The Globe and Mail - 19.10.2019

TCT2• SPONSORCONTENT SATURDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2019

Generousdonorsand committed
partnerscontinuetosupport
ourshared mission of protecting
and enhancing TheGreatTrail of
Canada. Thisyear,TCTfunded
7 1newimprovementprojectsto
help preservethe Trail’slegacyfor
Canadiansandvisitorsalike.
Amongtheachievements:TCT
completed 81signage projects,
which includedwayfindingsigns
and interpretivesignagethat
highlightedthe flora,faunaand
heritage oftheareasinwhichthey
wereinstalled. The installations
covered 2 ,5 3 5 kilometresof The
GreatTrail.

Notable Trail improvementprojects
acrossthe countryincluded:

ALBERTA
Developmentofanewgreenway
acrossColintonBridge,alongthe
AthabascaLanding Trail.

BRITISHCOLUMBIA
Developmentofanew4. 7 -kilo-
metreTrailsectionwithintheE&N
Railwaycorridor. The newSaltair
section oftheCowichanValleyTrail
includesamajorcreek crossing
and nowprovidesasafe, off-road
infrastructureforpedestrians,
cyclistsand equestrianstravelling in
thearea.

MANITOBA
Creation of fournewkilometresof
greenwaythat wereaddedtothe
Trail northofthetownofBélair.

NEWBRUNSWICK

Criticalrepairstoasection ofthe

Wolastoq Trail,whichwasthreatened

with closureafteraseverewashout.

NEWFOUNDLANDANDLABRADOR

The construction ofanewbridge

overtheFreshwaterRiverontheEast

CoastTrail.

NORTHWESTTERRITORIES

Widening ofthe OxbowTrail green-

wayinthetownofHayRiver,allow-

ing forabetterTrailuserexperience.

NOVASCOTIA

Construction ofthree bridgesin

Chezzetcook,allowingthe nearby

roadwaytobeconvertedto

greenway.

NUNAVUT

Installation of newdonorrecogni-

tionsignageat the KimmirutVisitor

CentrealongtheItijjagiaqTrail.

ONTARIO

Construction ofanewaccessible

greenwaybetweenthe

communitiesof MississaugaFirst

NationandBlind River.

PRINCEEDWARDISLAND

Creation ofawheelchairaccessible

loop between Lake VerdeandFort

Augustus,plusinstallation of new

signagewith TheGreatTrail logo

acrossthe province.

QUEBEC

Majorimprovementsandsurface

repairsalong Le PetitTémisTrail,

which connectsTheGreatTrail from

QuebectoNewBrunswick.

YUKON

DevelopmentofanewTrailsection

inGunnarNilsson MickeyLammers

ResearchForest,allowingusersto

passthrough forested landscapes

insteadofonabusyroadway.

Memoriesof outdooradventureswithhisfamilyinCaledon,

Ontario,and St.Andrew’s,New Brunswick,and of being

intriguedasayoungsterwhen he firstheardabout the

projecttocreate TheGreatTrail –thesearesome ofthe

reasonsTed Meighen citesforwhyhisfamily’sfoundation

supportsTCT.

“I recognized earlyonthat the Trail isuniqueandspecial,”

Mr. Meighensays.“Inhowmanycountriesdoyouhavethe

ability towalk, canoe orbike from one end ofthe country to

the other?That resonatedwith me.”

Mr. Meighen isadirectorofthe T.R. MeighenFamily

Foundation,alongwithhistwobrothers and hisparents.

Anotherreasontheywereattractedtothe Trailwasits

“multipliereffect”– in linewiththe foundation’sbelief in

supporting projects that yield layersof benefitsfromthe

initialinvestment.

“TheGreatTrail hasmanymultiplierimpacts;itgives

Canadiansachancetodiscoverpartsoftheircommunitythey

didn’tnecessarilyknowabout,while encouragingthemtobe

activeoutdoors and become healthier,”Mr. Meighensays.

The donationwas used fortwoprojects with connections

tothe family’slife: oneto completeabridgereplacementin

Caledon,andanothertosupport a studyon finalizing Trail

connectionsin New Brunswick, between SaintJohnand St.

Andrew’s.

Mr. Meighen believesTheGreatTrail naturallybrings

communitiesand peopletogether.“The factthat somany

Canadiansliveandwork closetothe Trail fosters shared

enjoyment.FromwhereIworkat BillyBishop TorontoCity

Airporton TorontoIsland,Icanwalk fortwo minutesand be

onthe MartinGoodmanTrail,wheremanyothers arealso

enjoyingthe city’s stunningwaterfrontview.”

“The Trail isnotonlyaccessible becauseofitsproximity,

but also becauseitpresentsoptionsforall;youdon’tneed

tobeaskilled hikerorclimbertoappreciatewhatitoffers,”

hesays.

Highwaterseasonusedtomake it

difficultforuserstocrossHanson’s

Creek, limiting fullaccesstothis

section oftheCentennialTrail in

Whiteshell ProvincialPark. Withthe

combined effortsof TrailsManitoba,

PierSolutionsand TransCanada

Trail,arefurbishedwooden bridge

from King’sPark in Winnipegwas

relocatedtothisremotearea...by

helicopter!

Overthewinter,the bridgewas

meticulouslydismantledand

flowninbyhelicoptertothesiteat

Hanson’sCreek.Inthespring,the

finaltoucheswereadded – painted

brightredandsporting TheGreat

Trailsignage,thisrelocatedand

refurbished bridge hasnotonly

been givenasecond lease on life,

italsoprovidesasafe crossing over

the creek.

“Ipaddled downthe creekand

waspresentedwithbeautiful

weathertoseethe bridge,”states

TimCoffin,ExecutiveDirectorat

TrailsManitoba.“PierSolutionsdid

afantastic job onrefurbishing itand

installing it. The bridge isabso-

lutelybeautifulandtrulystandsout

againstthe backdrop of green.”

Thisprojectwassosuccessful,

thesame processwill beused

againthiswintertorelocateanother

wooden bridge from King’sParkto

Cabin Lake.

SherrittInternationalCorporation’srootsinFortSaskatchewan,

Alberta,extend back 65 yearsto 1954,whenthe company

began operationsatitsnickelrefineryinthe city.Overthe

decades, Sherritthasworkedtocontributetothe community’s

success.

“Ouremployeesliveandworkinthe community,and

we feelweareanintegralpartof it,”saysJenniferProspero,

manager,sustainability,atSherritt.“Weareanurbanrefinery,

andwestrivetobeagood neighbourtothe people ofFort

Saskatchewan,astheyhavealwaysbeen good neighbours

tous.“

One of Sherritt’srecentneighbourlyinitiativesisamulti-

yearcommitmenttoTCTtooptimizesafetyforpedestrians

and cyclistsalongakeysection of TheGreatTrail inFort

Saskatchewan. Theworkwill be carried outbythe RiverValley

Alliance,whichworksto increaseaccesstotherivervalley

acrossthesevenAlbertamunicipalitiesthatborderthe North

SaskatchewanRiver.

Sherritt’sgiftwillaid construction ofanunderslung pe-

destrianwalkwaysuspended belowanewbridgeacrossthe

NorthSaskatchewanRiver.Currently,the onlyoption forTrail

userstocrossisviaabusycommuterrouteused bythousands

ofvehicleseveryday.

“Manypeoplealsousethe Trailto commutetoand from

work,”saysMs.Prospero.“The pedestrianbridgewilladd con-

nectivityand improvesafetyforpeople crossingtheriver.”

Supporting TheGreatTrailreflectsSherritt’svaluesand fos-

terspartnership betweenthe companyandthe community.

“We believestronglyin providing benefitsthatlineupwith

communitypriorities,which includerecreational opportunities

forallandasafe communitythat supportsphysicaland mental

wellness,”sheadds.“FortSaskatchewanhasabeautiful

environment,and people ofallagesand culturalbackgrounds

embrace outdooractivities.”

“Running,walkingthe dog, fishing orbirdwatching –these

areall popularactivitiesinthe city.It’sgratifyingto be oneac-

toramong manyotherscontributingtoalarge endeavourthat

bringsvaluetothe community.”

Inthe lead-uptocross-Canadaconnection, Teck playeda

significantrole insupporting TheGreatTrail inthe places

whereitsemployeeslive,workand play. Thisyear,the

companyhasreaffirmed itscommitmenttoensuringthe Trail

remainsalegacy,withanew$1-million giftforTrail projectsin

southeasternBritishColumbia.

The generousdonation,announced inFebruary2019, has

createdanewfunding programtosupportvitalTrail enhance-

mentsinthe Kootenaysregion ofBritishColumbia,wherethe

mining companyhasseveral operations.

LocalTrail groupswill bethe driversofthe projects,which

will help ensure local needsand prioritiesarefrontand centre

inthe efforts. Thesegroupshavehadthe opportunityto

applyforfundsto completeprojectsonsectionsof TheGreat

Trail betweenCastlegarandElkford.

Thetop prioritiesforprojectsfundedthroughthe program

include converting existingroadwaystogreenways,making

TheGreatTrail moreaccessible forpeoplewithdisabilities,

repairing damage caused bynaturaldisastersandworking

with localIndigenouscommunities.

Thisyear’sdonation followsaseparate $1-million giftin

2012 ,whichsupportedthe developmentof Trailsections

fromIsadoreCanyontoWardner,from NelsontoBalfour

Route, from KimberleytoCranbrook,andthen, connection

throughCranbrooktoWardner.Bysupporting TCTwiththat

initial donation, Teck playedaninstrumentalrole in connect-

ingthe province ofBritishColumbia.

“TheGreatTrail connectscommunitiesacrossCanada,

givingCanadiansandvisitorsthe opportunityto enjoythe

naturalbeautythatmakesourcountrysospecial,”saysDon

Lindsay, Teck PresidentandCEO.“Teckandall of ourem-

ployeesareproudtosupportthisnewprogramto improve

TheGreatTrailand ensureitwill continueto be enjoyed for

generations.”

Likealltrails, TheGreatTrail ofCanadaneedscareand

maintenanceinordertothrive.

“WearethrilledthatTeck chosetosupportTrail groupsin

the Kootenayswiththeirgenerousgift,”saysTrishaKaplan,

TCT’sTrailDevelopmentManager,Westernand Northern

Canada.

“We look forwardtocontinuingto improvethe Trail forall

users,withtheirhelp.”

DONORSMAKE A DIFFERENCE

Readthestoriesofour supporters

ASAFE CROSSINGATHANSON’SCREEK

Refurbished bridgerelocated fromKing’sParkinWinnipeg allowsTrailusers tocross

Hanson’sCreekinWhiteshellProvincialParkinManitoba.TIMCOFFIN

So muchmore than

a line on a map.

PRESERVINGTHELEGACY

71 improvement projectsimplementedthisyearacrossCanada

Deborah

Apps

Ted

Meighen

David

Cottingham

Canadian

Military

Engineers

Michael

Jeffrey

Marshall

Don

Lindsay

Nature

Sketch

Jennifer

Prospero

Valerie

Pringle

Neil

Yeates

DonLindsay,PresidentandCEOofTeck,on the Trail

inthe Kootenays.BRUCEOBEE

Asection ofthe TrailinCaledon,Ontario,wherethe Meighen

Foundation’sdonationhas supported enhancements.MIRABUDD

Sherritt’semployees workandliveinFortSaskatchewanandsupport

communityinvestments likeTheGreatTraildonation.SUPPLIED

T.R. MEIGHENFAMILY

FOUNDATION

TECK

SHERRITTINTERNATIONAL

CORPORATION