Bartley Smith Greenway Trail Project Updates

On July 7, the City hosted an in-person Open House and invited the community to view the revised trail alignment, proposed features and amenities as well as the draft implementation approach. Thank you to those who attended. If you were unable to attend or have more to say, you are encouraged to watch a video presentation, review the open house materials and use a commenting form to share your thoughts. 

At this Open House, citizens were able to: 

• review work completed to date 
• learn about the refined trail route, route designs and proposed trail treatments 
• hear more about the proposed phasing for implementation
• ask questions and provide feedback on the proposed trail alignment

View panels (PDF) from the Bartley Smith Greenway Public Open House

Individual Open House Panels

• Schedule and Timeline (PDF)
• Public Participation (PDF)
• Proposed Route (PDF)
• Alternative Routes and Future Options (PDF)
• Features and Amenities (PDF)
• Fitness Node (PDF)
• Construction and Phasing (PDF)
• Landscape Buffers and Rehabilitation (PDF)
• Landscape Buffers and Rehabilitation Map (PDF)
• Sections (PDF)

Field Investigations and Studies: July 2021 to present

Field investigations and studies started in July 2021 and will continue until the end of September 2022, with future studies being completed after a preferred alignment is confirmed. Studies include ecological screening, archeology, arboriculture, traffic (related to road crossings), geotechnical and stormwater assessments. 

Vision Workshop: August 2021

A visioning workshop was held in mid-August 2021 with members of the Toronto Region Conservation Authority, Vaughan Staff (representatives from Active Transportation, Planning, Operations and Parks) and members of the WSP consulting team. The purpose of this session was to discuss the approach to close the gaps in the trail system, environmental constraints, opportunities for road/water crossings and identify general alignment options that should be further explored.

Outcomes of the discussion are being used to inform field investigations, refine options for viable alignments and to develop questions for future public consultation. 

Online Survey: October 2021

The City invited the community to participate in an online survey that ran from Oct. 5 to Oct. 22 , 2021, to weigh in on a proposed trail alignment routes (PDF) and road crossings. Thank you for all those who participated to date. 

Focus Group Session: November 2021

Participants who indicated through the online survey that they would like to be included in further discussions about the route for the Bartley Smith Greenway Trail were invited to attend one of two focus group sessions held on Nov. 30, 2021, hosted by City of Vaughan staff and consultant team from WSP Canada. At this focus group session, members of the project team provided some additional context through a short presentation before opening up the floor for questions, comments and discussion about the preferred alignment and other features of the trail.

Virtual Open House: February 2022

The City hosted a virtual Open House on Thursday, Feb. 24. At the virtual Open House participants had an opportunity to:

• review work completed to date.
• learn more about the project status, including next steps and timelines.
• learn about the proposed refined trail route, route designs and proposed treatments.
• help confirm trail user needs and priorities.
• provide feedback on the proposed trail alignment.

If you were unable to attend the live session, you can view the presentation (PDF), recording of the live session and an online mapping tool. 

An additional public open house session is planned in Q3 of 2022 to share emerging detailed route information.

A Frequently Asked Questions about the Bartley Smith Greeway Trail Feasibility Study has been developed based on the feedback and comments received to date.

Part one: research and trail route analysis

Part two: trail development