
‘Multitudes of activities': Halton Outdoor Club will keep you active in August with these events
volunteers lead cycling, hiking and paddling adventures
throughout the region and across Ontario.
With August approaching, the club offers a full month of outdoor activities — in Burlington's backyard and further afield.
Sue Mansfield, the club's director of marketing and communications, said they welcome adults of all abilities to join, meet new people, be active outdoors in several noncompetitive sports and have fun.
'There are opportunities to volunteer, learn, grow and connect year-round,' Mansfield said. 'On average, we are a group of over 500 members every year, who participate in multitudes of activities.'
Over its last fiscal year, the club delivered more than 400 events, supported by 81 trained volunteers. Winter programs including cross-country skiing and snowshoeing.
'This not-for-profit, primarily volunteer-run organization mainly serves members from the Golden Horseshoe, where many activities originate, but we also plan and enjoy active travel activities in many international locations,' Mansfield said.
The
Halton Outdoor Club website's events calendar
offers detailed summaries for all trips, with contact information, difficulty levels, reservation deadlines and more. Visit the website for information, and updates, on all upcoming cycling, paddling and hiking trips.
Sue Dane, the club's cycling director, noted a five-day cycling tour is planned in August in and around Ottawa and Gatineau, featuring the scenic Almonte rail trail route through the Ottawa Valley.
On top of new multi-day cycling adventures, the club's cycling calendar is built on a foundation of popular weekly rides — including Friday night trail rides in Oakville.
The weekly area rides feature 'scenic local rail trail routes, and quiet rural roads all within about an hour's drive of Halton,' Dane said. 'Rides are offered at three different skill levels, and we take pride in creating a cycling community that prioritizes safety, inclusivity, and the joy of riding together in a friendly, non-competitive environment.'
Hiking is a year-round activity for Halton Outdoor Club, with several local hikes a week.
The club has at least twenty active volunteer hike leaders who allow the club to offer hikes of varying distance and difficulty, in a variety of locations. They explore Burlington routes on the Bruce Trail, Conservation Areas, the Royal Botanical Gardens and the waterfront.
Planning is underway for a series of fall hikes called 'The Lookout Series.' Each hike will include a destination that captures an escarpment lookout.
Paddling trips are among the highlights of Halton Outdoor Club's August schedule.
Paul Leppik, the club's co-director of paddling, said day paddles continue in August and multiday trips 'ramp up to a more challenging level with back country visits to Philip Edward Island, Lake Opeongo, Achary and Barron Canyon, and the Mink and McCoy islands.'
Leppik said lodge-based adventure trips have been added in the last couple of years.
'We are so fortunate to have the support of so many club members who have stepped up to lead these adventures, and pride ourselves on our attention to safety and inclusivity,' Leppik said. 'In my experience since joining this club, I have seen so many new friendships develop and flourish, as we truly are one big extended family of like minded folks.'

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Hamilton Spectator
27-07-2025
- Hamilton Spectator
‘Multitudes of activities': Halton Outdoor Club will keep you active in August with these events
Halton Outdoor Club provides a variety of year-round programs and trips. Club volunteers lead cycling, hiking and paddling adventures throughout the region and across Ontario. With August approaching, the club offers a full month of outdoor activities — in Burlington's backyard and further afield. Sue Mansfield, the club's director of marketing and communications, said they welcome adults of all abilities to join, meet new people, be active outdoors in several noncompetitive sports and have fun. 'There are opportunities to volunteer, learn, grow and connect year-round,' Mansfield said. 'On average, we are a group of over 500 members every year, who participate in multitudes of activities.' Over its last fiscal year, the club delivered more than 400 events, supported by 81 trained volunteers. Winter programs including cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. 'This not-for-profit, primarily volunteer-run organization mainly serves members from the Golden Horseshoe, where many activities originate, but we also plan and enjoy active travel activities in many international locations,' Mansfield said. The Halton Outdoor Club website's events calendar offers detailed summaries for all trips, with contact information, difficulty levels, reservation deadlines and more. Visit the website for information, and updates, on all upcoming cycling, paddling and hiking trips. Sue Dane, the club's cycling director, noted a five-day cycling tour is planned in August in and around Ottawa and Gatineau, featuring the scenic Almonte rail trail route through the Ottawa Valley. On top of new multi-day cycling adventures, the club's cycling calendar is built on a foundation of popular weekly rides — including Friday night trail rides in Oakville. The weekly area rides feature 'scenic local rail trail routes, and quiet rural roads all within about an hour's drive of Halton,' Dane said. 'Rides are offered at three different skill levels, and we take pride in creating a cycling community that prioritizes safety, inclusivity, and the joy of riding together in a friendly, non-competitive environment.' Hiking is a year-round activity for Halton Outdoor Club, with several local hikes a week. The club has at least twenty active volunteer hike leaders who allow the club to offer hikes of varying distance and difficulty, in a variety of locations. They explore Burlington routes on the Bruce Trail, Conservation Areas, the Royal Botanical Gardens and the waterfront. Planning is underway for a series of fall hikes called 'The Lookout Series.' Each hike will include a destination that captures an escarpment lookout. Paddling trips are among the highlights of Halton Outdoor Club's August schedule. Paul Leppik, the club's co-director of paddling, said day paddles continue in August and multiday trips 'ramp up to a more challenging level with back country visits to Philip Edward Island, Lake Opeongo, Achary and Barron Canyon, and the Mink and McCoy islands.' Leppik said lodge-based adventure trips have been added in the last couple of years. 'We are so fortunate to have the support of so many club members who have stepped up to lead these adventures, and pride ourselves on our attention to safety and inclusivity,' Leppik said. 'In my experience since joining this club, I have seen so many new friendships develop and flourish, as we truly are one big extended family of like minded folks.'

Business Insider
17-07-2025
- Business Insider
Disneyland turns 70: Vintage photos show massive crowds at the theme park's opening day in 1955
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CNBC
12-05-2025
- CNBC
'Resort fees' in the U.S. must now be disclosed. But some aren't celebrating yet
A new U.S. rule that requires hotel and short-term lodging companies to disclose so-called "junk fees" starts Monday. Announced by the Federal Trade Commission in December, the rule takes direct aim at the widely loathed charges, which can appear as "resort," "destination" or "hospitality service" fees and purport to grant perks that travelers either don't want or already expect to receive. These include "premium" internet service and access to a hotel gym. The rule, which also applies to live event ticketing companies, was designed to curtail a practice that allowed businesses to charge more "without looking like you're raising prices," Cathy Mansfield from the Case Western Reserve Law School told CNBC in December. The professor, who specializes in consumer and commercial law, had one caveat: "I really hope the Trump administration doesn't cut the enforcement staff at the FTC and the CFPB." But since the rule was announced, the Trump administration has pushed to eliminate nearly 90% of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's staff and fired two FTC commissioners — actions which are being challenged in the U.S. court system. As a result, Mansfield said she now believes the new rule is less likely to protect consumers. "With the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau already incapacitated by the Trump administration, there probably won't be new protections for consumers — a rollback of existing protections where possible, and absolutely no enforcement of rules. This means no protection at all for consumers," she said. In response, Chris Mufarrige, the director of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection, told CNBC that the agency "is working hard to protect consumers and will continue to pursue enforcement actions against companies that violate the law, including through the new deceptive fee rule." The Trump Administration also targeted fees in the live entertainment industry through an executive order on March 31 that directed the FTC to ensure price transparency "at all stages of the ticket-purchase process." The CFPB did not reply to CNBC's request for comment. Laurent Bacinski, a French citizen, was hit by undisclosed junk fees during a trip to New York City. He pre-paid for his trip through a travel app but was still charged a $500 deposit by his hotel at check-in, from which the hotel deducted taxes and a nightly "destination fee." These fees provided high-speed internet, discounts on sightseeing tours and a credit at the hotel mini-mart. "The destination fee is forced sale of services I don't need," he told CNBC Travel. Disclosure of these fees is the crux of the FTC's rule, which does not aim to eliminate them, but rather to ensure travelers know they exist. "The Junk Fees rule is rooted in a simple but powerful principle: transparency," said Mansfield. 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CNBC Travel analyzed 10 booking websites for a two-night stay at Balboa Bay Resort, a hotel in Newport Beach, California that charges a $40 daily resort fee, as stated on the hotel's website. Of the 10 sites, seven disclosed the fee in various ways — either as a "destination fee," "property fee" or "property service charge" — and three did not. If travelers encounter a hotel or short-term rental charging undisclosed fees, Mansfield recommends filing a complaint with the FTC. Penalties for violating the new rule can exceed $50,000. "The FTC has a really easy-to-use online complaint system, and they tally complaints that help them see what's happening the market," she said. She also suggested using the CFPB's online complaint system, she said. "They actually forward the complaint to the company ... that will sometimes get things resolved because companies don't want to be in the crosshairs of the CFPB," she said. 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