a cycling trail will proceed north from John Counter Blvd. up Montreal St. to Kingston Mills Road and then to Kingston Mills and then east on the Station Road to Hwy 15 and back to Kingston via Barriefield. In the future, as new developments on the east side of the river proceed, plans are in place to build an extended waterfront pedestrian and cycling trail from Kingston Mills south to Gore St.

This trail is timely. Kingston is working hard to become Canada’s most sustainable city. Trails offer a means of decreasing emissions in the downtown. Data from a variety of government and public health sources show that nearby trails increase health and peoples’ sense of well-being. This particular trail will also serve to connect people from different parts of the city. It will be an extension of the Waterfront Trail connecting people in Portsmouth and Sydenham Districts and it will bring people from King’s Town, Cataraqui and Pittsburgh Districts to the downtown. Tourists too will be drawn to this historically interesting, safe, family-friendly, mostly off-road location for cycling where even novices of all ages can feel comfortable on their bikes. If Simcoe County (Collingwood) can generate more tourist dollars from cycle tourism than from skiing!, then Kingston’s Great Cataraqui River Trail has the potential to draw tourists interested in active living as well as those interested in parks, heritage and culture.

Over the last couple of years, the Farrars have organized a small working group consisting of Brian Osborne (Prof. Emeritus), Bob Tchegus (Lawyer), Robert Rittwage (Katarokwi Friendship Centre), James Brown (North End Activist) and Vikram Varma (Executive Director, CFCA). They have met in a productive partnership with Lanie Hurdle, Neal Unsworth and Kris Hebert from the Parks Dep’t of the City of Kingston. Now the Farrars are deliberating the pros and cons of partnering with an existing organization and/or forming a corporation and/or getting charitable status to secure both government grants and charitable donations so that the project can more forward apace. If you are interested in learning more or becoming involved contact inverarymary@yahoo.com