Howard Watson Nature Trail - Canada 150 Grant Celebration

Bluewater Trails, a committee of Sarnia City Council, is an organization dedicated to the development of a first class trail system which will promote the health and safety of residents and visitors alike

On September 16, 2017 the Bluewater Trails Committee held a Howard Watson Nature Trail - Canada 150 Grant Celebration.

The Committee received a Canada 150 Anniversary Infrastructure Grant from the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario under the Canada 150 Community Infrastructure Program. The grant was a total of $110,000, which was a matching grant to the $110,000 donated by Shell, Suncor, Ontario Power Generation, Enbridge, Lanxess, TransAlta, and City of Sarnia.

The original project was to widen and resurface half of the 16-kilometer trail to make it more suitable for walking, running and cycling. “Sev-Con, the company that was contracted to complete the work, went over and above scope and actually was able to widen and resurface most of the 16-kilometer trail within the $220,000,” explained Ati Powell, Bluewater Trails Committee member.

The revamped Howard Watson Nature Trail has also received additional benches to help improve trail accessibility, and a recently created Michigan Avenue gateway. “The celebration allows opportunity for Bluewater Trails Committee to collect feedback on the upgrades and to assess trail usage so we can better determine our strategy over the next several years,” explained Powell.

“We are pleased to bring focus to the trail upgrades and commemorate full receipt of monies to cover this project from the government grant structure as well as generous local business donations,” said Tony Barrand, Chair of the Bluewater Trails Committee.

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