Okanagan-Coquihalla MP Dan Albas (centre) speaks at last Thursday’s announcement of federal funding to connect a portion of the KVR Trail at Road 22 to the existing trail at Road 21. From left are: Terry Schafer, RDOS Area C Director; Bill Newell, RDOS CAO; Albas; Mark Pendergraft, RDOS Chair and Area A Director; Mark Woods, RDOS manager of community services; and Sue McKortoff, mayor of Osoyoos. The trail project must be completed in time for Canada’s sesquicentennial in 2017. Eventually other gaps will be closed in the trail that follows the old bed of the former Kettle Valley Railway. (Richard McGuire photo)
A missing link on the KVR Trail north of Road 22 between Oliver and Osoyoos will be closed with the help of federal funds to celebrate Canada’s 150th birthday in 2017.
Okanagan-Coquihalla MP Dan Albas made the announcement of the $124,600 grant on Thursday in a flurry of federal spending announcements prior to Sunday’s call of the federal election.
He was joined by representatives of the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen (RDOS), who applied for the funds under the Canada 150 Community Infrastructure Program and will be providing matching funds.
Mark Woods, RDOS manager of community services, said the regional district is looking at a maximum of $280,000 in total for the project, which will complete the gap in the trail between Road 22 and the existing KVR Trail at Road 21.
The work must be completed by 2017, the year of Canada’s sesquicentennial, he said.
The trail follows the former bed of the Kettle Valley Railway, but that bed is covered by the passing lanes on Highway 97 north of Osoyoos.
A stretch of trail bypassing the highway now runs from Road 22 to Willow Beach, but currently hikers and cyclists must use roads to connect with the KVR trail to the north.
The trail extension will need to pass through wetlands, but Woods said this will require similar engineering work and planning to what was done on the southern stretch.
The trail is only for pedestrians and non-motorized vehicles.
Currently there are other gaps in the trail north of Oliver and there is no longer a bridge across the Okanagan River to link to the KVR Trail on the west side of Vaseux Lake. Eventually the links will be connected, Woods said.
“Our main focus is the KVR corridor,” said Woods. “It’s one of the top priorities that was established in our trails master plan.”
The province is allowing the use of land on the highway right-of-way, he said, and has been co-operating with the project, but all funding is coming from the RDOS and the federal government.
RDOS Chair Mark Pendergraft, who also represents Area A to the south of Road 22, was pleased to receive the federal funds.
“It’s giving some completion to connection of portions in the southern end,” he said. “We’ve got little bits of trail built up over time, but not always connected. This will give us some connection and allow people to go up the valley by foot or bike without being on the highway.”
Osoyoos Mayor Sue McKortoff, who also attended the announcement, said that what Osoyoos really wants is a connection between the trail and the Town of Osoyoos.
The town applied for a grant under the Canada 150 program to upgrade the trail along the irrigation canal north of Osoyoos Secondary School, make it wheelchair accessible and add lighting, but the town’s application was turned down.
Albas said the money for the KVR Trail extension comes from $150 million being spent across Canada, including $46.2 million allocated to Western Canada.
He credited former MLA John Slater, who died in May, with showing leadership on the idea of linking the trail segments.
RICHARD McGUIRE
Osoyoos Times
