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Why Donate?

The Waterfront Regeneration Trust is a small registered charity leading a partnership of over 177 communities, First Nations, public and private organizations, and all orders of government to implement, expand, promote and maintain the Great Lakes Waterfront Trail. Since 1995, the Trail has been recognized as the first step of a broader strategy to regenerate the waterfront as part of the Lake Ontario Greenway Strategy developed by the Waterfront Regeneration Trust and its partners.

The goal of the Strategy is to foster a commitment to actions that will regenerate a healthy and sustainable waterfront that is clean, green, accessible, connected, open, usable, diverse, affordable, and attractive. As of 2021, the Trail is roughly 3,600 km long, extending from the Quebec Border on the St. Lawrence River to Sault Ste Marie near Lake Superior. The entire 3,600 km are signed and mapped. Interactive and downloadable maps and recommended itineraries are available to the public for free. Experiencing the Trail fosters a sense of stewardship, that supports the goal of a protected waterfront. There is a lot of  Trail, making for a lot of experiences.

Why Donate?

The Waterfront Regeneration Trust is a small but mighty registered charity leading a partnership of over 177 communities, First Nations, public and private organizations, and all orders of government to implement, expand, promote, and maintain the Great Lakes Waterfront Trail. Since 1995, the Trail has been at the heart of a bold strategy to regenerate the waterfront, first envisioned in the Lake Ontario Greenway Strategy.

Our goal is simple but ambitious: to help create a waterfront that is clean, green, accessible, connected, open, diverse, affordable, and welcoming for all. Today, the Great Lakes Waterfront Trail stretches more than 3,600 km—fully signed and mapped—linking communities from the Quebec border along the St. Lawrence River to Sault Ste. Marie on Lake Superior. Free, interactive maps and itineraries help people explore, connect, and foster a sense of stewardship for these extraordinary lands and waters.

Your donations make this work possible. Contributions support not only the expansion and improvement of the Trail, but also a wide range of community-led regeneration projects. Together, we’ve achieved remarkable successes:

• Safer cycling connections, including the Thousand Islands Parkway extension and closing the west Whitby gap to link wetlands and conservation areas.

• A signed 1,400 km Lake Ontario Watershed network, connecting the Greenbelt Route and the Trail.

• The first continuous signed route in Northern Ontario between Sault Ste. Marie and Sudbury.

• Creation of 10 major waterfront promenades, 3 bridges, improvements to 16 parks, and rehabilitation of waterfront brownfields and habitats.

• Annual events such as the Great Waterfront Trail Adventure, which showcase progress and inspire new trail communities.

Beyond the Trail, your support enables us to deepen partnerships and inspire the next generation of conservation leaders. We are proud to collaborate with Parks Canada to protect and conserve the Rouge Valley, connect Canada’s first national urban park to the Trail, ensuring equitable access to green space in one of the most diverse regions of the country, and expand the Park to include the Pickering Federal Lands.

We also award the Pauline Browes Future Conservation Leaders Fellowship, which provides outstanding young conservationists with hands-on experience at Rouge National Urban Park, while celebrating the legacy of the Honourable Pauline Browes, a tireless and lifelong advocate for the environment and the Rouge.

When you donate, you are helping to protect, connect, and celebrate our Great Lakes, St. Lawrence River, and Rouge National Urban Park, while nurturing the next generation of leaders who will carry this vision forward.