Giving people more access to the waterfront is a key priority for Waterfront Toronto and it’s why we have made a number of improvements to the Martin Goodman Trail. Since 2005, Waterfront Toronto has completed several improvements and additions to the popular multi-use recreational trail. Improvements included the repair and maintenance to particularly bad sections of the trail, filling in gaps in the trail system, and adding an extension of the trail through a section of the Port Lands to improve public access to Tommy Thompson Park.

In 2009, Waterfront Toronto opened a newly created stretch of the Martin Goodman Trail at Ontario Place. This critical link in the 56 kilometre Martin Goodman Trail now provides opportunities for alternative modes of travel across the waterfront in a safe and attractive environment.

Waterfront Toronto’s plans to provide a continuous waterfront connection include creating an additional 3,179 metres for the Martin Goodman Trail from Spadina Avenue to Parliament Street as part of the Queens Quay revitalization. Future plans also include extending the trail all along the revitalized waterfront.

Designed by leading landscape architects Janet Rosenberg and Associates, a new 1.3 kilometre tree-lined stretch of the Martin Goodman Trail runs parallel to Lake Shore Boulevard through Ontario Place from Marilyn Bell Park to Coronation Park at Strachan Avenue. The attractive and functional trail is barrier-free and accommodates a wide range of recreational activities.

The project created a new “front door” to Ontario Place and enhanced the everyday function of the major destination by providing a safe and direct route through the park for cyclists and other recreational users that is separated from car traffic. Safety for trail users was also improved by visually separating pedestrian crossings from designated bike crossings using state-of-the-art bicycle signals.

Sustainability plays an important role in the new section of Martin Goodman Trail at Ontario Place. The new section of trail converted 8,000 square metres of Ontario Place parking lots into green space and trail. The new trail is 4.5 metres wide and is framed by 161 newly planted native, hardwood trees. A stormwater management system was incorporated to allow run-off rainwater from the trail to irrigate adjacent green space and aid in the support of the growth of mature trees. Mature trees help to create the desired park-like setting and reduce the heat island effect of adjacent paved roads and parking lots.

Waterfront Toronto has also enhanced access to Ontario Place for parking and passenger drop-offs, thereby improving safety for both users of the Martin Goodman Trail and vehicular traffic by constructing a new signalized entrance to Ontario Place and revamping two existing entrances.

Earlier enhancements include extending the trail from Lake Shore Boulevard to Commissioners Street and significant improvements through Marilyn Bell Park from Jameson Avenue to Ontario Drive.

The Martin Goodman Trail runs approximately 56 kilometres from the Humber Bridge in the west to the Rouge River in the east. It was named in memory of the former President and Editor-In-Chief of the Toronto Star who passed away in 1981. The Martin Goodman Trail is part of the 730-kilometre Waterfront Trail that connects 41 communities from Niagara to Quebec along the Canadian Shores of Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River.

Design Lead: Janet Rosenberg and Associates

Location: From Marilyn Bell Park to Coronation Park parallel to Lake Shore Boulevard through Ontario Place

Length: 1.3 kilometres

Width: 4.5 metres

Total improvements: 2.4 hectares (6 acres)