News
O'CONNOR AND CONMEE TOWNSHIPS SUPPORT SHABAQUA TRAIL REROUTE/EXTENSION PLANS
May 14/24
We are pleased to announce that O'Connor Township Council and Conmee Township Council have passed resolutions supporting our Trail Work Permit application with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry to reroute and extend the Shabaqua Trail within their boundaries.
The reroute will fulfill our commitment to mitigate shared road and snowmobile trail corridors where possible, and will remove 5.6 km of the trail from Sovereign Road and Fleming Road. It will also mitigate nearly 6.5 km. of shared NWOSTA "A" Trail snowmobile trail.
The extension will expand the trail nearly 8 km. further east from Sovereign Road via Holomego and Broome Roads to Luckens Road south of Kakabeka Falls Provincial Park. Approvals from other stakeholders including one private landowner are being sought also.
THUNDER BAY COMMUNITY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION (CEDC) SUPPORTS NWORTA
Apr 18/24
NWORTA is proud and pleased to announce that the City of Thunder Bay CEDC Tourism Development Fund has granted funding to assist with costs associated with extending the City of Thunder Bay Trans Canada Trail west of Fort William Historical Park. NWORTA plans to construct a 3 kilometre "natural base" trail along the Broadway Avenue north easement from King Road to 25th Side Road. This extension is part of NWORTA's 5-Phase Trail Plan to expand the Trans Canada Trail land trail network west to Kakabeka Falls, Shabaqua, Quetico, Atikokan, and south to the Minnesota border. We thank the CEDC for their forward-looking vision and their support for our ambitious, but very doable plan. When completed, the City of Thunder Bay Trans Canada Trail combined with NWORTA's Shabaqua Trail west of Kakabeka Falls, will provide over 90 kilometres of designated Trans Canada Trail trails in the area.
Proudly supported by:
TRANS CANADA TRAIL APPROVES SPRING CARE TRAIL GRANT TO NWORTA
Apr 16/24
NWORTA is proud and pleased to announce that the Trans Canada Trail Spring Care Trail Grant has granted funds to go towards the purchase of a brush saw and related equipment. This forgivable grant is available annually to qualified groups, and is one of the many benefits of TCT affiliation. We can't thank Trans Canada Trail enough for their invaluable assistance.
SHABAQUA TRAIL NOW ON TRANS CANADA TRAIL INTERACTIVE MAP
Mar 28/24
NWORTA is proud and pleased to announce that the Shabaqua Trail has been added to the Trans Canada Trail interactive map. It includes information on the route and allows for GPS coordinates to be downloaded directly from the map. Additional information and GPS coordinates can be found on our Trails page. This addition to the Trans Canada Trail network will provide locals and visitors with a great opportunity to explore the natural beauty our area has to offer. In addition, those traveling across Canada on the longest hiking trail in the world, the Trans Canada Trail, will be provided a much safer and user friendly route alternative to the Trans Canada Highway between Kakabeka Falls and Shabaqua.
TRANS CANADA FUNDING SUPPORT
Feb 22/24
NWORTA has been approved for Trans Canada Trail funding support through their Trail Funding Program - Infrastructure and Major Repairs. Anticipated work includes approximately $80,000 worth of new trail construction, existing trail upgrades, and trail directional/regulatory signs for our Phase I Shabaqua Trail and Phase II Kakabeka Falls Trail. Covering 30% of anticipated costs, these funds will go a long way in helping us secure additional funding partners to make the needed additions/changes happen. Our thanks goes out to Trans Canada Trail for their generous support.
OFFICIAL TRANS CANADA TRAIL AFFILIATION
NWORTA is super excited to announce that as of January 30/2024 we have been officially recognized as a member in good standing with Trans Canada Trail. The Shabaqua Trail, to be opened officially in 2024, will soon be added to the Trans Canada Trail interactive map and registered as Trail #0952. We are beyond excited about this as having Trans Canada Trail affiliation is huge in terms of NWORTA's legitimacy as a trail organization, and will draw Trans Canada Trail users to the region.