ATV group won't pay for damaged walking trails: minister
Last Updated: Wednesday, November 25, 2009 | 1:15 PM AT
CBC News
Money to repair New Brunswick walking trails won't come from the All Terrain Vehicle Federation's trail trust fund, the provincial minister of natural resources says.
The New Brunswick Trails Council has argued ATVs are damaging the Dobson Trail and Fundy Footpath in the southeastern part of the province, and the federation should dip into its maintenance fund to pay for repairs.
But that's not allowed under the current legislation, Natural Resources Minister Wally Stiles says.
"Any monies collected on behalf of the managed trail system has to be used for motorized trails. Sentier NB Trails are not motorized trails," he said.
Stiles also said it's unclear who is damaging the walking trails.
"I believe enforcement is the obvious way to find out what's going on here and correct that particular problem," he said.
The government has put $1 million into enforcement through the Department of Public Safety, he said.
Trail strategy coming
The ATV Federation has applied for permission for greater access to the Dobson Trail and Fundy Footpath, which stretch through Fundy National Park between Big Salmon River and Riverview .
The trails council has called for a moratorium on ATV use on the trails until a provincial strategy has been worked out.
ATV users have more than 4,000 kilometres of trails in the province, compared with 850 kilometres for non-motorized users, officials have said.
Stiles said a technical committee, comprising representatives from NB Trails, the ATV Federation, the Snowmobile Federation and the provincial government, is meeting every two weeks. The issue should be discussed there, he said.
The province's new trails strategy is expected to be released by the spring of 2010.
The Dobson Trail celebrated its 50th anniversary last month, and the Fundy Footpath will soon celebrate its 20th anniversary.
