After holding an open house on its Gimli Trails Master Plan a few weeks ago, Gimli council posted the plan on its website and is inviting the public to complete a short survey before April 15.
Map shows proposed RM of Gimli Trails Master Plan and Rail Trail options
“The goal of the trails master plan is to create a high-level, long-term plan that guides the future development of the RM of Gimli to promote safe, accessible and enjoyable trail and urban pathway use for the community,” states the preface to the survey. “The plan considers space for each group of users, provides opportunities for positive social interactions, and includes tourism and support for local businesses.”
The plan addresses short-term, mid-term and long-term priority actions for trail enhancements in various parts of the municipality, including Aspen Park, Shorepointe Village, the Gimli urban centre, Odin Green and Sandy Hook.
It presents three options for the Rail Trail, all of which allow offroad vehicles (ORVs) on either all of the trail or a portion of it. The proposal also includes widening the trail.
The Rail Trail is the RM’s longest trail at 36.2 kilometres. It is a former CPR rail line running from the Diego distillery, just north of Gimli, to Boundary Road (Road 123N) in the north.
It was gifted to the municipality in 2004 through an agreement with Trans Canada Trail. The agreement stipulated that the trail be used for activities such as walking, cycling, hiking and horseback riding in the summer, and cross-country skiing and snowmobiling in the winter.
“Please note the Trans Canada Trail does not endorse any form of motorized activity on the trail in the summer months,” states Schedule C of the agreement.
Residents living in a number of subdivisions along the Rail Trail have raised concerns with various councils for at least over a decade about ORVs on the trail, including noise generated by ATVs and motor bikes, the creation of ruts in the trail bed making it difficult for pedestrian or cycling use, pollutants discharged by ORVs, diminished property values, environmental damages to vegetation and wildlife, and ORV drivers’ being disrespectful to non-motorized users.
Option 1 proposes to separate “active use,” or non-motorized activities, from ORV use via the creation of a parallel track for ORVs. This is the most costly option.
Option 2 proposes no ORVs on a small section of the trail, from Seagram Road to Camp Morton Road, and ORVs allowed on the remainder.
Option 3 proposes ORVs share all of the trail with non-motorized users.
The RM’s survey consists of seven questions, including resident status, preferred Rail Trail option, what short-term options for the other trails are preferred, and how excited people are for the future development of trails in the RM. It closes on April 15.
The Express reached out to the Active Trails Advisory Committee (ATAC) for comment on council’s proposed Trails Master Plan.
ATAC was formed in 2019 under RM bylaw. The committee created a strategic plan for active trails (non-ORV use) in keeping with the agreement the municipality signed with Trans Canada Trails. That strategy was accepted in 2022 by a previous iteration of council. ATAC also created a website that includes detailed descriptions of about 15 trails throughout the municipality.
To view the Gimli Trails Master Plan documents and take part in the online survey, visit the RM’s website at www.gimli.ca
