Summer Hill Woods Community
Installation of new parkette, extended trail and fencing
The Summer Hill Woods community is located at the corner of Mulock Drive and Bathurst Street.
As part of our commitment to meeting regulatory requirements of the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP), we will be installing fencing to restrict access to the Town’s designated environmentally sensitive wooded area south of William Dunn Crescent (see map below on pg. 1). This work is expected to take place during the week of August 18, 2025.
This work is being done after a series of meetings with the MECP where the Town was required to take further steps to restrict access to environmentally sensitive lands. This measure complies with Ontario provincial regulations and ensures long-term safety for all residents.
As part of this project, the Town was proposing a new extended trail and parkette to enhance community enjoyment. We appreciate the feedback we have received from the neighbourhood to date on the proposed parkette/trail. The Town recognizes the feedback from the community, as a result, work on the parkette and trail will not commence this fall as originally planned. The Town will conduct further public engagement in the coming months and will keep you updated on all opportunities for engagement.
See the image below to view where the fence is being constructed and where the parkette and trail is being proposed.
Town staff will begin by installing signage that advises residents to not enter the environmentally sensitive wooded areas indicated on the map, and the removal of unauthorized man-made structures, footbridges, sitting benches, and patio stones.
We appreciate your patience and cooperation throughout this process and kindly ask that residents respect the fenced-off area and areas of construction.
If you have any further questions, please contact the Town of Newmarket’s Customer Service Centre at 905-895-5193 or reach out to Councillor Kelly Broome at kbroome@newmarket.ca or by calling 905-716-1756.
History of Summer Hill Woods Area
In 2008, the Town was notified by the developer of the area, Criterion Development Corporation, that there was arsenic detected in the topsoil during the soil testing phase during a development approval process. This land previously previously used as an apple orchard where arsenic was a common component of insecticides used in fruit orchards until the 1950s. However more than 50 years later, residues can still be found in the topsoil. Arsenic is also a naturally occurring in the environment.
From 2008 to 2011, the Town of Newmarket worked closely with the Ministry of Environment to continue to test the topsoil in the area to ensure that the arsenic levels met the appropriate MOE standards and that the woodlot and the trail pose no immediate health or safety risk to residents. The Risk Assessment was conducted by Intrinsik, an organization that specializes in toxicology and risk assessments.
The concentrations of arsenic found in topsoil in the Summer Hill Woods area all below the Ministry of the Environment's residential land-use standard of 25 parts per million. In accordance with this standard, these levels do not pose a public health and safety concern.
In 2012 to 2013, successful remediation efforts took place in various areas with the Summer Hill Woods community as noted in this notice to residents in April 2013. Remediation efforts were undertaken by MMM Group and residents were told not use the woodlot and trail areas as recommended by the MECP.
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