Urban Planners Tour Escarpment Trails

Bruce Trail Conservancy
Paul Toffoletti, Iroquoia Bruce Trail Volunteer
November 29, 2023

On a beautiful August evening, with very few bugs, I had the pleasure to take a number of urban planners on a tour of Kerncliffe Park and City View Park in the City of Burlington. We walked along the main Bruce Trail and took the various blue blazed side trails that are found in the area.

As a longtime Iroquoia Bruce Trail Club volunteer and a longtime employee of the City of Hamilton Planning and Economic Development Department, I was approached by Jennifer Roth and Lauren Vraets who work for the City of Hamilton. They are also members of the Ontario Professional Planners Institute (OPPI) and are involved with the Western Lake Ontario Chapter of OPPI. This was the second time that they had contacted me to do a hike for them. Last year we hiked around Albion Falls in Hamilton’s east end, and I was more than glad to be of service again.

We met at the south parking lot of City View Park. I pointed out the new pavilion, which is the City of Burlington’s first carbon neutral building. This building doesn’t use any fossil fuels in its operation and has rooftop solar panels to offset its electricity usage. From there we made our way to the escarpment brow to look over the city. It was the perfect view where we could see the Harbour and Cootes Paradise, which was my opportunity to talk about the Cootes to Escarpment Ecopark System and the nine partners that have made this collaboration so successful. It was also from here that I spoke of the Bruce Trail mission: Preserving a ribbon of wilderness, for everyone, forever, and the vision, The Bruce Trail secured within a permanently protected natural corridor along the Niagara Escarpment. Not too many people may remember or know that City View Park was a soy bean field many years ago. In the early 2000’s, the Bruce Trail Conservancy contributed $200,000 to the City of Burlington to purchase this property. For that money, the BTC was given an easement through the park for the Trail. I reminded them that all the habitat they see at City View Park has been created in the past 20 years.

Paul Toffoletti speaking to the group near the Kerncliffe parking lot below the escarpment brow. Note the boot brush station to the left. Photo by Jennifer Roth.

We made our way down to the floor of the former Nelson Quarry which operated a limestone quarry on Kerns Road in Burlington until 1981.  After it closed it became the site of an ongoing rehabilitation program. Conservation Halton purchased the old quarry, and with the help of the City of Burlington, created their first environmental park which eventually opened in 2005. The group was very impressed by this site as we walked along the boardwalk and I gave them a quick geology lesson.

Then it was off to finish the hike along the Bruce Trail main trail that runs through a thick forested area just below the escarpment brow. We then found ourselves back on top in City View Park. As urban planners, this group is used to receiving applications for development. For many, a severance application for conservation purposes is a rare if not unknown type of application. I took the time to explain the need for the Bruce Trail (and other Land Trust organizations) to acquire the land for conservation and how the Bruce Trail needs to secure the Trail by severing and purchasing land from private owners. This is always through a willing seller and willing buyer. They were also made aware of some of the Niagara Escarpment Plan policies that make it possible for conservation organizations to sever land regardless of lot size and lot frontage, which was a concept that was very foreign to many.

As we made our way back to the parking lot, we spoke about rerouting the Bruce Trail due to the future widening of Dundas Street and how new highways and road widenings are having an effect on many trail organizations and nature. I left them with copies of the Bruce Trail Magazine and knowing that the Bruce Trail has an army of volunteers who maintains the Trail and stewards the lands the Bruce Trail purchases.

It was an enjoyable evening as the participants had many questions during our walk. I certainly look forward to planning this again with Jennifer and Lauren next year.