Debate over who gets to use Ottawa Valley rail trail gears up

Opinion is divided among elected officials in both Lanark and Renfrew counties over whether a planned 296-kilometre trail should be open to snowmobiles and all-terrain vehicles.

The trail will be built along a former Canadian Pacific Railway rail corridor that connects Smiths Falls to Mattawa, passing through Carleton Place, Almonte, Arnprior, Pembroke and Petawawa. 

"I think this is fabulous," said Gail Code, the warden of Lanark County.  "It's good news for economic development, for our health, for recreation, and it connects our community,"

Now that the counties have purchased the corridor, the discussion is turning to who exactly will be allowed to use it.

For her part, Code doesn't want to impose any limits.

"I really think we have to keep it open to everyone that wants to use it. For economic reasons, we have to broaden it. There's a lot of people on four-wheelers."

Boost for 'active transportation'

The mayor of Mississippi Mills, Shaun McLaughlin, said he's also excited by the purchase, but he's less receptive to motorised uses, especially in narrow sections where hikers and cyclists could be squeezed off the trail by snowmobiles and all-terrain vehicles.

"I'd like to see as much non-motorized use of it as possible," said McLaughlin. "I don't mind a mixed trail, as long as it's truly a mixed trail."

For McLaughlin, whose township includes Almonte, the trail's focus should be on attracting hikers and cyclists.

"We're trying to build a network there for active transportation, and this could be the backbone of our whole network."

'It's everybody's taxes'

The rail corridor, which no longer has any track, was purchased by Renfrew and Lanark counties, along with the Township of Papineau-Cameron, for $500,000 plus an official tax receipt Canadian Pacific Railway gets for the value of the land, which was assessed at $77.2 million.

Bill Dobson, the reeve of Montague Township at the southern tip of the trail, said it would be unfair to keep snowmobilers and ATV riders off the trail.

"From the beginning when we started planning this, we planned it as if it was going to be a multipurpose trail for everybody," said Dobson. "It's everybody's taxes and I think it should be used by everybody."

Public will be consulted

A decision on who can and cannot access the trail is still some time away as work is needed to repair bridges, install railings in certain sections, and generally make the trail safe for users.

Work is expected to start next year, with some sections opening in 2017. 

In the meantime, the public will be consulted, according to Peter Emon, the warden for Renfrew County.

"My personal position is that it remain a trail for walking and cycling," said Emon. "If there's a means of setting up an adjoining network to accommodate snowmobile and ATV traffic, then there may not be a need for ATV and snowmobile traffic on that trail. That's something the community is going to have to advise us on."

Officials in both Renfrew and Lanark counties said it might be up to each individual township council along the trail to decide whether or not to prohibit motorized vehicles on the trail in their jurisdiction.