Valerie’s story

When I think about the Trans Canada Trail, I imagine Canadians and visitors of the future, standing on the Trail with endless possibilities ahead of them. That’s why it was so easy for me to decide to remember Trans Canada Trail with a gift in my Will.

I distinctly remember the first time I learned about the Trail. I was flipping through a copy of Maclean’s Magazine in the early 90s and I came across a map of Canada. There was a red line going across the country, to show the vision of theTrail.

My career in journalism meant that I’d travelled across most of Canada, so I could easily picture the Trail in my head. It was a grand, bold and audacious idea. I thought to myself, “This is the greatest thing I’ve ever seen.”

From that moment on, I was a staunch supporter and advocate. In fact, I suspect that my colleagues at Canada AM got a little tired of me constantly suggesting stories about the people who were working to make the Trans Canada Trail a reality, and the fascinating places to be explored along the path.

Not long after I left Canada AM, I joined the Trans Canada Trail Board of Directors, and I’m still involved more than 15 years later. I can’t think of anything I love more. I just think it’s the greatest project in the history of the world.

It’s been decades of hard work for tireless volunteers, donors and partners. There were some years when I wasn’t sure we were going to make it, but we would remind ourselves of our end goal and then kept putting one foot in front of the other, until we got there.

The Trail connects us to nature. It connects us to one another. What an incredible accomplishment. What an amazing gift you and I have given to Canada.

But that isn’t the end of the story. The fact that the Trail is connected, doesn’t mean that it’s complete. It’s a project that will continue forever. It’s a legacy that you and I will leave to our children and our grandchildren – and that’s precisely what I know I’ll be able to achieve with a gift in my will to Trans Canada Trail.”