Under the Canopy
On Outdoor Journal Radio's Under the Canopy podcast, former Minister of Natural Resources, Jerry Ouellette takes you along on the journey to see the places and meet the people that will help you find your outdoor passion and help you live a life close to nature and Under The Canopy.
Under the Canopy
Episode 84: Discover How the Trans-Canada Trail Connects Nature and Community
Join us for an enlightening exploration of Canada’s breathtaking Trans-Canada Trail, spanning an astonishing 29,000 kilometers of interconnected beauty from coast to coast. This episode dives deep into the intricacies of one of the world's longest multi-use trails, connecting hikers, cyclists, and nature enthusiasts with the vibrant landscapes and unique ecosystems that Canada has to offer. Featuring insights from Stacey Dakin, Chief Program Officer, we unveil how this trail fosters community connections and brings diverse groups together through shared outdoor experiences.
Learn about the successes and challenges in maintaining these trails, including addressable issues like accessibility for all, weather considerations, and amenities available to ensure safe and enjoyable adventures. We also cover exciting programs and events encouraging people to embrace nature during all seasons, engaging families and individuals alike in unforgettable outdoor experiences. Whether you're a seasoned adventurer or a curious newcomer, this episode promises to inspire and motivate you to explore the natural beauty of Canada. Join us in celebrating the connection between wellness, nature, and community. Don't forget to follow us on social media and subscribe for more insights!
Hi everybody. I'm Angelo Viola and I'm Pete Bowman. Now you might know us as the hosts of Canada's Favorite Fishing Show, but now we're hosting a podcast. That's right Every Thursday, Ang and I will be right here in your ears bringing you a brand new episode of Outdoor Journal Radio. Now, what are we going to talk about for two hours every week?
Speaker 3:Well, you know there's going to be a lot of fishing.
Speaker 4:I knew exactly where those fish were going to be and how to catch them, and they were easy to catch.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but it's not just a fishing show. We're going to be talking to people from all facets of the outdoors From athletes.
Speaker 3:All the other guys would go golfing Me and Garth and Turk and all the Russians would go fishing To scientists. But now that we're reforesting- and everything.
Speaker 4:It's the perfect transition environment for life.
Speaker 5:To chefs If any game isn't cooked properly, marinated, you will taste it.
Speaker 1:And whoever else will pick up the phone Wherever you are. Outdoor Journal Radio seeks to answer the questions and tell the stories of all those who enjoy being outside. Find us on Spotify, apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
Speaker 6:As the world gets louder and louder, the lessons of our natural world become harder and harder to hear, but they are still available to those who know where to listen. I'm Jerry Ouellette and I was honoured to serve as Ontario's Minister of Natural Resources. However, my journey into the woods didn't come from politics. Rather, it came from my time in the bush and a mushroom. In 2015, I was introduced to the birch-hungry fungus known as chaga, a tree conch with centuries of medicinal applications used by Indigenous peoples all over the globe. After nearly a decade of harvest use, testimonials and research, my skepticism has faded to obsession and I now spend my life dedicated to improving the lives of others through natural means. But that's not what the show is about. My pursuit of this strange mushroom and my passion for the outdoors has brought me to the places and around the people that are shaped by our natural world world. On Outdoor Journal Radio's Under the Canopy podcast, I'm going to take you along with me to see the places, meet the people that will help you find your outdoor passion and help you live a life close to nature and under the canopy. So join me today for another great episode and hopefully we can inspire a few more people to live their lives under the canopy, we can inspire a few more people to live their lives under the canopy Well. As always, I want to thank all our guests here in Canada, our listeners in Canada and the States and throughout the world, in Switzerland and Ghana and Trinidad and Tobago, and, of course, all those ones in the Bahamas, and we really appreciate you listening to our program, because without our listeners we wouldn't be there. And, as always, if you have any questions or anything that you'd like to hear about a show or suggestions that reach out to us, we'd be more than happy to see what we can do.
Speaker 6:And I got to tell you this morning I was out with a usual with the Chocolate Lab, benson Gunner, and it was a bit cool. Some pretty uh, quite a bit of snow out. The wind, wind was pretty strong, so we were walking through the bush and of course you're going through and you're seeing all the broken branches from the the um, the trees because of the strong winds and the fresh coyote tracks that were out there, and sometimes I see a pair and sometimes I see a single, which usually indicates you're kind of pairing up, but we're're seeing turkey tracks and a bunch of other stuff and I know when I got to the studio this morning I could see fresh rabbit tracks in the snow along the parking area and I imagine they're coming to get a bit of the salt, but hard to say. It's interesting to see, and at minus 13, they're doing what they can to get warm. But we got a great guest today. That's going to let us know some of the details, and welcome to the program. Stacey, tell us a bit about yourself.
Speaker 7:Hi, jerry, thank you for having me. My name is Stacey Dakin. I've been the Chief Program Officer at the TransCanada Trail since August of last year, so I'm just shy of six months. My journey to the TransCanada Trail has been shaped by a passion for bringing people together and creating meaningful impact in communities across the country, so I'm really excited to be here with you and talk about all things trail.
Speaker 6:Yeah, very good. Now whereabouts are you personally? Whereabouts do you live, stacey? Where'd you grow up?
Speaker 7:So I grew up in the greater Montreal area, so not far from downtown. My home and office right now are located on the unceded lands of the Kanakehake, which is about 20 minutes east of downtown Montreal in Quebec, and I'm about a 10 minute walk from the nearest section of the Trans-Canada Trail that goes through Longueuil, longueuil, quebec, near Parc de la Cité, which is a great park here near home.
Speaker 6:Bien, now, I'm glad you mentioned that and maybe you know my reference. But whenever I ask my wife Diane where she would like to go out for dinner and her response is Gibby's, do you know Gibby's?
Speaker 7:Yes, downtown Montreal, in the old port, the old section of Montreal.
Speaker 6:Exactly, it's an old monastery that had been transferred into a restaurant. So she always says and of course we're just outside Toronto, when do you want to go for dinner? Gibby's is the number one response I get. That's good.
Speaker 7:That's a little far for a dinner right About five and a half six hours drive from each other.
Speaker 6:Well, I did it. Once she had a special birthday coming up and I told her. I said, okay, look, I said, and I called her work and I said she needs to morrow off why? And I said, well, it's her birthday and I'm doing something. So we got up and she got home from work I said come on, pack a quick bag and we're going. We went down the train station and took a train to Montreal and went out for supper at Gibby's and came back the next day.
Speaker 7:Yeah, and probably when you were walking nearby Gibby's you were on the Trans-Canada Trail, because we have a starting point of the trail. A trailhead is right near the restaurant.
Speaker 6:Oh, really Well, tell us a bit about that, okay, but first of all tell us a bit about the Trans-Canada Trail, then let's get right into your specialty.
Speaker 7:Yeah, so the trail is a series of 600 interconnected trail sections that stretch from coast to coast to coast in Canada. So from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean, from the Arctic Ocean down to the US border, there's 29,000 kilometers that are connected. That's the trail system itself. And then there's the TransCanada Trail Organization, who I work for. It's a national charity that provides funding, technical support, tools and resources to those 600 trail groups and others in the trail sector as well, to make sure that the trail is maintained. We provide tools and resources, we help to advocate for trails in Canada as well and, yeah, we're really there to support the trail groups that own and manage those sections of the trail.
Speaker 6:Okay, so there's 600 sections you mentioned, with 29,000 kilometers of trail. Yeah, now is it one continuous trail all across Canada, or do they connect some way, shape or form?
Speaker 7:Yeah, so when you look at a map it does go from one end to the other. There is a, there is, it's not a linear line like the Trans-Canada Highway. So those who have been on the highway you would you'd see it's a little bit more of a straight line across the country, through mountains and valleys, as straight a line as it could be. The trail system. It's a little bit more unique in that we can't be on all the highways. On the streets. We really promote greenway. We want to be able to be in safe areas so that we're not on motorized trails. So the trails can go through mountains, they can go through lakes and then we have, you know, trail sections that go through cities. So your local trail that's downtown Toronto, let's say, also part of TransCanada Trail, although it's not in a forest or in a lake.
Speaker 6:Okay, so you mentioned it starts just around O'Montreal, somewhere whereabouts, and which way does it go from there?
Speaker 7:East west both. So the trailhead in Montreal is actually just the trailhead, it's just a point of trail section we do start. Kilometre zero is Cape Spear in Newfoundland, and then it goes all the way to Victoria where there's another point zero kilometre. So those would be the end to ends. And then there's a point north in the Arctic and another point south in Sudbury, ontario. So there's 4.0 kilometers starting points. So you can start wherever you want. But if you really wanted to go, we suggest to go west to east. A lot of people have done east to west. That seems to be the normal one. You want to follow the sun, but with the winds, you know the winds come from the west. A lot of people who've done the trail have said you know what you.
Speaker 6:Well, do you keep track of? How would you know whether people usually go from east to west or west to east. Do they report, or is there some way, or is there some kind of monitoring for that sort of thing?
Speaker 7:So I wouldn't say that there's a monitoring like a formal monitoring. We do have a lot of people who, a lot of people. You know there's a certain amount of people that will want to walk 29,000 kilometers. There is a movie that was released by Deanne Whalen, her adventures on the Trans-Canada Trail 500 Days in the Wild. You could take a look at this. At the time there was 24,000 kilometers. She did it from east all the way to the west. So that's a beautiful story to watch about the Trans-Canada Trail. So monitoring it, you know people will let us know hey, I'm doing the trail. Can you tell me where? You know if I'm in this section? Where might I stay? Is there any closures? Can I have food delivered, clothes delivered? They will reach out to us for that sort of thing. But on a day-to-day basis we're able to work with some. We look at cell phone data so we're able to see how many people come onto the trail, where they come into, where they're hanging out, and we're able to do some analysis in that way.
Speaker 6:Okay. So tell us, stacey, when you talk to a canoeist, there are certain level of routes at certain, you know depends on how tough the rapids are. For there's kind of been beginner levels to advanced levels where you don't want to people who haven't had a lot of rapid experience. Is it the same sort of thing with trails where you're going to get different levels of trails, where it's pretty remote and, hey, you better have some experience. You got to know what you're doing, you're into some road, you're not going to have any contact with people for an extended period of time, and that sort of thing? Or is it pretty much there's a lot of avenues to exit if people are inexperienced and want to get out of the rain or the weather or something along those lines?
Speaker 7:So definitely 29,000 kilometers. There's a lot that is rural and remote and that you're off the grid. So on our website, tctrailca, we do havea map. You can go in and take a look at the map. It will provide you information on each of the sections of the trail. So the 600 sections are identified and labeled on that map. You'll be able to see what are you allowed to do there.
Speaker 7:You know hiking, walking, cycling. It'll flag for you if there's snowmobiles, atvs on the road as well. There are many sections that you have access to bathrooms, parking lots that you can come in and out on a day, a day hike, you know no problem. But there are definitely sections where it's a little bit more remote. You would need to be experienced or, you know, be ready for that experience. Have a tent with you, have food perhaps. You know lots of water and the right gear. So definitely there are sections that are a little bit more for the adventuresome folks, but there's plenty of sections that you can go with your kids, your parents, bring your dog, that sort of thing.
Speaker 6:So you brought up something. When I was Minister of Natural Resources, I did some research on getting females women into fishing, and can you imagine what the number one question was for women going fishing?
Speaker 7:Yes, is there a bathroom?
Speaker 6:Exactly when do I go to the bathroom?
Speaker 7:Yes.
Speaker 6:You brought that up. You mentioned about bathrooms Is that there's that sort of facilities along some of these sections where it isn't identified. So if somebody wants to be sure that, okay, we can walk this section because we have access to that at that time.
Speaker 7:Yeah. So, like we don't own the Trans-Canada Trail, doesn't own and operate the trail system. We are the stewards of the concept of the Pan-Canadian Trail. So we do work with the local groups, which could be government agencies you know whether it's local government or federal or they could be volunteer groups. So it really depends on the capacity of that group to be able to afford amenities. So you know, a federal park for sure you'll have washrooms, you might even have showers, you'll have lots of the amenities that you're looking for, whereas a trail section that is owned and operated by a volunteer group might be a little bit more rough and rural. So you might want to take that into account when you're picking your trail route. What is it that you need? Do you need bathrooms? Do you need accessible bathrooms? So not just any bathroom, but if you happen to be in a wheelchair or you have issues with sight or with hearing, do you need accommodations that some of these trails? Some trails have it, some trails don't. So you might want to look into that before you head out.
Speaker 6:So sections of the trail are wheelchair accessible.
Speaker 7:Sections of the trail are wheelchair accessible exactly.
Speaker 6:Okay, and now are there paved? Because I know in Oshawa we've got the Oshawa Trail which runs basically from the north end of the city down right down to Lake Ontario. It's all paved by the city. Are there paved trails that include in this or not?
Speaker 7:Oh yeah, lots of the trail sections are paved and that's what we've given in our fiscal years are the same as the federal government. So 2023 to 2024, we gave out $5.3 million. We're on track to give about the same Part of the funding that we give is for infrastructure development. It is for looking at accessibility, so modifying your trail to make it more accessible. So, for sure, there are trails that are a little bit wider, so that you can accommodate walkers, cyclists, those who might be in wheelchairs, or different types of transportation. We do have bathrooms that have been modified, have bathrooms that have been modified. We are looking at apps as well. That, you know, for those who are vision impaired. They can maybe have a facilitated experience through an app that will, you know, tell them what's on the trail, what are they seeing. So we are developing those types of partnerships to make the trail more accessible, and not just physically accessible but, you know, mentally accessible. What are the activities, what are the tourist opportunities on the trails, to make it more interactive for folks.
Speaker 6:Interesting and I recall, quite a while ago, my son and his friend, I took them to horseback riding, which was through Algonquin Park, okay, and it was an outfitter that had access and was allowed to do trails through the park. And what I'm getting to is, when you're hiking through a park, do you need to get passes to go through the park to hike the trail through the park?
Speaker 7:So there are certain sections of the trail absolutely you need to pay and those are generally, you know, park, provincial parks or federal parks that have a fee. You do need to get a license or you know whatever they provide you, but you do need to pay that fee. Most trail sections are free unless there's a designated activity that day or that weekend that you need to pay an entrance fee. But yeah, in some cases the provincial parks, federal parks, for sure you have to pay. Otherwise it's generally free.
Speaker 6:Oh, interesting Now, Stacey, I had to recall way back in the probably late 80s, 90s I was over at a friend's place at Elmont, ontario, and his neighbor said he was heading out because he was getting prepared, because he was going to Scotland to hike the connecting trails in Scotland and through the highlands.
Speaker 6:That was their holiday. They went there and did that sort of thing and it was so that you could hike from one section of the trail. You stayed in a small town and they had beds and breakfasts or pubs and that sort of things where they did town. And they had beds and breakfasts or pubs and that sort of things where they did, and then they would hike another section through the Scottish Highlands to another community and they could look at the distance. He was training himself with a pack and walking stick to make sure that he could do getting ready to do it all. Is that the same sort of thing that is potentially here, that people who are hiking it can look and see that there's a bed and breakfast or accommodations at one section and then get meals and then continue on?
Speaker 7:Yeah, so we're working with some of our partners on this. So Destination Canada is an example, and a lot of the local destination management offices. So Canada biggest draw in Canada is nature and Indigenous culture. That is something that we know. People will come to Canada in order to enjoy the outdoors and immerse themselves in Indigenous cultures. A lot of that is done on trails, and so we are working with Destination Canada and some other offices to designate some of our trails as exceptional trail experiences where you'll have access to restaurants, a hotel or an Airbnb, a bed and breakfast.
Speaker 7:Along the way there might be an opportunity to have your bags transported. So if you're walking, it's a little bit like a Camino experience in Spain. If you're on a bicycle, you have access to pump your tires, do a repair if need be. We have an example here, not far from my home in Quebec the Véloroute Gourmande, which is the cycle route I'm translating here quick on the fly cycle route for the foodies. So you can, you know, ride your bike from Montreal all the way to Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, which is about 40 kilometers, and along the way you have some places to go for good food and perhaps some wine and beers and other local foods and food. It could be artisan items as well. You have access to that along the road Very interesting.
Speaker 4:Back in 2016,. Frank and I had a vision to amass the single largest database of muskie angling education material anywhere in the world.
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Speaker 6:And now it's time for another testimonial for Chaga Health and Wellness. Okay, we're here with Kim from Bob Cajun and Kim, you had a great experience with the Chaga cream and your grandson. Can you tell us about that a bit?
Speaker 2:Yeah, so my grandson actually struggles with psoriasis. He's only 16 years old, so of course, the self-esteem right. He doesn't want his face all covered in scales and stuff like that. And I picked him up on a weekend to come and visit with me and I had overheard you talking to somebody about psoriasis.
Speaker 4:Okay.
Speaker 2:So it kind of piqued my interest and I thought I would ask you about that. And when you explained it to me, I took a container home for him, Right, and in one day he was over the moon happy that his face looked clear and he's going to be religiously doing it because he's so self-conscious about it.
Speaker 6:So he tried other things through the medical system and things like that, yeah, and he just didn't have any success.
Speaker 2:Correct, he had a prescription of cream and you know, it would sort of dry it up a little bit. But that was the problem it just dries it up and then it's flaky on his face okay, he doesn't really like that and it leaves a lot of little red blotchy stuff right. So after he rubbed that stuff on the chaga stuff, right he was. His face didn't look so angry, you know, because it's a red angry sort of right on his face and it didn't look so angry, it looked looked soft and clear.
Speaker 2:So he was over the moon happy, and so I took him home, and then he messaged me after a couple of days to tell me that he's so, so happy that his skin looks clear.
Speaker 6:Great. Thanks very much, kim. From Bob Cajun, you're welcome. Okay, we interrupt this program to bring you a special offer from Chaga Health and Wellness.
Speaker 6:If you've listened this far and you're still wondering about this strange mushroom that I keep talking about and whether you would benefit from it or not, I may have something of interest to you. To thank you for listening to the show, I'm going to make trying Chaga that much easier by giving you a dollar off all our Chaga products at checkout. All you have to do is head over to our website, chagahealthandwellnesscom, place a few items in the cart, our website, chagahealthandwellnesscom. Place a few items in the cart and check out with the code CANOPY C-A-N-O-P-Y. If you're new to Chaga, I'd highly recommend the regular Chaga tea. This comes with 15 tea bags per package and each bag gives you around five or six cups of tea. Hey, thanks for listening Back to the episode. Or six cups of tea? Hey, thanks for listening Back to the episode. Stacey, what kind of uses you mentioned about hiking, walking, cycling, but is there horseback riding, atv, snowmobile uses and things like that along the trail as well?
Speaker 7:Yeah, so we really prioritize greenway and water routes so you know safe destinations. There are some trails that you know ATVs and snowmobiles are on, so snowmobiles in the winter is a little bit easier on the trails. Atvs can be a little bit more difficult, just in terms of potential damage to the trails, but also if you're walking or if you're on a bike in an ATV. It's not ideal, it is doable and there are many rural areas in the country where ATVs cannot be avoided. But, yeah, most of it is hiking, walking, cycling, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, horseback riding, as you said, and there are other sections that, yeah, there are motorized vehicles there as well.
Speaker 6:Right, I recall a friend of mine bless his soul, doug. He took his snowmobile up on the snowmobile trail north of Osh where he hooked up on Port Perry Wayne. He was riding a snowmobile and came across a round bend and all of a sudden there was a dog sled team in the middle of the trail and he had to go into the bush to get out of the way.
Speaker 6:How do you? Is there kind of stuff like one-way stuff or no-use motorized vehicles and stuff in order to assist with things like that, just to give a comfort level when people are using the trails?
Speaker 7:Yeah, so if you do go on the website and look at the map, tctrailca, you will be able to see sections where it's motorized and non-motorized. So that's the first thing is do your homework before you leave. For sure, there's lots of signage everywhere. We do try and encourage the one-way direction, so, like a car, you're driving one way on the right side and the others are coming at you on the left side. Some of the trails are narrow. Sometimes there's damage that happens due to climate change, or just a tree has fallen and so that you have to be right around it. Um, but yeah, you have to be careful when you're on a trail, especially nowadays. There's also, uh, bicycles that are electric and they're going much faster than a regular bicycle or someone who's walking, so you have to be be careful. There's a lot of requests in large of the trails, right, so I think the standard was six feet. Now we're looking sometimes at eight to 10 feet across. That just makes it wider, makes it easier for people to walk side by side.
Speaker 6:And do you chip bark a lot of these trails wherever it's possible, or do you put things down to deter growth in those areas? And how do you maintain all that sort of stuff?
Speaker 7:Yeah, so that's really the local trail groups that will maintain that. There's all sorts of techniques you can put logs along the side, you can put railings, you try and clean out the rubbish, the growth. I should say not the rubbish, but the growth that's happening. So you know there's a big volunteer movement behind this right to manage and operate the trails. There's lots of cleanup that's done in the spring where, after the winter and then all through the summer, as as more and people, more and more people use trails, there's more and more need to maintain and upkeep the trails.
Speaker 6:Okay, yeah, that's a good thing, um, the more usage and it. And it was interesting because I know I built a trail in a section in Oshawa. I worked with Noel Hutchison who was the Parks and Rec Director for the city of Oshawa, and we took him and walked him down and we showed him and it gets extensively used. It's through part of the city property. It's only a small section maybe, maybe um a quarter mile sort of thing, uh, but it's widely used by a lot of people. And there was somebody out this morning on it with me as well and she was taking out, uh, peanuts for the wild turkeys that are in the area there now, cause they've kind of moved in.
Speaker 6:But, um, and to make sure that it's all taken care of, we work with a number of groups to chip bark it and I put up a lot of rails so that it wouldn't wash away and things like that. But it takes quite a bit of maintenance to keep it good and we try to do that to the best of our ability. And it's great to have these small things in small areas like that, because a lot of people use them just as, kind of to get back to nature a little bit, which is always good, and I enjoy my my morning time doing that very much with my dog, gunnar. But are there canoeing sections of a trail as well, through lakes and rivers and stuff like that?
Speaker 7:Yeah, there's several, several sections that are kayak canoe friendly. They generally we we have landing points and for people to come in they can either park their cars if they need to. If someone's doing a long stretch, they'll have a spot that they can camp for the night. But there are sections that are a little bit more rural as well, so you'd have to figure out your portage route and plan for that accordingly.
Speaker 6:Right, that's good. So who maintains? There's various groups throughout all the trail that maintain the trail and you mentioned about a tree coming down and blocking it and is there places where this section is maintained by them? If you see anything, notify this group in order to help maintain it.
Speaker 7:Yeah. So the 600 groups across Canada, which include the volunteer groups up until government. They're really the ones who own, operate and manage the local trails. We often will get an email or a phone call to say, hey, there's damage, you know, there's a bridge that is washed out, there's a culvert that has collapsed, there's a tree, there's some erosion. We will get those calls, but then we'll work with the local trail group to have it fixed.
Speaker 7:So there's the before, during and after these types of things, right? So how can we build trails that avoid these types of occurrences? That's one. Once it happens, how do we reroute so that the user is able to continue their voyage without damaging nature unnecessarily? So some people, if it's broken, they'll find their own path and make their own path what we want to see. Can we address the reroute right away? Can we fix it and address it? And then, if we have to rebuild, let's say a bridge has fallen down, are we building back better Like? Are we making it so it's more sustainable, it can withstand climate change and even the amount, the volume of people that are going on the trail versus when perhaps that bridge was built, you know, 10, 15, 20 years ago, mm-hmm.
Speaker 6:Yeah, I remember John Roswell, bless his soul, was an engineer. He was also the mayor of Sault Ste Marie in Ontario and he was commissioned by I'm not sure if it was a group, a snowmobile club or the province, and he was building and engineering a snowmobile trail bridge to go over one of the rivers south of the Sioux, actually south of Sudbury and you can see it there. And I got into discussion with him and he said oh, it was such a nightmare because we originally designed the bridge for snowmobiles, but then we found out that they were going to use this as part of a trail section and walking is a different vibration of trail on a large span bridge like this, and so we had to redesign it to accommodate walking and snowmobiles. I had no idea that there was that kind of extent of engineering to take place, that walking would have a different impact than snowmobiles, simply because of the vibration that went with walking for an impact in snowmobiles, simply because of the vibration that went with walking.
Speaker 6:Now, stacey, we had the Bruce Trail on and over time, a lot of the routes change a lot of times because they're through private property and landowners, and landowners change and so do their expectations or utilization? Does the routes change over time and where do people find notification if they do?
Speaker 7:Yeah, so definitely the routes will need to be adjusted due to closures, special activities, weather events and, like you said, sale, sale of land, transfer of ownership. So our efforts are really about collaborating with local groups to open more greenways. So if a trail closes, how can we rebuild it in a green way so that it is for non-motorized use? We want to. It's about partnership, right? So the notion of building a trail that might hit a private land, an Indigenous community, a municipality in the federal park, all in the span of 10 or 15 kilometers, is something that we have to work on daily. So it is collaboration. It's making sure the vision is clear of what we're trying to achieve and look at it for the greater good, and greater good is really having trails that people can go out on, that they can exercise on. You know it's good for their mental health, and so we really try to focus on that and see what can we do together to make sure that a trail remains, even if it changes direction.
Speaker 6:Okay. So, and I know one of the landowners concerns is liability for trails going through their property and if somebody gets injured on that, what happens in situations like that?
Speaker 7:So all of the trail owners and operators have to have liability insurance. In order to be part of the TransCanada Trail, it's a key element. So if something happens on the trail, we do have liability insurance. To make sure this is the TransCanada Trail specifically, there is liability insurance that allows us to deal with that.
Speaker 6:Okay, yeah, because that's some of the biggest concerns that I heard. When new owners take in, the first thing is oh, if somebody gets injured, I'm liable. And that's not quite the case. You've got all that taken care of to assure that the trail continues on to be the trail right, Exactly. So how did the trail start? How did this whole process begin?
Speaker 7:So the idea of a nationwide trail started with Pierre Camus, a Quebecer, and Bill Pratt, an Albertan. So they were in charge of the cross-country celebration for Canada's 125th anniversary in 1992, where this idea for a Trans-Canada Trail system was born From then it was all about, you know, national unity connecting people to nature and one another. The organization, so Trans-Canada Trail itself was officially formed in December 1992. You know, national unity connecting people to nature and one another. The organization, so trans canada trail itself was officially formed in december 1992. After that, we had 25 years of grassroots work finding donors, securing government funding and working with local groups to connect the trail section.
Speaker 7:So the the connection of the trail idea 1992, connections actually happened in 2017. So not that long ago that we were connected from coast to coast to coast. And since 2017, it's really about growing the network with new sections, supporting the trail groups to make sure that we maintain connection but that we also have safe trails, usable trails that everybody loves. And right now, 29,000 kilometers. We have a goal of about 30,000 kilometers by 2027. And daily we get calls from trail groups saying, hey, we want to be part of this. It's seen as a national treasure, right? We're the longest multi-use trail in the world, and so it really is something to be proud of.
Speaker 6:That's a good thing and hopefully people listening to this will gain some knowledge about it and start to utilize it. So is there a cost to use the trail or certain sections of it and things like that, Stacey?
Speaker 7:Yeah, as we discussed a little bit before, it's completely free. Generally it's free, other than if you're going through a national or provincial park. Generally it's free, other than if you're going through a national or provincial park and then sometimes there are activities happening on the trail that weekend or that week that you might have to pay for. But generally, yes, it's free.
Speaker 6:Okay, and so what kind of activities take place on the trail? Is there seminars, lectures? I know I had some mushroom groups on that. Take mushroom group out that talk about mycelium and the mycological experience on some of these nature trails around. Is that the sort of thing that takes place, or is there? Do you know of many?
Speaker 7:yeah, so exactly what you, what you just described is a typical event that could happen on a trail. We did have a large-scale event that happened not far from the Ottawa section of the Trans-Canada Trail back in the fall of 2024. So we had partnered with the World Trails Network to host the World Trails Conference here in Ottawa. This was a big milestone, as it was the first time that the World Trails Conference was held in North America. It brought in 400 participants from 35 different countries, including trail groups across Canada and around the globe from 35 different countries, including trail groups across Canada and around the globe and we were able to share knowledge. We discussed collaboration and connection with the global trail community.
Speaker 7:Beyond big events like this, we actively engage with trail groups in various ways. So we'll speak at conferences, participate in seminars and support trail initiatives whenever possible. So whenever the trail initiative is, it could be a day of cleaning, it could be a volunteer recognition event. There's also trail care days or trail care events. They're held on International Trails Day, which is the first Saturday in June annually, and then, like as an organization, the staff and our board members will attend trail openings, funding announcements, celebrations for new signage, cultural features or new tourism experiences along the trail, and those are usually local events that we will come in and participate or help to fund. But generally speaking, on the trail most events are organized and hosted locally.
Speaker 6:Very good. So what's the busiest part of the trail? Most events are organized and hosted locally. Very good. So what's the busiest part of the trail? Is there a province that has more activity, or is it? Um, is there a destination, one that everybody's got to do this, the cabot trail sort of thing? And uh, is there places? Uh, where's the busiest part in canada that gets the most utilization?
Speaker 7:well, I would say the big cities are probably the ones with the biggest usage, right, right. So, like a downtown, vancouver, toronto, montreal have the, you know, the most people that are on them. But we do have popular trails in Quebec, near Bay, st Paul. We have on Prince Edward Island as well, there's trails that are pretty popular, and I was just in Banff last week so we were on the Bow Valley Trail. That was, you know, fantastic and beautiful. So every city has their own unique trails. They're, all you know, relatively popular. For sure the most popular would be the city trails.
Speaker 6:Oh, very good, and so all year long. So you're just on a trail out in Alberta. Was it a Chinook coming through or was it pretty cold?
Speaker 7:I think we were lucky to have a semi-Chinook, so it was about zero to minus five degrees Celsius, which is pretty warm, I would say, for Calgary and Banff.
Speaker 6:Good, good. Now, are there any seminars or conferences or things? As you mentioned? A number of groups and things like that come to mind that you're aware of, that people might be interested in.
Speaker 7:Well, right now we're running a campaign so this might be of interest to your listeners the Blahs to Oz campaign, and you can check it out on social media. Blahs to Oz campaign is really about getting people onto the trail in the winter months. So when it's cold and it's gloomy out and you really just want to, you know, huddle under a blanket and have soup. We're encouraging people to go outside, enjoy the beauty of Canadian nature, take a walk, go do some snowshoeing. You can do some cross-country skiing, so that's a big campaign that we're doing right now. We did launch recently the Trail Care Funding Program. So if there are groups that are interested in and it's for Canadian-based organizations, so not necessarily relevant for your international audience but if you do want to do an event on International Trail Day in June, it's a good time to apply for a grant. It's about celebrating volunteers, it's about bringing people out to your trail. So we're helping you to create an opportunity to celebrate your local trail.
Speaker 6:Very good. Now, stacey, are there maps available that people can use to see the upgrades, and are they annually redone for any of the changes in the trails that come up?
Speaker 7:Yeah. So we have an interactive map that is on our website. It is updated weekly. So if there's closures, rerouting, if there's new sections that are open, tctrail all together, tctrailca is the best place to go. Our MOP is there. Events are also there. Our social media activations, like the Blas to Oz campaign, are there. If anybody is listening, Blas to Oz campaign you can also enter to win some swag. So Columbia Sportswear is giving out some swag. So is TransCanada Trail and the great Canadian sock company. So it's a good time to engage, and we always love when people take pictures. So you know, go on the trail, take pictures, post it at TransCanadaTrail and at TCTrail. Hashtag us as well, and it's a great way to engage.
Speaker 6:Oh great, that's good. So if people have more questions, they can go to this website, or if it's any more details and find out more information. This is where they can go and get all the information they need about the TransCanadaTrails in their section or Canada-wide. Yes, exactly.
Speaker 7:Yes.
Speaker 6:So if you want to just give us those ones again and how they might reach out, to you if they wanted to speak to you or someone or the website, sure.
Speaker 7:Yeah, so if you want to reach me, it's sdakin at tctrailca. Website is tctrailca as well. And social media surprise surprise, is at tctrail or at TransCanadaTrail. There is a French version, so all of this is available in French. So anybody who's listening in a French country or in the French provinces across Canada, we do have everything available bilingual. So the map is bilingual, as are all of our communications on the website. So we're open to everybody to engage.
Speaker 6:Well, thank you very much for taking the time today, stacey, to inform us about the TransCanada Trail Network and all the information about it. I found it very interesting I think a lot of people will, and it's just another way that people can get out there and enjoy all that's happening out there under the canopy. Thanks a lot, stacey, for taking the time.
Speaker 7:Thank you have a great day.
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