Greater Niagara Circle Route Committee

Terms of Reference

This is a sub-committee of the Planning and Public Works Committee, formed to implement the Master Plan for the Welland Canals Parkway. The latter, completed in 1996, proposed a Driving and Trails network alongside the present and historic Welland Canals. Since then the opportunity has been recognized to extend the Welland Canals portion into what has become known as The Greater Niagara Circle Route that involves a circular drive and trails system passing through seven of the Region's twelve municipalities.

The Committee has overseen the creation of the trails portion of the Greater Niagara Circle Route with the assistance of the local municipalities through which the route passes along with other funding partners.

The Committee meets about five or six times per year and are open to the public. For meeting dates and times please contact the Planning Department.

The Greater Niagara Circle Route includes:

• the Welland Canals portion from Lake Ontario (St. Catharines) to Lake Erie (Port Colborne)
• The Friendship Trail which goes along the abandoned C.N. Rail line between Port Colborne and Fort Erie
• The Niagara River Recreational Trail in place between Fort Erie and Niagara-on-the-Lake
• A connection between Niagara-on-the-Lake and St. Catharines through bicycle lanes on Lakeshore Road.

Altogether this represents about 150 km of paved, mostly 3-metre wide trail for walkers, bicyclists, and roller-bladers. The present status of the Greater Niagara Circle Route (Spring 2008)

Funding

Funding has been provided by the Regional Municipality of Niagara conditional upon matching funds being provided by the local municipality for its section of the route. The Region has committed approximately $4,500,000, with the local municipalities agreeing to match that. The Federal Government committed $500,000 through the Millennium Fund as well, and the Federal and Provincial Government each contributed $600,000 through the Canada-Ontario Infrastructure Program. A Private Sector Campaign has contributed about $200,000.

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