Sign warns trail users not to cross TransCanada highway. (Note the well-worn path on the left)
Tantramar Town Council heard two opposing presentations on Tuesday about how to improve access to the section of the Trans Canada Trail that runs north of Sackville towards Midgic.
Christina DeHaas and Jeff MacKinnon of the Tantramar Pedway Group asked for town support in securing funding for a $3 million pedestrian and cyclist bridge over the highway that would connect the trail in the Waterfowl Park to the one on the other side behind Tantramar Regional High School.
But Jacques Ouellette, development co-ordinator with QuadNB, the province-wide organization that represents ATV riders, asked for town support in opening up the trail to all-terrain vehicles — a move that would likely kill any hope for building a pedway.
$1 million donation for pedway
Christina DeHaas and Jeff MacKinnon seek council support for pedestrian bridge over TCH
DeHaas and MacKinnon told council their pedway group has secured $1 million from an anonymous donor after losing an earlier million dollar contribution to the development of a cycle trail in Prince Edward Island.
“Second chances at a million dollars don’t come around very often,” DeHaas said.
She added that the non-profit Trans Canada Trail organization is willing to help with improvements and maintenance as long as the trail remains non-motorized in perpetuity.
DeHaas then asked the town for staff support in raising additional money for the pedway from the federal and provincial governments.
She said the $1 million donation would count as the town’s total contribution in a three-way cost-sharing arrangement with the other levels of government.
“We can’t lose this incredible donation a second time and the window of opportunity is running out.”
Land use agreement
MacKinnon pointed out that signs and gates to prevent motorized vehicles from using the trail are missing including at this bridge in Middle Sackville where only the red gate posts remain hidden in the weeds
For his part, Jeff MacKinnon asked council to seek a land-use agreement with the provincial Department of Natural Resources, which owns the trail, so that the town could work with the Trans Canada Trail and Plan 360, a division of the Southeast Regional Service Commission, to stop it from deteriorating further and to re-install signs and gates making it clear that ATVs are not permitted to use it.
“I do have friendly conversations with a lot of ATV drivers that I encounter on the trail and they’re just not aware that it’s a non-motorized use trail because there are no signs and there are no gates,” he said.
DeHaas said that without the land-use agreement banning motorized vehicles, the Trans Canada Trail would not invest in trail maintenance and signage.
In answering questions from Mayor Black, DeHaas and MacKinnon said that while the Trans Canada Trail would contribute towards trail maintenance, the pedway would be owned and maintained by the town.
And, Marc Léger, the trails co-ordinator with Plan 360, told council that the Southeast Regional Service Commission’s current mandate for shared trails involves maintaining ones that are outside areas that do not receive town water and sewer services.
Multi-use trail
Jacques Ouellette of QuadNB
Jacques Ouellette, development co-ordinator with QuadNB presented a strikingly different vision for the same section of the Trans Canada Trail.
He asked council to write a letter of support to the Department of Natural Resources asking that the trail be opened to ATV riders in a northerly direction from Donald Harper Road.
He said that would shift the responsibility for trail maintenance to the local Tantramar ATV Club.
Ouellette said a multi-use trail could accommodate all users, including snowmobiles in the winter as well as skiers, hikers, dog walkers and cyclists.
“ATVs travel probably 30, 35, maximum 40 kilometres per hour. So when we encounter other users on the trail, we have plenty of time to see them and to slow down,” he said.
Ouellette suggested that QuadNB would build a parallel trail running toward Midgic to separate motorized vehicles from other users except in wetland areas and over water courses where everyone would share the trail, before separating again on parallel trails in dry areas.
But in a later telephone interview, Don Green president of the Tantramar ATV Club said building a parallel trail in this area would be impractical.
“We want to use the existing trail,” he said, adding that a majority of ATV riders believe in trail etiquette and are respectful to other users.
“You have your bad apples,” he said, “in any sport, any activity, but most of us slow way down to a crawl when we see a walker.”
ATVs on Main St.
Ouellette had two other requests in his presentation to council.
He asked for a bylaw change to allow ATV riders to have access to restaurants and businesses in Sackville’s downtown area. That would mean allowing ATVs to travel on Main Street from the traffic lights at McDonalds to the intersection at Bridge, then down Bridge Street to Weldon.
He also asked for street access in Dorchester, on King Street to Buck Road, then lower Fairfield and Cherry Burton Road. He explained that would give ATV riders access to the gas station on the Fort Folly Reserve.
Ouellette said that since the bylaw change would give access to provincial roads, the municipal bylaw would need to be approved by the Department of Transportation as well as the Department of Public Safety.
He said ATVs have been operating safely in Sackville on Mallard Drive through the McDonalds intersection and on Wright Street since town council granted access in 2019.
Ouellette added that other New Brunswick towns and cities, including Bathurst and Grand Falls, have allowed access to most streets with no public safety problems.
To read previous coverage of pedway proposals, click here and here.
To read previous stories about ATVs, click here and here.
In 1986 Bill Lishman taught geese to fly with his ultra lite it’s an amazing story
please look it up. Mr Lishman designed a pedestrian bridge for our section of the Canada trail, I saw the model and I loved it. The design consisted of cattails and all types of plant life surrounding the walls of the walkway. It was back in the 90’s I had a conversation with Mr. Selkirk VP Advertising Atlantic Wholesales about the design and he thought a pedestrian bridge like Bill Lishman’s design would really put Sackville on the map. Mr. Selkirk thought if someone in Ontario was chatting about Sackville they would think of Sackville by the unique pedestrian bridge “I know that place they have that interesting pedestrian bridge.” I too as late Mr. Selkirk feel this would be an amazing advertisement for Sackville and area. I believe a friend of mine has the model but I will have to check with her. We should take a look of the concept.
Jim, thanks for supporting the proposed pedway! Our group had Valron Engineering see if building that beautiful bridge design was possible but it would have been far too expensive unfortunately. Algonquin Bridge has provided us a covered bridge design that is affordable & can incorporate some art elements in keeping with that original concept.
Thanks, Bruce. In the past, you have covered the stories of members of a special interest group who propose that Council relinquish more public space of Sackville to the unfettered use of recreational all-terrain vehicles. Here we go again.
The “right to ride” for a few individuals to operate motorized vehicles on public trails — off the public roads already created and maintained for motorized vehicle transportation — needs to be balanced against the right for other people to access public spaces to walk, to push strollers, to ride bicycles, free of the risk of collision with much faster gas-powered vehicles.
There is a published study on the economics of ATV usage on public trails by John Janmaat and Brian VanBlarcom from Acadia University. Here is a relevant passage: “There is considerable evidence that some recreational activities are to some degree incompatible. This conflict can arise both from impacts on the user experience and from value differences between user types, and may be predominantly from one user type to another…For example, ATV noise and dust disturbs hikers, whereas the presence of hikers has little impact on ATV riders. Often, types of trail users will express a strong preference and even a willingness to pay, to avoid encounters with different types of users…Motorized and non-motorized trail uses may in fact be antagonistic, in that increasing one activity reduces the other…To the extent that this is true, separation of these uses may be economically efficient.”
The T-C Trail is a public space with many users of many types who want to pursue many activities — hiking, dog-walking, bicycling, bird-watching, etc. — and so it would be a step backward if the Trail were to be handed over to an organization representing a small group of users (ATV drivers) who would be allowed to configure the Trail for their own private benefit for their own narrow range of uses.
Tantramar is currently going through a branding exercise. Tantramar’s brand will arise from the attractions of its component regions. A central element of Sackville’s brand is the Waterfowl Park and the natural features of the area. Campaigns to bring tourist dollars to our area have been based on these attractions. Opening a nature trail to mechanized vehicles would detract from the quiet enjoyment of the natural environment that is part of the brand. This concern is aside from the issue of any increase in environmental problems raised by encouraging people to burn fossil fuels in ATVs for entertainment.
Finally, although the proponents of ATV usage would like to downplay the perils associated with the use of these machines, they remain risky and less regulated than on-road vehicles. When they approach at speed, people walking on the trail — such as parents with strollers, or the elderly — have little choice but to quickly plunge into the bushes at the side of the trail. Restoring the damaged gates south of Station Road and Church Street is long overdue. Given that the current restriction on ATV use of the Trail is rarely enforced, locals know better than to allow their children to use the trail north of the highway without close adult supervision. Uninformed tourists may be less cautious.
Bruce, thank you again for bringing the news of Tantramar to the attention of the wider public.
Dear Wark Times Readers,
Please consider emailing our Town of Tantramar Mayor and Councillors to exhort them to protect this trail for non-motorized use, to seriously consider co-funding the Pedway and to keep ATV drivers out of the downtown area. Let’s not turn back the clock Tantramar!
Contact Information for Tantramar Mayor and Councillors:
Mayor Andrew Black: a.black@sackville.com
Deputy Mayor: Greg Martin: g.martin@sackville.com
Allison Butcher: a.butcher@sackville.com
Josh Goguen: j.goguen@sackville.com
Matt Estabrooks: m.estabrooks@sackville.com
Barry Hicks: b.hicks@sackville.com
Bruce Phinney: b.phinney@sackville.com
Michael Tower: m.tower@sackville.com
Debbie Wiggins-Colwell: d.wiggins-colwell@sackville.com
Town Hall Phone # 506-364-4930
You can also send copies of your letters to
Town Clerk Donna Beal ( d.beal@sackville.com) and to
Town CAO Jennifer Borne ( j.borne@sackville.com)
If I owned an Atv I’d just go where I wanted as it’s not a problem for one employer in Sackville that drive golf carts wherever they want and the rcmp refuse to do anything in regards to those. At least ATVs are licensed and insured for use on roadways, unlike golf carts.
Dear Wark Times Readers,
Please consider emailing our Town of Tantramar Mayor and Councillors to
remind them about the request by a group of youth in 2013 in council for a new concrete skatepark venue build… costs less than a million dollars… good fun for all and visitors too!
Contact Information for Tantramar Mayor and Councillors:
Mayor Andrew Black: a.black@sackville.com
Deputy Mayor: Greg Martin: g.martin@sackville.com
Allison Butcher: a.butcher@sackville.com
Josh Goguen: j.goguen@sackville.com
Matt Estabrooks: m.estabrooks@sackville.com
Barry Hicks: b.hicks@sackville.com
Bruce Phinney: b.phinney@sackville.com
Michael Tower: m.tower@sackville.com
Debbie Wiggins-Colwell: d.wiggins-colwell@sackville.com
Town Hall Phone # 506-364-4930
You can also send copies of your letters to
Town Clerk Donna Beal ( d.beal@sackville.com) and to
Town CAO Jennifer Borne ( j.borne@sackville.com)
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