Community Partners
The Trail Research Hub undertakes research, education, and outreach
initiatives to support sustainable trail development, construction, and maintenance across Canada while establishing best practice guidelines
for trails governance and management. Much of our work involves
collaboration with and research in support of Community Partners.
Learn about our community partners, and their affiliated projects, below.
Current Community Partners Projects
You can learn more about our current community partners, and their affiliated projects, below.
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Ontario’s Highlands Tourism Organization (OHTO)
Ontario’s Highlands Tourism Organization (OHTO) is one of 13 Regional Tourism Organizations (RTO) created by the Ontario Government as a means to more effectively coordinate tourism development efforts and increase visitation to the Province. OHTO was founded in 2010 and operates as a not-for-profit organization, governed by an industry-led Board of Directors.
OHTO’s mandate is to build and support a competitive tourism region, known as Ontario’s Highlands, through marketing and product development. OHTO functions in partnership with established and recognized tourism organizations, municipalities and entities within the region to move forward in a spirit of cooperation and collaboration.
The Ontario’s Highlands region covers a large portion of eastern Ontario, which includes the counties of Haliburton, Lanark, and Renfrew, as well as portions of Frontenac, Hastings, and Lennox and Addington. It is one of the largest regions in the Province and is the only region that is entirely rural.
The OHTO Mission
OHTO will be an industry-led collaborative organization whose mandate is to support and grow tourism through organizational development, destination development, and marketing.
The OHTO Vision
To inspire travel to Ontario's Highlands through tourism excellence.
The OHTO Values
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Collaboration
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Inclusivity and Equality of Opportunity
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Forward Thinking & Innovative
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Being Responsive and Strategic
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Sustainability
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Accountability
Project: 2022 OH! Tourism Summit & AGM Keynote address and panel facilitation.
Hub Team: Kelsey Johansen
Project Liaison: Elle McQueen (Member Development Coordinator
Ontario's Highlands Tourism Organization)
Canadian Trails
Federation
The Canadian Trails Federation-Fédération Canadienne des Sentiers (CTF-CFS) is a national not-for-profit organization that represents the interests of provincial and territorial trails organizations across Canada.
The mission of the Canadian Trails Federation is to enhance the recreational trails network in Canada by sharing information, providing leadership and coordination and by building consensus within the trails community, both nationally and internationally.
CTF/SC Vision Statement
The Canadian Trails Federation is a united voice for trails throughout Canada which will link communities and meet the needs of diverse cultures and trail users for their outdoor recreation and healthy living.
CTF/SC Mission Statement
The Canadian Trails Federation will:
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Promote the recreational use of trails for healthy living and the enjoyment of:
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Canada’s unique landscapes,
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Create the conditions which will lead to the development of sustainable trails,
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Facilitate the sharing of information and resources,
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Promote the responsible use of trails.
The Canadian Trails Federation-Sentiers Canadiens represents the interests of provincial and territorial trail organizations across Canada.
Project: Trail Resource Library
Hub Team: Kelsey Johansen
Project Liaisons: Jamie Warren (Vice-President, Canadian Trails Federation)
Grand Watershed Trail Network
The goal of the Grand Watershed Trails Network is to create a network of connected trails throughout the Grand River watershed, featuring the river itself as a signature trail. The network will include existing and new, land and water trails to form a unique recreational experience, highlighting natural, cultural and historical heritage in the area. The trails will connect communities, places of interest and activities. The network will also connect to other major regional trails, such as the Waterfront Trail, the Greenbelt Trail and the Bruce Trail.
The vision of the Grand Watershed Trails Network is to:
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Develop the Grand River Watershed as a living storybook of adventure by partnering with all stakeholders to re-connect people and communities with the Grand River and each other, through intertwining trails on and off the river.
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Be inclusive of everyone and accessible to people of all ages, interests, and abilities in all seasons.
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Encourage community-focused cultural, heritage, educational, athletic, and spiritual events on and around the river, acknowledging Indigenous connections with the river.
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Encourage people to live in harmony with the environment by allowing people to interact with nature and educating them about the ecological diversity of the watershed.
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Encourage research into the heritage and ecology of the watershed.
You can view an interactive map of the proposed main trail and canoe access points here.
Project: Grand Watershed Trail-Based Recreation and Tourism Project.
Hub Team: Kelsey Johansen
Collaborators: Dr. Karla Boluk (Associate Professor, University of Waterloo), Gaurav Panse (Doctoral Student, University of Waterloo), Sara Skabowski (Research Assistant, University of Waterloo), and Mikayla Stechnicki (Research Assistant, University of Waterloo).
Project Liaisons: Anne Crowe (Past President), Grand Watershed Trail Network.
Past Community Partner Projects
You can learn more about our past community partners, and their affiliated projects, below.
Group of Seven Lake Superior Trail
The Group of Seven Lake Superior Trail Association is a not-for-profit organization coordinating the project in partnership with Biigtigong Nishnaabeg (Ojibways of the Pic River) and the Town of Marathon. This project will allow fellow Canadians and visitors to explore our Canadian identity through the iconic painting locations of the Group of Seven. The North Shore of Lake Superior is one of the most beautiful landscapes. It so inspired the founding members of Canada’s internationally renowned Group of Seven that they made numerous painting trips (every autumn) to the Marathon area between 1921 and 1928.
These painters discovered what our First Nations have known for thousands of years: the land bordering Lake Superior is a landscape of inspiration.
The Group of Seven Lake Superior Trail will connect some of the painting sites of the Group of Seven from Pukaskwa National Park to Neys Provincial Park.
Past Projects: Support for grant writing
Hub Team: Kelsey Johansen, Kirsten Spence, and Jane McCulloch.
Project Liaisons: Kirsten Spence (Project Coordinator), Group of Seven Lake Superior Trail.
Ontario Trails Council
The Ontario Trails Council (OTC) - Conseil des Sentiers de l'Ontario – is a charity that promotes the development, preservation, management and use of recreational trails and trail based activities in Ontario.
Ontario Trails Council brings the right people together to provide reliable information that advances the management and operation of recreational trails, while providing public access to the largest multi-use trail inventory in Canada.
Ontario Trails Council Goals
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Continue to increase the number, length, variety and accessibility of trails throughout the province;
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Provide government and other public bodies with credible information about community groups and volunteers working to create, preserve and promote trails;
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Promote the safe and responsible use of trails, by producing guides for trail users, operators and managers; and,
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Act as a provincial resource centre for trail information, providing ready access for the public, communities and trail users.
Project: National Roundtable on Risk Management and Trails and Ontario Trails ICD Projects.
Hub Team: Kelsey Johansen
Project Liaisons: Patrick Connor (Executive Director), Ontario Trails Council.
Blacksheep Mountain Bike Club
Blacksheep Mountain Bike Club was started in 1998 by a rowdy bunch of highschoolers to race XC in Thunder Bay. We have evolved over the years to promote the sport of mountain biking; running a series of fun events, races, regularly scheduled social rides, as well as building and maintain the trail network in Trowbridge Forest and Shuniah Mines.
Mountain biking is at an all-time high in Thunder Bay and the club is making its presence known in the community. A primary focus of the club today is trail development and improvement. We are currently working on completing the Trowbridge Forest Master Plan which will add an additional 15km+ of multi-use and mountain bike trails to our system. The new trails planned vary from multi-use trails, green level flow trails, to expert downhill gravity trails. Make sure to check out the Trails page on our website and find out more about the work being done and how you can help out.
Blacksheep is a volunteer-run not-for-profit organization whose leadership team (Executive and Coordinators) is a group of volunteers dedicated to the practical and operational affairs of the Club. That includes everything from critical requirements like strategic planning, budgets, banking, insurance, risk management, and memberships, too much cooler responsibilities such as course setting, trail maintenance, and running events. The Blacksheep Leadership Team loves biking and racing, wants the sport of cycling to flourish in Thunder Bay and knows the Club is a key to achieving this vision.
Past Project: Thunder Bay Region Mountain Bike User Survey
Hub Team: Harvey Lemelin and Kelsey Johansen.
Project Liaisons: Harvey Lemelin (Former Sponsorship Director), Blacksheep Mountain Biking Club
Bruce Trails Conservancy
The Bruce Trail is Canada’s oldest and longest marked footpath. Stretching 900 km from Niagara to Tobermory in southern Ontario, it provides the only continuous public access to the Niagara Escarpment, a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve.
The Bruce Trail Conservancy (BTC) is a member-driven, volunteer-based charitable organization committed to caring for the Bruce Trail and to preserving land along its route. The BTC is both a trail association and one of Ontario's largest land trusts. The BTC consists of nine Bruce Trail Clubs.
Each Club manages a section of the Bruce Trail and is responsible for maintaining, stewarding and promoting that section. The mission of the BTC is to create a permanent conservation corridor along the Niagara Escarpment that contains a public footpath. This was always intended to serve two purposes: to educate the public about the importance of natural spaces and conservation, and to save the Niagara Escarpment from the pressures of development.
Currently approximately 69% of the Bruce Trail is considered ‘secure’, meaning that it exists on land that is either publicly owned or owned by the BTC. The remainder of the ‘unsecured’ portions of the trail exist on private land (through ‘handshake agreements’) or on roads.
Past Project: 2021 Ontario Trails ICD Projects (Bruce Trails Conservancy Social Media Tool Kit & Best Practices; Effective Communication with Trail Users Literature Review; and, COVID-19 and Trails Media Analysis).
Hub Team: Kelsey Johansen
Collaborator: Dr. Karla Boluk (Associate Professor, University of Waterloo).
Project Liaisons: Adam Brylowski (Manager of Conservation and Trail), and Brian Popelier (Land Stewardship Coordinator).
Hastings Destination Trails
The Bruce Trail is Canada’s oldest and longest marked footpath. Stretching 900 km from Niagara to Tobermory in southern Ontario, it provides the only continuous public access to the Niagara Escarpment, a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve.
The Bruce Trail Conservancy (BTC) is a member-driven, volunteer-based charitable organization committed to caring for the Bruce Trail and to preserving land along its route. The BTC is both a trail association and one of Ontario's largest land trusts. The BTC consists of nine Bruce Trail Clubs.
Each Club manages a section of the Bruce Trail and is responsible for maintaining, stewarding and promoting that section. The mission of the BTC is to create a permanent conservation corridor along the Niagara Escarpment that contains a public footpath. This was always intended to serve two purposes: to educate the public about the importance of natural spaces and conservation, and to save the Niagara Escarpment from the pressures of development.
Currently approximately 69% of the Bruce Trail is considered ‘secure’, meaning that it exists on land that is either publicly owned or owned by the BTC. The remainder of the ‘unsecured’ portions of the trail exist on private land (through ‘handshake agreements’) or on roads.
Past Project: 2021 Ontario Trails ICD Projects (Bruce Trails Conservancy Social Media Tool Kit & Best Practices; Effective Communication with Trail Users Literature Review; and, COVID-19 and Trails Media Analysis).
Hub Team: Kelsey Johansen
Collaborator: Dr. Karla Boluk (University of Waterloo).
Project Liaisons: Adam Brylowski (Manager of Conservation and Trail), and Brian Popelier (Land Stewardship Coordinator).Bruce Trails Conservancy.
The Hydrocut
(Waterloo Cycling Club)
The Hydrocut Trail system, located in Kitchener-Waterloo, is consistently ranked as the top mountain bike riding destination in Ontario (Singletracks.com, 2020). This free-to-ride trail system is not only popular with local mountain bikers but is also recognized across Canada for its 35km of flowing singletrack trails that offer an incredible experience for a diverse range of riding interests and rider skills.
Situated on both public and private lands, the trails have expanded at a rapid rate in the past few years. The expansion of the trail system is in direct correlation with the growing popularity of mountain biking; this trail system welcomed over 82,000 visitors in 2020, an increase of over 106% compared to 2019. Although the trails are primarily designed for mountain biking, dog walkers, hikers, trail runners and nature observers also frequent the trails.
In 2002, the Region of Waterloo partnered with the Waterloo Cycling Club and the Waterloo Cycling Club Trails Committee (the Hydrocut) was created. In 2009, a stewardship agreement was signed by both parties. Now, the management of the trail system is undertaken by the Waterloo Cycling Club Trails Committee (the Hydrocut Trails Committee). This 10-member committee looks after all things to do with the Hydrocut including trail planning and development, maintenance and interacting with multiple land managers. As well, the Hydrocut Trails Committee organizes merchandise sales, sponsorships, the Friends of the Hydrocut, and events which help promote the mountain bike culture in the region and to raise funds to support the trails.
Even though the Hydrocut Trails Commitee oversees the direction of the trails, much of the success would not be possible without volunteers. A large volunteer base is mobilized multiple times throughout the year to conduct large scale trail days. During these trail days new trails are built, maintenance is completed, and the community is empowered. It is not uncommon for a trail day to have over 75 volunteers and these colunteers contribute over 4,000+ hours a year which helps to maintain the trail's top ranking.
Past Project: 2021 Ontario Trails ICD Projects (Mountain Biking and Fat Biking Trail User Experience Survey).
Hub Team: Kelsey Johansen
Collaborator: Dr. Karla Boluk (Associate Professor, University of Waterloo).
Project Liaisons: Matt Luckhardt and Mark Schmidt, Waterloo Cycling Club Trails Committee Members.