There are challenges for our Credit River and opportunities, our writer puts a canoe in the water to evaluate the balance.
Words by Barb MacDonald
If the purpose of rivers is to float on them in rubber tubes and frolic in their waters, then what can be said about an urban version such as our Credit River? Beloved by anglers locally, nationally and internationally, the 90-km long river is all but ignored by the many thousands who live but a stone’s throw away. You won’t see billboards lining Hurontario Street that dare you to jump into the river or suggest that you bring home a plate of fish for dinner. And yet, maybe, deep down that’s the encouragement we’re looking for.
Ask a neighbour about kayaking the Credit River, “Oh I’d love to try that,” you might hear, in a tone reserved for talks of going to the moon. Others might dismiss its merits flat-out, citing “murky water.”
Who should you listen to? Just because no one is going out of his or her way to invite us to the river, that hardly means we should stay away. I’m inviting you—right now —to get to know your river.
If your family balks and refuses to portage down the driveway and head to the river, check out Kayak the Credit on Facebook. Operators Judith and Grant Moreau will meet your entourage at Streetsville Memorial Park and scoot you up to Eldorado Park in their bus. After you’re outfitted with oars, life jackets and helmets, you will receive essential instructions on how to kick-start your kayaking career. This two-hour guided tour down the picturesque river will give you a taste of the fun to be had on a river that begins at the headwaters in Orangeville and stretches as far west as Halton, east to Caledon, and then empties into the mouth of Lake Ontario at Port Credit.
Whether your baptism in the Credit waters is shadowed by experts (wise for a nation of hockey players) or smacks of a wild escape by dingy, don’t let the stunning scenery lull you into complacency. Always wear a life jacket (water is more than 6 feet deep in parts) and be on the lookout for rocks and dams, which can damage your craft— and your body —especially in the summer when the water level drops. Launch your craft higher on the river at, say, Norval or Eldorado Park, and you will most likely avoid rapids, as long as you disembark at Erindale Park, before hitting Streetsville.
If you want to gain an appreciation of the historical and cultural value of the river—without getting wet— picture a scene from the start of the 19th century when an estimated 300 to 400 Mississaugas (meaning: Good Credit Indians) traded furs with the British and French at the mouth of the Credit. Imagine a group of 10 to 30 canoes sailing down the pristine Credit River; now flip to a postcard of 1805, when, according to Historian Matthew Wilkinson with Heritage Mississauga, “the Mississaugas turned over 74,000 acres of land to the British crown.” By 1820, the European settlers cleared the white pines that lined the shores and prepared the land for agriculture. Development is never kind to a river—whether it be industrial, agriculture or residential. In short order more than 30 mill wheels, powered by the Credit River, dotted the shoreline.
And then, according to the 2006 census, you and at least 750,000 of your closest friends moved into the watershed.
So yes, the Credit River — albeit a beautiful one—has its share of pressures. And it’s not going to get any easier. To the naysayers who glance at the river today and only see murky water—soil erosion predominantly from urban expansion and development— Judi Orendorff, Director, Lands & Natural Heritage, Credit Valley Conservation (CVC) says, “I would say it’s not what we want it to be. I think we have to look to the future; we want it to be better. We want it to be clear. But it’s actually in a positive trend right now.” (See sidebar for details on the safety of public swimming.) Since 1954, the CVC has been the acting steward of the river and its buffers, monitoring water quality, measuring the impact different land uses and pressures have on the rivers’ reaches, fisheries and wildlife, and promoting reforestation. With its many municipal partners, CVC is part of a grass roots program that is seeking a Canadian Heritage River designation for the Credit River. It hopes the designation will lead to a management plan that can protect, conserve and enhance the river into the future.
Members of Mississauga’s fishing organizations can also be spotted planting trees along the shores of the Credit River. According to John Kendall, president of the Credit River Anglers Association (CRAA), some 500 volunteers are responsible for planting twenty to thirty thousand trees on the watershed a year, to a count of 400,000 trees in the last 15 years. You might wonder when they have time to fish (peak season: September to May in the lower river), considering volunteers are kept busy at Streetsville’s fish ladder for 5 weeks in spring and the entire fall season. In the spring, Kendall spearheads volunteer efforts to lift rainbow trout, Atlantic salmon, small mouth bass and other native fish through the fish ladder (see YouTube video: Credit River Fish Ladder). Since the start of the salmon restoration program in 2006, Atlantic salmon is now starting to reproduce on its own.
Thousands of anglers are drawn to the different reaches located up and down the river that boasts more than 45 species (including Chinook salmon, steelhead and Coho). Two of the more popular spots for fishing are the easily accessed fishing spot at Erindale Park (open all year round) and Barbertown Bridge (north of 403 at Eglinton). Because the urban population is so large, Kendall says their organization encourages catch and release. “There’s not enough fish to go around.”
Is it a romantic notion to think the river could become a favourite haunt for those who like the idea of reconnecting with the river? With so many supporters, and initiatives to introduce stricter protection guidelines, is there reason to hope that if we continue to reforest the river, we can bring it back to its former health?
Decide for yourself and spend time at the river. Call the CVC or CRAA and sign up for tree-planting. Bike or walk along the banks. It’s a beautiful river—and it’s ours. Imagine what a little love can do for a river. I can see the billboards now.
For more information visit: www.creditvalleyca.ca or www.craa.on.ca
Scenes From the Credit River
Like a flock of obedient Canadian geese, we line our kayaks up single file and sail down the Credit River behind our leader. The water isn’t fast today, but still, I keep my upper body taut. I’m not going to be the one that drops out of formation and dips unnoticed into the water.
My husband is restless; he wants to ride through rapids. I can’t help but gaze skyward at the majestic trees that rule the landscape. Each gentle bend in the river offers a rural scene from what has to be some remote location—and then I recognize a bridge and snap back into reality: “Hey, isn’t that our neighbourhood?” My husband doesn’t flinch. He’s looking at the river and has spotted waves up on the right. Hold on, it could be a bumpy ride.