After 25 years in operation, the New Brunswick Trails Council will close its doors at the end of October.
The council blames a lack of funding from the provincial government as the reason behind the closure.
“We don’t have enough funding to keep us going,” said Judy Wilson-Shee, president of the council.
Wilson-Shee said the group used to bid on contracts with the Department of Energy and Resource Development for maintenance work.
But she said the province told them to stop because they felt the group was in a conflict of interest by also receiving money from the tourism department.
“Without the funding from the Department of [Energy and Resource Development], we don’t have a huge source of income,” Wilson-Shee said.
Council Maintained Hundreds Of Kilometres Of Trails
The non-profit organization used to maintain about 1,200 kilometres of trails on abandoned railway beds, but Wilson-Shee said that had been reduced to 400 kilometres due to funding cuts over the years.
The board’s biggest concern, Wilson-Shee said, is trail maintenance and the safety of people using them.
“We’re always encouraging people to be out, be active, they can bike, they can walk, they can cycle on these trails,” she said. “If they go down a hill and they’re not safe, people will stay away from the trails and that will be very sad.”
Wilson-Shee said it has been an emotional time for her and the members of the board.
“The founding members have been there for the whole 25 years, some of the board members have been there for the 25 years,” she said. “We’re having positive feedback from our trail partners that they’re very sad to see us close our doors.”
Province Confident Trails Will Still Be Maintained
Wilson-Shee said some groups are expressing interest in starting their own organization to look after the trails.
“I can’t say too much at this time but I know there is interest there and I certainly hope they follow through with that,” she said.
In a statement, the provincial government said it values and supports the development and maintenance of non-motorized trails
“Public investment in non-motorized trails is at record levels due to various signature trail projects, ongoing support for community-based trail development and maintenance, and through the direct provision of trail maintenance and capital improvements on the former rail lines,” read the statement.
“New Brunswick has been able to establish a trail system that is world-class and we are confident that this system will continue to be sustained through the ongoing and combined efforts of municipalities, regional service commissions, trail managers, and trail user groups.”
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