Owen Sound: A Four-Year City Business Plan

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The River, Trails and Outdoor Life

Chapter 18The River as Owen Sound's Civic Spine

6,001 words · Mike Seiler · Owen Sound, Ontario

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In this chapter

Owen Sound has something many communities would spend generations trying to create.

Water running through the centre of the City.

The Sydenham River.

The Pottawatomi River.

The harbour.

Georgian Bay.

Harrison Park.

Kelso Beach.

Trails, bridges, neighbourhoods, businesses, history and public spaces already gather around that geography.

The opportunity is not to invent a new identity for Owen Sound.

It is to recognize the one that is already here.

The rivers and harbour should become the civic spine connecting the community.

A spine does not replace the rest of the body.

It connects it.

The river strategy should therefore connect:

The objective is not to turn every metre of shoreline into a constructed waterfront.

Some areas should be active.

Some should remain natural.

Some will remain private.

Some may require environmental protection.

Some may be unsuitable for public access.

The goal is to create the strongest practical continuous public relationship with the water that ownership, safety, ecology and law reasonably allow.

18.1Begin With the Water

Municipal planning often begins with roads.

For the River Spine strategy, begin with water.

Ask:

Where does the water go?

Then:

Where can people safely experience it?

Then:

What parts of the City could become better connected because of it?

This creates a different way of understanding Owen Sound.

Instead of seeing:

as separate destinations, see them as parts of one system.

The River Spine Principle

Where practical, a person should increasingly be able to move through Owen Sound by following:

water, trail, public space and neighbourhood connections.

Not every connection will occur immediately.

Some may take many years.

The first step is preserving the possibility.

18.2One Connected Public Map

Create a dedicated River Spine layer within the Local Knowledge Map.

It should show:

The map should distinguish clearly between:

A beautiful map that accidentally encourages trespassing is not useful public infrastructure.

18.3The Continuous Connection Goal

The long-term question should be:

How close can Owen Sound come to creating a continuous public walking and cycling relationship from Harrison Park through downtown and the harbour toward Kelso and Georgian Bay?

The answer may involve a mixture of:

Continuity does not necessarily mean constructing a new trail immediately beside the water at every point.

In some areas, the best route may move away from the shoreline temporarily because of:

The experience should still feel connected.

Identify every place where the desired route:

Then classify the solution.

Signage

Maintenance

Accessibility improvement

Property agreement

New infrastructure

Environmental review

Long-term opportunity

This turns a big vision into manageable pieces.

18.4The Sydenham River

The Sydenham River should become one of downtown Owen Sound's strongest public assets.

Downtown planning should increasingly ask:

How do we turn toward the river?

That does not require every building to become waterfront retail.

It may mean:

River Windows

Identify places where small changes could allow people to:

A river experience does not always require a large waterfront project.

Sometimes it requires opening a view that already exists.

18.5The Pottawatomi River

The Pottawatomi River provides a different experience.

It connects more strongly with:

Its role in the River Spine should respect that different character.

The objective should not be to make every waterway look the same.

Different Rivers, Different Experiences

The Sydenham may support more urban public-space connections.

The Pottawatomi may support more nature-oriented exploration.

Both can belong to one civic system without being designed identically.

18.6Harrison Park

Harrison Park should become one of the major southern anchors of the River Spine.

It already represents the kind of place this plan wants more people to use:

The River Spine should make the relationship between Harrison Park and downtown more obvious.

Ask

Could someone visiting Harrison Park easily understand:

Likewise, a downtown visitor should understand how to reach Harrison Park without requiring a car.

The connection itself can become part of the experience.

18.7Kelso Beach

Kelso Beach should become one of the major northern recreation anchors of the system.

This is where the River Spine can transition into:

The future Owen Sound Outside program should use Kelso as one of its primary public recreation locations where operational, safety and environmental review support particular activities.

The question should be:

How do we make it easier for someone with little experience and little equipment to experience Georgian Bay safely?

That may involve:

Section 19 will develop that program fully.

18.8The Harbour

The harbour should be treated as:

Those uses can conflict.

A functioning harbour should not be turned into a decorative backdrop that prevents legitimate industrial or marine activity.

Likewise, public access should not be unnecessarily excluded simply because industrial activity exists elsewhere around the harbour.

Harbour Zones

The long-term plan should identify areas primarily suited to:

Industry and operations

Transportation

Public access

Recreation

Ecology

Mixed use

This creates clarity.

Not every shoreline metre needs to serve every purpose.

18.9Working Harbour First

Where harbour operations require:

those functions need appropriate protection.

A working waterfront has real economic value.

The River Spine should work around legitimate operational needs rather than pretending those needs do not exist.

Show the Working Harbour

Where safe, the industrial and marine character itself can become part of the public experience.

People are often interested in:

Interpretation can help residents understand what they are seeing.

The goal is coexistence.

18.10Public Harbour Access

Within safe and appropriate areas, the City should identify opportunities for stronger public access.

These may include:

Safety Before Access

Some areas may remain inaccessible because of:

The plan should acknowledge those constraints openly.

Public access should be expanded where responsible.

Not promised everywhere.

18.11The East-West Crossing

The potential new northern east-west crossing developed in Section 14 should be considered as part of the River Spine if it eventually proceeds.

A bridge could become:

But the River Spine should not depend on the bridge.

If the crossing does not proceed, the river strategy should continue.

If it does proceed, it should strengthen the system.

18.12Existing Bridges

Existing bridges are important river experiences too.

A bridge is not merely where a road crosses water.

It can be a place where someone:

Where reconstruction or major rehabilitation occurs, examine appropriate opportunities for:

Do not create unsafe stopping locations simply to create a view.

But where the opportunity exists, recognize it.

18.13Walking

Walking should be the simplest River Spine activity.

No registration.

No membership.

No specialized equipment.

River Walk Network

Create a series of clearly described routes.

Examples could eventually include:

15-Minute River Walk

A short downtown loop.

30-Minute Downtown and River Loop

Combining City Hall, river and business district.

Harrison to Downtown

A longer recreational connection.

Downtown to Harbour

A harbour-oriented route.

Harbour to Kelso

Where continuous safe public connections can be established.

Every Route Should Identify

The person chooses what fits their ability.

18.14Running

The same network can support runners.

Routes could identify:

Where possible, use loops rather than requiring people to retrace the same route.

Local clubs and experienced runners could help identify useful routes.

No expensive infrastructure is required if the public network already exists.

18.15Cycling

The River Spine should become part of a broader cycling network.

Cyclists need:

River Cycling Route

A clearly identified route could connect:

The exact alignment should follow transportation and safety review.

A painted line alone should not be treated as proof that a cycling route is safe.

18.16Accessibility

The River Spine should be designed so that accessibility becomes progressively better over time.

Not every natural trail can or should become fully accessible.

But the overall system should offer meaningful options for people with different mobility needs.

Accessible River Experiences

Identify routes offering:

Describe, Do Not Oversimplify

Instead of only saying:

Accessible trail

provide objective information:

This allows residents to make their own informed decision.

18.17Accessibility Priority Connections

The City should identify a smaller number of high-value routes where accessibility improvements would create the greatest public benefit.

Possible priorities may connect:

These improvements can then be incorporated when nearby infrastructure is already being renewed.

Fix During Renewal

If a sidewalk is being reconstructed beside the river, that is the time to improve:

Do not wait until the fresh work is complete and then discover the accessibility problem.

18.18Paddling

Water access should eventually include safe opportunities for:

Not every section of river or harbour is suitable for every activity.

The City should work with experienced users and appropriate authorities to identify:

Paddling Map

Where reliable information can be established, show:

The map should never imply that water conditions are guaranteed.

Conditions change.

Users remain responsible for appropriate judgment, equipment and compliance with safety requirements.

18.19Paddle Access Without Ownership

A major objective of Owen Sound Outside will be making outdoor activities available to people who do not own equipment.

A resident should not necessarily need to buy:

to discover whether they enjoy paddling.

Potential models include:

Any model must address:

Free to the user does not mean free to operate.

Section 19 will establish the full operating standard.

18.20The River Concierge

Create a seasonal River Concierge or outdoor information presence at key times and locations.

This does not need to be an expensive permanent position.

It could involve:

The Role

Help residents understand:

A visitor should be able to arrive knowing nothing and leave with a plan for an afternoon.

18.21Water Safety

Encouraging water recreation creates responsibility to communicate risk honestly.

Public information should emphasize:

Where specialized or hazardous conditions exist, signage and programming should reflect them.

Safety Is Not Fear

The objective is not:

Water is dangerous, stay away.

The objective is:

Water deserves respect. Learn how to use it safely.

18.22Swimming

Swimming opportunities should be identified only where the appropriate authorities determine that swimming is permitted and conditions can be reasonably communicated.

Water quality, currents, boat traffic and shoreline conditions matter.

The City should clearly distinguish:

Confusing water uses create avoidable risk.

18.23Fishing

Fishing is another way people connect to water.

Where fishing is lawful and safe, public information could identify:

Fishing regulations remain the responsibility of the appropriate higher level of government.

Municipal maps should link residents to authoritative information rather than attempting to reproduce complex regulations that may change.

18.24Ecology

A river is not only recreational infrastructure.

It is habitat.

The River Spine strategy must recognize:

Public Access and Ecology Are Not Enemies

Well-designed public access can build environmental stewardship.

People protect what they understand and use.

But access must sometimes be:

The right solution is not automatically maximum access.

It is responsible access.

18.25Shoreline Restoration

Where municipal shoreline requires rehabilitation, consider whether the project can achieve several objectives at once:

Professional environmental and engineering review remains essential.

The City should avoid assuming that hard concrete treatment is always the best shoreline solution.

Likewise, naturalization is not automatically appropriate in every operational area.

Use the treatment suited to the location.

18.26Water Quality

Residents who use the river and harbour should understand basic water-quality stewardship.

Public education can help explain:

The Connection

A piece of litter dropped several blocks from the river can still become river litter.

A storm drain is part of the watershed.

This makes stormwater education more understandable.

It connects an invisible municipal system with a visible public asset.

18.27River Cleanup

Community cleanup days can be useful where they are:

Potential participants could include:

Track What We Find

Instead of simply collecting litter, categorize recurring waste where practical.

If the same type of waste repeatedly enters the system, prevention may be more effective than annual cleanup.

Again:

Fix the cause when possible.

18.28Indigenous Relationship

Any serious River Spine strategy should recognize that these waters and lands are part of a much older history than the municipality.

Saugeen Ojibway Nation should be invited into meaningful discussion where it wishes to participate.

The broader plan already commits to strengthening this relationship.

The River Relationship Could Include

Indigenous Knowledge

Where traditional or community knowledge is shared, the terms of:

should be determined respectfully with those providing it.

Not all knowledge is ours to place on a municipal website.

18.29History

The rivers and harbour have shaped:

That history should be visible.

River History Route

A walking route could connect:

Use simple public information.

A QR code can add depth.

The basic story should still be available without a telephone.

18.30Working-Class History

Waterfront history should not only tell the stories of prominent buildings and famous names.

It should also include the people who:

A civic story should include the people whose labour made the place function.

18.31Industry as Heritage and Future

Industry should not be treated only as something Owen Sound used to have.

The River Spine can celebrate industrial history while supporting modern:

The enthusiast economy developed later in this plan may also connect with:

Waterfront identity can support productive economic activity, not merely tourism.

18.32Tourism

The River Spine could become one of the simplest ways to explain Owen Sound to a visitor.

Instead of presenting a long disconnected list of attractions:

Follow the water.

That can lead visitors through:

Visitor Itineraries

Possible public guides:

One Hour in Owen Sound

Short downtown and river walk.

Half Day

Downtown, harbour, meal and trail.

Outdoor Day

Harrison, river connection, paddling or cycling, Kelso.

Rainy Day

Indoor public facilities, history, businesses and river viewpoints.

Local businesses should be able to connect themselves naturally to these routes.

18.33Tourism Without Losing the Local

The River Spine should primarily improve life for residents.

If local people use it regularly, visitors probably will too.

A tourism strategy that creates spaces residents avoid has missed the point.

The priority order should be:

  1. good for residents;
  2. good for local businesses;
  3. good for visitors.

A strong local place usually becomes a strong visitor experience.

18.34Local Businesses

The River Spine should help residents discover nearby businesses without turning public trails into advertising corridors.

Public Business Information

A public map may identify relevant businesses such as:

Basic inclusion should use clear, equal criteria.

No business should receive higher public-map ranking because it purchased advertising.

Public infrastructure should remain neutral.

18.35Patios and Riverfront Business

Where land use and ownership support it, riverside and harbour-adjacent businesses may benefit from:

Municipal processes should make legitimate river-oriented business investment easier to navigate.

Environmental, property, accessibility and safety requirements still apply.

The river should create opportunity without becoming privatized.

18.36Events on the River Spine

The connected route can support events without requiring all activity to occur in one place.

Possible events include:

Distributed Events

Instead of concentrating thousands of people in one location, some events could encourage participants to move among several points.

That spreads activity through:

18.37The River Festival Concept

Over time, community partners could consider an annual River and Harbour Week.

Not necessarily one giant festival.

A week of connected activity.

Possible programming:

The City should not automatically become the event producer.

Its role may be coordination, public space and communication.

18.38Schools

The River Spine should become an outdoor classroom.

Students could learn:

A Student Should Be Able to Trace Water

For example:

Where does rain falling on this street go?

That simple question can connect:

Municipal infrastructure becomes understandable through place.

18.39Civic Corps

The future Civic Corps can contribute to River Spine work through:

Students should receive appropriate:

The River Spine can become one of the largest practical civic-learning projects in the plan.

18.40Local Knowledge Week

The River Spine should also become central to Local Knowledge Week.

Activities might include:

A resident who completes Local Knowledge Week should leave with a stronger understanding of how Owen Sound physically fits together.

18.41Signage

River Spine signage should be coherent.

A person should be able to understand:

Less Sign Clutter

Do not solve every navigation issue by adding another unrelated sign.

Develop a family of signs using consistent:

Existing useful signs should be integrated where practical rather than replaced merely for branding.

18.42Naming

Places should be named carefully.

Existing historic and official names should be respected.

Where new route names or features are proposed:

The objective is orientation and identity.

Not a branding exercise.

18.43Benches and Rest Points

Longer public routes require places to rest.

This matters particularly for:

The River Spine audit should identify significant gaps in seating.

Bench Placement

Consider:

A bench in grass that cannot be reached by a mobility device may not serve everyone intended.

18.44Public Washrooms

The River Spine should include a practical washroom plan.

Show:

Then identify significant gaps.

A long walking or cycling route becomes much less useful to:

if public washroom access is unpredictable.

18.45Water Refill

Where practical, public water-refill locations can support:

They should be mapped clearly.

If seasonal, state the operating season.

Do not install equipment without budgeting for:

18.46Bicycle Parking

Major river destinations should have useful bicycle parking.

Locations may include:

The infrastructure is relatively small but important if cycling is being encouraged.

18.47Transit Connections

The River Spine should not assume every user drives to the route.

Map transit connections.

Where major public recreation or trail locations have weak transit relationships, identify that information honestly.

Over time, transportation planning can consider whether improved connections are justified.

Outdoor recreation becomes more equitable when people do not need private vehicles to reach it.

18.48Parking

Some users will drive.

Major destinations require appropriate parking.

But parking should not consume the waterfront merely because water attracts visitors.

Parking Strategy

Use existing parking intelligently.

Provide clear wayfinding.

Encourage people to park once and move through the River Spine by:

A connected system can reduce the need to provide parking beside every destination.

18.49Winter

The River Spine should remain part of public life in winter.

Possible activities include:

Winter Safety

Clearly distinguish maintained routes from routes that:

Do not imply that every summer trail receives winter service.

18.50Ice

Frozen rivers and harbour surfaces can appear attractive.

Public communication must be extremely careful.

Unless an area has been formally assessed, maintained and opened for an authorized activity, the City should not encourage residents to assume natural ice is safe.

The Principle

Frozen water is not automatically public recreation infrastructure.

Winter programming should focus on approved locations and activities.

18.51Lighting at Night

Selected sections may benefit from lighting that supports:

Natural areas may benefit from remaining dark.

The River Spine should therefore use different lighting standards depending upon the character of the location.

Urban Sections

Potentially more lighting.

Natural Sections

Protect darkness where safety and use permit.

One standard does not fit the whole system.

18.52Safety Call Points and Location Markers

Important trail and waterfront areas should connect with the emergency-location system developed in Section 13.

Where appropriate:

These systems should be designed with emergency responders.

Do not create technology for its own sake.

A simple location number may be more reliable than an expensive electronic device.

18.53Public Phones and Connectivity

As the Safe Information Program develops later in this plan, the City should consider whether major public recreation areas require reliable methods of accessing emergency information.

That does not automatically require traditional public telephones everywhere.

It may involve:

The appropriate solution should reflect actual need.

18.54Waterfront Maintenance

The River Spine will succeed only if it is maintained.

Maintenance may include:

Every new feature adds maintenance.

The No Hidden Liability Rule applies.

Before Adding Anything

Ask:

Who maintains this in Year Ten?

A trail system filled with broken amenities is worse than a simpler system maintained well.

18.55Adopt-a-River Programs

Community groups may wish to support particular sections through:

A voluntary stewardship program could provide a structured way to help.

Public Ownership Remains Public

An organization supporting a section does not receive control over:

Recognition should remain modest.

The relationship is stewardship, not privatization.

18.56Environmental Reporting

The River Spine scorecard could include appropriate measures such as:

Environmental indicators should be selected with appropriate technical advice.

Do not choose a number simply because it is easy to count.

18.57Economic Reporting

Economic measures may include:

Avoid claiming that every person walking the trail generated a specific dollar amount unless the methodology supports it.

Where economic impact is uncertain, say so.

18.58Health and Well-Being

The River Spine should make ordinary physical activity easier.

That may support:

Municipal government should be careful not to promise medical outcomes.

The practical objective is enough:

Make healthy activity easier to choose.

That is a reasonable public-recreation goal.

18.59Social Connection

A connected public outdoor system creates places where people encounter one another naturally.

That matters.

Not every community problem requires a formal program.

Sometimes people need:

Public space supports community simply by being usable.

18.60Free Basic Access

The River Spine itself should be fundamentally free to use.

Residents should not need a membership to:

Special programs and equipment may sometimes carry fees or require registration.

The public landscape remains public.

This principle will carry directly into Owen Sound Outside.

18.61Local Equipment Businesses

Free or low-cost introductory recreation should not be designed to compete unnecessarily with local businesses.

The long-term objective should be to create more enthusiasts.

A person may:

  1. try paddling through a community program;
  2. discover they enjoy it;
  3. take a lesson;
  4. rent equipment;
  5. eventually purchase equipment;
  6. travel elsewhere to paddle;
  7. bring friends.

That can support local:

Public introduction can create private economic activity.

18.62Canadian Equipment

Where the City or partners purchase recreation equipment, procurement should consider:

Public recreation can also become a showcase for products manufactured in Canada where procurement rules and value support that choice.

This connects outdoor recreation with the Canadian economic-independence theme elsewhere in the plan.

18.63Equipment Repair

Outdoor recreation creates opportunities for:

Local repair capacity should be encouraged.

A healthy enthusiast economy does not only sell new products.

It maintains what people already own.

18.64Private Land

The River Spine must respect private property.

A desirable route does not create an automatic public right across someone's land.

Where a connection requires private property, options may include:

Any agreement should be clear about:

Do not design the public map first and resolve ownership later.

18.65Public Easements

Where strategic public access exists through easements, the City should understand:

Important connections should not depend on institutional memory.

Record them properly.

18.66Future Development

New waterfront or river-adjacent development should consider public connections early in planning.

Where lawful planning tools permit, the City should seek to preserve or strengthen:

The objective is not to confiscate private land.

It is to avoid designing future neighbourhoods in a way that permanently turns their backs on one of the City's defining assets.

18.67New Housing

River-adjacent housing can support:

It can also create conflict if:

Land-use planning should consider these relationships before development rather than after residents move in.

18.68Public Art Along the River

The River Spine provides natural locations for carefully selected public art.

Possible themes:

Temporary installations can allow variety.

Permanent art should include a maintenance plan.

18.69Public Art Should Not Block the River

One simple design principle:

Do not improve a river viewpoint by blocking the river view.

Public art and structures should complement the landscape.

The water is already the primary visual asset.

18.70River Photography Points

A low-cost way to encourage exploration is to identify particularly strong public viewpoints.

These could appear on the map as:

No elaborate viewing platform is required where a safe public viewpoint already exists.

The community should first learn to see what is already here.

18.71The River Loop Challenge

A simple community challenge could encourage residents to explore the system.

For example, complete:

The challenge can be:

No tracking is required.

The reward is knowing the City better.

The River Spine should have a visible four-year list of missing connections.

Year One

Map every missing link.

Year Two

Fix the easiest high-value gaps.

Examples may include:

Year Three

Address more complicated connections requiring:

Year Four

Publish what remains and the long-term plan.

This creates progress even if the full continuous route cannot be completed within one term.

Rank each link using:

A fifty-metre missing link connecting two major trail systems may have more value than a much longer new trail serving few residents.

Think network first.

18.74Small Infrastructure

Some of the most useful River Spine improvements may be inexpensive.

Examples:

These are well suited to the Efficiency Dividend where they meet the program's rules.

Residents should be able to see visible public improvements produced through better municipal operations.

18.75Large Infrastructure

Some connections may require significant capital.

Examples:

These must pass:

The River Spine vision does not exempt projects from financial discipline.

It gives those projects a strategic context.

18.76No One Giant River Project

The River Spine should not become a proposal for one enormous waterfront redevelopment.

That would create:

A stronger model is:

Many connected improvements, all serving one long-term system.

Some are:

Residents should see progress each year.

18.77The First 100 Days

The first 100 days should establish the River Spine as a mapped system.

1. Map Existing Public Access

Identify:

2. Map Ownership

Distinguish:

Walk the route.

Do not rely only on maps.

4. Accessibility Walk

Include people with lived experience.

5. Meet Saugeen Ojibway Nation

Invite early discussion about:

6. Meet Harbour Users

Understand working-harbour needs.

7. Meet Recreation Users

Include:

8. Meet Environmental Partners

Understand sensitive areas and existing stewardship work.

9. Identify Ten Quick Improvements

Choose low-cost, high-value items.

10. Publish the First River Spine Map

Show:

18.78Year One

During Year One:

18.79Year Two

During Year Two:

18.80Year Three

During Year Three:

18.81Year Four

By Year Four, publish a complete River Spine progress report.

Show:

Connections

Accessibility

Recreation

Environment

Youth

Business

Money

Commitments

Completed

Changed

Delayed

Not Proceeding

with reasons.

18.82The River Spine Test

At the end of the term, ask a resident who has never seen this business plan to spend a day following the water.

Can they:

Find the route?

Understand where it goes?

Move safely?

Find a washroom?

Find somewhere to sit?

Understand which sections are accessible?

Reach a park?

Reach downtown?

Reach the harbour?

Discover local history?

Find something active to do?

Discover a local business?

Understand where public access ends?

Enjoy the route without needing to purchase anything?

If yes, then the River Spine is becoming real.

18.83What This Is Not

The River Spine is not:

It is a framework for connecting what Owen Sound already has.

The River Spine Commitment

Owen Sound's rivers and harbour should become easier to know, easier to reach and easier to enjoy.

The commitment is:

Follow the water when planning the community.

Connect Harrison Park, downtown, the harbour and Kelso wherever practical.

Map what is public and respect what is private.

Fix missing links one by one.

Make walking the easiest entry point.

Improve cycling connections.

Create meaningful accessible river experiences.

Open paddling opportunities responsibly.

Protect water safety.

Respect the working harbour.

Protect habitat.

Build the relationship with Saugeen Ojibway Nation around water and stewardship.

Teach our history.

Give students a role in mapping and maintaining local knowledge.

Support local recreation businesses without commercializing the public trail.

Use public money carefully.

Build the system in pieces instead of waiting for one giant project.

We do not need to invent a reason for people to explore Owen Sound.

We need to connect the reasons already here.

The river.

The harbour.

The parks.

The trails.

The businesses.

The history.

The people.

Follow the water, and Owen Sound begins to connect itself.

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