In my previous post I mentioned the Canadian Shield, which is a large area of exposed Precambrian igneous and metamorphic rocks. It is part of the ancient geologic core of the north American continent, is U-shaped, and through the process of glaciation, this area is left with only a thin layer of soil. It stretches from the Great Lakes to the Arctic Ocean covering over half of Canada. It is estimated to be 4.28 billion years old.
Funny enough the city of Toronto is not located within the Canadian Shield. Rather it is situated in the St. Lawrence Lowlands which is a plain along the St. Lawerence River between Quebec City and Brockville Ontario. The last major glacial advance covered this region about 18,000 years ago. As the glacier retreated this area was inundated by proglacial lakes. Occurring around the same time was the creation of the Champlain Sea. Needless to say, we have a lot of water around here.
About 12,000 years ago a distinct feature of Toronto’s geography formed at the end of the Last Glacial Period. As the glacier retreated it carved out this unique system that the city has grownup around. This system is located on the north shore of Lake Ontario and can even be accessed all the way up in Midtown Toronto. In 2002 the municipal government of Toronto enacted a bylaw that formally protects this system from human development. They say that this system is responsible for the sequestration of over 14 thousand tonnes of carbon a year.
Most activities in the ravine system have been limited to passive recreational activities like cycling and walking. I’ve even heard of some people doing cross-country skiing down there too. In the summer it operates as the ‘green veins of the city’ where it’s easy to escape the concrete jungle and find a moment of respite.
In the west end I recently checked out the Cedarvale ravine. It’s a 2.5 kilometer train that runs between Eglinton West and St. Clair west subway stations. Cedarvale Park is located toward the north end of the ravine and is good for sledding in the winter. I live in the east end, and am familiar with the access points near me, so I was thrilled when some friends of mine offered this as a meeting spot. I’m going to brag on them for a second. One is a homebirth doula in the west end of Toronto who also provides abortion support. The other is a postpartum doula in Toronto. When my baby was born I really wish that I had these two women as support. Now though, thanks to them I know a excellent place to bring him for sledding. We haven’t done much sledding with him, but I think Cedarvale Park will be a good to try again. Sadly we didn’t get out this year that much. But as he gets older I definitely want to try again.
This really is the reason for the post, the ravine system is so valuable to the city and especially if you’re raising young kiddos here to have access to this amount of green space in midtown east or west is invaluable. I can’t wait till we go wading in the creeks nearby or go exploring for bugs (his favourites are lady bugs right now). I’m so grateful to live in this country and have easy access to it’s outdoors.
So stay tuned for more places to adventure in Canada!
