Aspin hands out funding to boost area cycling and snowmobiling trails
Friday, July 10, 2015 by: Chris Dawson
Discovery Routes Chair Mark King addressed the crowd during today's funding announcement at the North Bay Waterfront.
PHOTO BY CHRIS DAWSON.
MP Jay Aspin dished out $122,630 in federal funding to enhance regional cycling and snowmobile trails in the area.
The announcement was made at the bandshell located next to the government dock on the north shore of Lake Nipissing in North Bay this morning.
“Our beautiful region is a magnate for tourism dollars employing a significant number of people in our regional tourism sector. Recreation has become a rapidly growing tourism activity,” said MP Jay Aspin in a release.
A FedNor investment of $24,615 will allow the Discovery Routes Trails Organization to develop a feasibility study and an implementation plan for the Voyageur Cycling Route, a 400-kilometre trail network that would connect Sudbury to the Ottawa Valley.
The hope is that the study will allow the group to potentially position the region as a premier cycling destination.
“We are thrilled to partner with the Government of Canada through FedNor to advance this important initiative,” said Mark King, Chair of the Discovery Routes Trails Organization.
“This will help us boost tourism throughout the area by expanding Northeastern Ontario’s cycling network.”
King believes connecting to those other markets is key but he believes Northeastern Ontario has the potential to become a world class cycling destination just like places in Europe.
"There’s no reason in the world why we can’t take the opportunity to make something like that happen so there is no doubt in my mind that cycling is a growth industry and it will probably get bigger and bigger as we start to see more increases in fuel costs and vehicle costs and just the way we change our transportation system," added King.
In addition, a $98,015 Infrastructure investment will enable the North Bay Snowmobilers Club and the Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs to establish a new bridge on North River, further enhancing the local trail network.
The funds were provided to the National Trails Coalition (NTC) through the $10 million National Recreational Trails (NTC) program.
The NTC works with local organizations to fund projects.
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