Our Story

The concept of the Great Coastal Trail is officially unveiled, introducing a transformative vision to connect communities across the Great Northern Peninsula through a world-class coastal trail network.

The project is founded on a simple but powerful belief: trails can become catalysts for economic growth, community revitalization, cultural preservation, and sustainable tourism development.

Extensive consultations begin across the region.

Community leaders, municipalities, tourism operators, residents, trail users, volunteers, businesses, and stakeholders come together to help shape the future of the project.

The trail begins to take form through local knowledge, shared aspirations, and community-driven planning.

Route identification, environmental considerations, land-use assessments, and partnership development accelerate.

The project expands beyond a trail concept and becomes a regional development initiative focused on creating meaningful economic and social impact throughout the Great Northern Peninsula.

Relationships are strengthened with municipalities, development associations, tourism organizations, conservation groups, and government partners.

As the project continued to gain momentum, 2025 marked a pivotal turning point in the evolution of the Great Coastal Trail.

Recognizing the need for dedicated leadership and operational capacity, the Great Coastal Trail Authority expanded its organizational structure and began building the core team responsible for transforming the vision into reality.

In July 2025, Erika Pardy was appointed Executive Director of the Great Coastal Trail Authority.

Bringing decades of experience in economic development, tourism, marketing, communications, entrepreneurship, community engagement, and organizational leadership, Erika's appointment signaled a new chapter for the project. Her mandate was clear: build the organizational foundation, strengthen partnerships, secure resources, engage communities, and advance the trail from concept to implementation.

One of Erika's first priorities was assembling a team capable of supporting the long-term development of a world-class coastal trail network.

Shortly thereafter, Melissa Mills joined the organization as Trail Design and Development Specialist. With a strong background in environmental science, sustainability, trail planning, and land-use management, Melissa brought critical technical expertise to the project. Her work has been instrumental in trail assessment, route planning, environmental considerations, sustainable trail design, stakeholder engagement, and the development of long-term trail standards.

Together, the leadership team began accelerating consultations, route development, partnership building, environmental assessments, visitor readiness planning, funding development, and strategic initiatives across the Great Northern Peninsula.

Additional staff and project support roles were added as the organization expanded, strengthening the Authority's ability to work directly with communities, municipalities, regional partners, volunteers, and stakeholders throughout the region.

By the end of 2025, the Great Coastal Trail Authority had evolved from an emerging initiative into an active regional development organization focused on creating one of Canada's most significant coastal trail destinations.

The year established the foundation upon which future growth, trail development, international partnerships, and community revitalization efforts would be built.

By 2026, the Great Coastal Trail Authority had entered a new phase of development — moving beyond planning and consultation and into implementation.

Building on the momentum established in previous years, the organization expanded its leadership capacity with the addition of Dr. Lucas Garcia as Project Manager. Holding a PhD in Environmental Policy and bringing extensive experience in sustainability, forestry, community engagement, and interdisciplinary research, Lucas added significant expertise to the Authority's growing team. His appointment further strengthened the organization's ability to navigate the complex intersection of environmental stewardship, community development, stakeholder engagement, and sustainable trail planning.

The addition of Lucas created a leadership team that combined expertise in economic development, trail design, environmental science, sustainability, and project management — positioning the Great Coastal Trail Authority to move confidently into its next stage of growth.

Perhaps most significantly, 2026 marked the beginning of visible, on-the-ground progress.

For the first time, shovels would be put into the ground as trail development activities commenced across selected sections of the Great Northern Peninsula. Working alongside local communities, municipalities, volunteers, students, and seasonal staff, the Authority began enhancing existing trail assets while laying the groundwork for future trail expansion.

Rather than starting from scratch, the Great Coastal Trail adopted a practical and community-focused approach by identifying and integrating many existing trails into the broader network. This strategy allows communities to leverage investments already made while creating a connected visitor experience across the region.

Throughout the year, crews would begin installing wayfinding signage, trail markers, interpretive panels, and storytelling stations designed to showcase the unique culture, heritage, ecology, and history of communities along the route. These enhancements will help transform existing trails into components of a larger, unified trail experience while improving navigation, accessibility, visitor engagement, and destination readiness.

The year also saw the Authority continue building international partnerships and knowledge-sharing relationships with some of the world's leading trail organizations. Representatives traveled to Wales to study the internationally acclaimed Wales Coast Path, meeting with government leaders, trail managers, conservation specialists, tourism organizations, national park representatives, and community partners.

The lessons learned through these international exchanges are helping shape the future of the Great Coastal Trail, allowing the organization to adopt proven best practices while avoiding costly mistakes and inefficiencies often associated with large-scale trail development.

By the end of 2026, the Great Coastal Trail Authority had firmly transitioned from vision and planning into implementation and delivery — bringing the project one step closer to creating a world-class coastal trail destination that will benefit residents, businesses, and visitors for generations to come.