Brantford’s Ballantyne Drive River Access Point boat launch and D’Aubigny Trail access north of Spalding Drive will close in mid-July 2026 for construction and site enhancements, the City of Brantford announced. The area is expected to reopen by the end of summer, depending on construction progress, with no vehicle or pedestrian access allowed during the closure.
Paddlers and trail users are asked to avoid the area and instead use the alternative river access point at Cockshutt Bridge on Erie Avenue. That location offers a non-motorized watercraft boat ramp with vehicle parking and is the only launch point in Brantford and Paris that provides a paddling trip longer than three hours.
Signs will be posted at the D’Aubigny Creek soccer fields and the adjacent parking lot to alert visitors to the closure. The work affects one of only two designated River Access Points in Brantford for non-motorized watercraft on the Grand River, a designated Canadian Heritage River.
The D’Aubigny Creek Trail was previously closed and underwent major renovations in 2024 after erosion from its proximity to the Grand River. The City of Brantford received $161,460 from Infrastructure Canada and $40,365 from the Ontario Ministry of Infrastructure to support those upgrades, according to a local report, which included relocating the trail, replacing the asphalt, and adding shoreline plantings.
Brantford’s trail network spans more than 70 kilometres and connects to neighbouring communities such as Port Dover, Hamilton, and Paris. The City asks residents to plan ahead and use the alternative launch until the Ballantyne site reopens later this summer.
