By Sayada NabiOne trail that connects all of Toronto, that’s the vision that commenced with the development of the Pan Am Path. June 21 marked the day when politicians, Friends of the Pan Am Games, and various charitable organizations came together to celebrate the first completed zone of the Pan Am Path at Cruickshank Park.
The path will begin in Brampton’s west end at the Claireville Reservoir, following the Humber River, and extending 84 km all the way to the Pickering ending at Highland Creek near Lake Ontario. The Pan Am Path is set to use existing parks and trails throughout the city, adding in connecters and 14 cultural zones. These cultural zones will highlight the path.
The event brought in Mayoral candidate Karen Stintz, who got involved with residents in painting a mural drawn by Urban Arts member Rowena Kizito. The mural included the gate that leads to Cruickshank Park, highlighting the Weston Village. Urban Arts members JSoul and Sebastian opened the ceremony with an energetic vocal performance – a few covers and original songs. Urban Arts is an organization that is a safe place that gives the youth in the community an outlet for artistic expression.
Councillor Frances Nunziata of Ward 11-York South Weston was also present expressing her delight declaring, “I have been a strong supporter.”
She also notes that “the path is so much more than sports or competition,” it encourages a healthy lifestyle that can include biking or walking. 
Member of Parliament, Mike Sullivan, agreed with Nunziata that the path was indeed a positive development for the city of Toronto. MPP Laura Albanese, was there on behalf of the Ontario Trillium foundation, happily confirming that there was going to be an additional $430,000 grant to help with the completion of the path. Brent Chamberlain and Devon Ostrum, co-founders of the project were acknowledged throughout the event, as this project would not have been possible without them.
The project is still in the development stage, and city official Jennifer Hyland stated “regarding plans to extend the Humber Trail north to Cardell and the existing Humber Trail - we will not be starting feasibility study for this connection until into 2015/2016. At this time, we will be evaluating all options for the trail routing.” As the city figures out more of the logistics behind the path, one thing is for sure; this path will become a historic part of Toronto as a legacy feature.
This path will be the legacy of the 2015 Pan Am games set to take place in Toronto. When all the competition is over, the path will still be here giving residents the opportunity to keep up a healthy lifestyle in addition to learning about the diverse cultures that stretch across Toronto. Co-founder Brent Chamberlain stated, this path will be “engaging citizens in public spaces.”