Minto wants to be known as a “walkable community.”
Council approved a report recommending the town submit an application for a Walk Friendly Ontario designation at its Sept. 2 meeting.
Since June, the town’s walkable communities committee has met with representatives from council, the towns’ public works, building and economic development departments and Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health.
Minto has a history of promoting walk-ability, notes a report from recreation services manager Matt Lubbers, business and economic manager Belinda Wick-Graham and Karen Armstrong of the health unit.
“Since 2005, council and staff have been working on walkable communities initiatives,” the report states.
A Walkable Communities Committee was formed in 2006 and the town was a case study and featured keynote at the Walk21 conference in Toronto in 2007.
“We presented before David Suzuki, at the international Walkabilty 21 conference, so that was pretty cool,” said Wick-Graham.
As a result of the work at the conference, committee members walked the Westminster Woods neighbourhood in Guelph to see key features of a walkable community and discussed the positive impact it has had on home sales and residents’ sustainability, happiness, physical activity and economic development.
Minto council also signed the International Charter for Walking in 2007. In 2008, a “walkable communities” page was added to the Town of Minto website.
In the summer of 2009, two university students worked with staff to identify potential trail linkages and communicate with local landowners to determine the route. In addition, the town worked with the University of Guelph and had a third-year landscape architecture class tour Minto and develop streetscape plans that improved walking and cycling.
“Recreation staff continue to work with trails groups throughout Minto to develop and enhance the urban and rural trails systems,” the report states.
Armstrong noted the Walk Friendly program is based on a similar initiative which began in the U.S. about 20 years ago.
Armstrong was on the committee which developed the program for Ontario.
“They were really looking for some innovative, progressive communities. So I suggested Minto would be a good example,” she said.
Wick-Graham pointed out there are economic benefits to the walkable communities designation.
“Economic development-wise it’s great, because you can charge more for the housing and people will pay it because they want to live in a walkable community,” she stated.
Councillor Rick Hembly was enthusiastic about the fitness-promotion aspect of the program. “It’s the way of the world, everybody’s going exercise – it’s physical fitness – so let’s getting going, let’s get some bike lanes, let’s get some trails,” he said.
Another advantage of getting involved in the program is the opportunity for some outside input in the form of a review from an expert panel from Walk Friendly Ontario.
“The review will provide the walkable communities committee with a set of action steps to direct work next year and beyond,” said Lubbers.
The report notes the only cost to participate is the “minimal” staff time that goes into preparing the application, which is largely completed.
