Canoeists on the Grand River may be waving paddles in salute to a partnership between RT04 (Regional Tourism Organization 4) and Friends of the Grand River, resulting in a better canoe launch at Wilson’s Flats near Inverhaugh.
At Centre Wellington’s council meeting on May 30, councillor Kirk McElwain said the initiative is one of the first two along the Grand River.
The idea is to clean up the area and install better parking and a better canoe launch facility. He believed that work begins this summer.
The project discussions began last August following results of a regional travel survey pointing to recognition of the Elora/Fergus area and leveraging the potential the Grand River, one of 17 Canadian Heritage Rivers.
The river runs through RTOs 1, 4, and 3, and these three, along with former members of the voluntary marketing coalition Grand River Country, have come together in the joint development project.
The group has coalesced around an RTO-led project that will involve public and private partnerships and funding in an ongoing, multi-year multi-million-dollar reinvestment to develop access points, signage and facilities and generally improve the market readiness of the provincial asset.
RTO4 met with Friends of the Grand River (FOGR) representatives to discuss the project and the potential for collaboration in developing the Wilson’s Flats/Inverhaugh access point as a pilot site.
In early May, the RTO4 and FOGR made a presentation to Centre Wellington’s community services advisory committee (CSAC) outlining the plans for the Wilson’s Flats pilot project.
Next steps involve coordinating plans with the CSAC and further outreach to Grand River Conservation Authority.
