The East Coast Trail Association (ECTA) has received $1.15
million from the Canada-Newfoundland Agreement for the Economic Development Component of
the Canadian Fisheries Adjustment and Restructuring Initiative (EDC). The fund will be
used to complete the construction of the core section of the trail in the Avalon region.
The project will create 195 km of international hiking trails from St. John’s to
Cappahayden. The major components of the initiative include: construction of boardwalks,
small stream bridgework, stair systems, stone work and other trail hardening activities to
accommodate high usage; design and fabrication of all directional, trailhead and regional
sideboards; design and construction of remote area campsites; and planning, design, and
construction of all trailhead facilities.
The initiative links two National Historic Sites, 22 communities, two provincial parks,
the Witless Bay Ecological Reserve, the Avalon wilderness area, and many other attractions
and heritage sites.
The ECTA is a 625-member non-profit group formed in 1994 to undertake and promote the
ongoing development and maintenance of an international calibre hiking trail from Cape
Race to Cape St. Francis and on to Conception Bay South. Approximately 200 km of trail
have already been cleared and marked and are open to the public. The group has generated
significant interest in Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, the United States and
Canada.
The project will create 40 jobs during the two-year construction phase and offers
significant opportunity for long-term economic benefit. The project has the potential to
bring thousands of visitors to the province increasing entrepreneurship opportunities in
the tourism/hospitality sector.
The ECTA has received considerable attention from media around the world. In the summer
of 1999 the ECTA was featured in Nature Canada, Explore, and Equinox.
The ECTA website is linked to more than 50 other hiking/travel web sites and receives over
35,000 visits per year.
Development of the East Coast Trail is supported by the Irish Loop Regional Economic
Development Board, Capital Coast Development Alliance, Southern Shore/St. Mary’s Bay
Community Development Corporation and the Southern Shore Rural Development Association.
