A fourth Open House date has been added to provide maximum opportunities for the public to learn more about ERCA’s preliminary plans to convert the former Canada Southern Railway (CASO) into a multi-use trail.

“We’ve welcomed nearly 100 guests to our three Open Houses to date,” said Kevin Money, ERCA’s Director of Conservation Services. “We wanted to be sure to be as geographically accessible as possible, and have added a fourth Open House location in the Town of Tecumseh.”

The CASO section that is now owned by ERCA stretches 47 kilometres from Tilbury through Essex County to the border of Windsor was successfully protected for public use, thanks to a partnership between ERCA, the County of Essex, Town of Tecumseh, Town of Essex and Municipality of Lakeshore, and with generous funding support from Environment and Climate Change Canada. The former CASO Rail Line ceased operations approximately 15 years ago.

ERCA is now actively working on plans to convert this property into a multi-use trail for the benefit of all regional residents and beyond. In Canada, trails are more important than ever to our way of life and well-being. In fact, 75% of Canadians report using trails for exercise and leisure time. Trails are also important to the rural economy and can act as a driver for tourism.

ERCA first opened the Chrysler Canada Greenway in the year 2000, and the Cypher Systems Group Greenway in 2017. Studies by Hike Ontario identify that property values have been shown to increase in proximity to trails as communities recognize them as safe places to be active, healthy and community oriented.

“The feedback received to date has been overwhelmingly positive and there is a lot of excitement about the opportunities this future trail will present,” said Money.

Some concerns from neighbouring landowners include ATVs that are currently unlawfully accessing the corridor.

“We’ll be stepping up our efforts to barricade access to motorized vehicles and working with police services to stop this prohibited activity.”

The use of any motorized vehicles is not permitted within any conservation-owned lands.

The fourth Open House will take place on Thursday, July 3 from 5pm – 6:30pm, with a presentation at 5:30 in Salon E at the Ciociaro Club, located at 3745 North Talbot Rd.

As well, the deadline to complete the online survey has been extended until July 11, 2025, and can be accessed at www.essexregionconservation.ca/CASOSurvey.

The feedback will be analyzed and reported back to the ERCA Board of Directors in fall 2025.

The Essex Region Conservation Authority is a public sector organization established by the Province of Ontario and governed by local municipalities. For more than 50 years, it has provided the organization and delivery of programs and services that further the conservation, restoration, development and management of natural resources in watersheds in Ontario.