Trail Blazer
How one cycling advocate is making trails safer.
By Karen Eull
Where the Great Waterfront Trail travels through Clarington, Ont., there’s a neatly paved stretch of the Samuel Wilmot Nature Area called Jim Boate Hill.
It’s named after local cycling advocate Jim Boate, who has worked for decades to improve safety, navigation and accessibility on local trails.
“I’ve been a big cycling advocate in my community for about 30 years. I got involved with some walking groups and cycling clubs for seniors,” says Boate. “And I started to quietly advocate for more bike lanes and more areas to make it safer to cycle.” Boate rides four to five times a week, getting other seniors out there with him, and he’s also still working to improve trails.
Boate helped start three cycling clubs for seniors in the region, including the Clarington Cycling Club. “We don’t push speed, but we push more of the social side of it, and for safety,” he says, “and they’ve been really successful, to the point where they have a waiting list every year.”
Clarington’s Jim and Mary Boate are well-known cycling advocates in the region. | PHOTO: COURTESY OF JIM BOATE
“I've been a big cycling advocate in my community for about 30 years. I got involved with some walking groups and cycling clubs for seniors.”
Jim Boate (left) receives the 2025 Challenge Coin from Clarington Mayor Adrian Foster. | PHOTO: COURTESY OF JIM BOATE
For his advocacy, Jim Boate was recently honoured by Clarington City Council with the 2025 Challenge Coin, which is awarded to residents who have made a significant positive impact in the community. He was nominated for his extensive work on the Great Waterfront Trail, spearheading the Clarington Cycling Club’s annual Nash Road garbage cleanup, and for helping to launch Clarington’s first trail snow-clearing services for winter cycling and hiking. Boate considers the snow-clearing project one of his cycling group’s biggest successes. The idea was initially rejected by the city council in 2019, but Boate was not deterred. Snow clearing on the trails was eventually outsourced to a private vendor. “We did all the research and convinced them to try it… And the next year, we added another trail in, and then we added some more kilometres, and now, it’s just part of the fabric here in the municipality of Clarington. The trails are all cleared,” says Boate. “And it’s so wonderful for people to be able to go for a walk in the winter.” CAA
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Clarington's Jim and Mary Boate are well-known cycling advocates in the region. | PHOTO: COURTESY OF JIM BOATE
WHERE THE GREAT WATERFRONT TRAIL travels through Clarington, Ont., there’s a neatly paved stretch of the Samuel Wilmot Nature Area called Jim Boate Hill.
It’s named after local cycling advocate Jim Boate, who has worked for decades to improve safety, navigation and accessibility on local trails.
“I’ve been a big cycling advocate in my community for about 30 years. I got involved with some walking groups and cycling clubs for seniors,” says Boate. “And I started to quietly advocate for more bike lanes and more areas to make it safer to cycle.” Boate rides four to five times a week, getting other seniors out there with him, and he’s also still working to improve trails.
Boate helped start three cycling clubs for seniors in the region, including the Clarington Cycling Club. “We don’t push speed, but we push more of the social side of it, and for safety,” he says, “and they’ve been really successful, to the point where they have a waiting list every year.”
“I've been a big cycling advocate in my community for about 30 years. I got involved with some walking groups and cycling clubs for seniors.”
Jim Boate (left) receives the 2025 Challenge Coin from Clarington Mayor Adrian Foster. | PHOTO: COURTESY OF JIM BOATE
For his advocacy, Jim Boate was recently honoured by Clarington City Council with the 2025 Challenge Coin, which is awarded to residents who have made a significant positive impact on the community. He was nominated for his extensive work on the Great Waterfront Trail, spearheading the Clarington Cycling Club’s annual Nash Road garbage cleanup, and for helping to launch Clarington’s first trail snow-clearing services for winter cycling and hiking. Boate considers the snow-clearing project one of his cycling group’s biggest successes. The idea was initially rejected by the city council in 2019, but Boate was not deterred. Snow clearing on the trails was eventually outsourced to a private vendor. “We did all the research and convinced them to try it… And the next year, we added another trail in, and then we added some more kilometres, and now, it’s just part of the fabric here in the municipality of Clarington. The trails are all cleared,” says Boate. “And it’s so wonderful for people to be able to go for a walk in the winter.” CAA