Trans Canada Trail awards grant to Caledon Trailway

By Riley Murphy

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Trans Canada Trail has awarded $248,250 to 222 groups across the country through their Trail Care Grant program to help fund projects nationwide, ranging from major and minor trail maintenance to accessibility and inclusion initiatives to climate emergency support.

One of those initiatives is the spring maintenance on the Caledon Trailway, run by the Town of Caledon.

The Trans Canada Trail began in 1992, and spanned from the idea of a system of trails that stretched from the Atlantic Ocean up to the Arctic Ocean, down to the Pacific Ocean.

Over the next 25 years, they found local trail sections, registered them as part of the Trans Canada Trail, filled in gaps where needed, and eventually connected a continuous multi-use trail stretching from one end of the country to the other, touching all three coastlines. 

It was officially fully connected in 2017.

“We're always very purposeful of using the word ‘connected' there instead of ‘completed,' because the trail's never really finished,” said Justin Fauteux, Media and Public Relations at Trans Canada Trail, who spoke on the type of grant-funded projects the Trail Care Grant program provides.

The first is maintenance, similar to what is happening on the Caledon Trailway; these types of grants help prepare the trails for spring and summer.

The other side of the program is about supporting volunteers.

The Trans Canada Trail comprises more than 600 trail sections, and a lot of those are run by and cared for by volunteer-led groups.

The program has been run by Trans Canada Trail for six years now, amassing over 1.2 million dollars awarded in grants. 

Through it all, the Caledon Trailway has been there since the beginning, and it was the first officially registered section of the Trans Canada Trail. 

This year, the grant will help post-winter maintenance such as resurfacing, grooming of the trail, clearing dead trees and updating and replacing signs.

Fauteux spoke on how the grant project has helped the Caledon Trailway over the years.

“This year, they're doing more general cleanup of the trail, whereas last year it was a lot more focused. They actually used the funding to replace a number of trail gates,” said Fauteux. “The Trail Care Grant is really meant to help wherever it's needed. We know that the local groups will know what's best for their communities.”

“It is really great to see that we have that consistent relationship with the local communities along the way that's really lasted all these years.”