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LETTER: Save our trails

Legislation is now in place whereby motorized vehicles will not be allowed to travel on the Trans Canada Trail, and if found doing so, the operator will pay a fine of up to $2,000.

Editor:

A section of the Trans Canada Trail (TCT) in B.C. was designated as the Spirit of 2010 Trail in March of this year. It starts at Brookmere, south of Merritt, travels through Princeton, Penticton, Myra Canyon (Kelowna), Beaverdell, Greenwood, Grand Forks and Castlegar.

Legislation is now in place whereby motorized vehicles will not be allowed to travel on the TCT, and if found doing so, the operator will pay a fine of up to $2,000.

Many of us have been working with the TCT for years for use of the trail, and up until now have been successful in most local areas.

However, there are others that do not operate their off-road vehicles (ORVs) responsibly and vandalize items on the trail. For instance, recently a bollard at the Fisherman Creek crossing was pulled out of the ground, concrete and all.

Also one of the speed control gates near Ward’s Lake was beaten with a sledgehammer, boards broken and a post removed.

This, plus being a “rowdy” on the trail is cause for the TCT to take the action they propose.

The TCT have been co-operating with all users by allowing adequate clearance for ORVs to travel, up until now; however, this may change in the future. (The new bridge at Laferty is excluded.)

To legally operate an ORV on Crown land, including the TCT, one must have a valid driver’s license, wear a DOT-approved helmet and have a minimum of $200,000 liability insurance in place.

If you own an ORV and ride the trail or use it to gain access to other riding areas you are urged to join the local club and be involved.

Write, email or fax our MLA, John Slater, and Premier Christy Clark and state your reasons why you feel the trail should be kept open for motorized use.

Also click onto www.petitiononlinecanada.com and sign the petition.

John Slater: email john.slater@bcliberals.com

Constituency Office: Box 1110, Osoyoos, B.C. V0H 1V0

Phone: 250-495-2042

Fax: 250-495-2077

Toll Free: 1-877-652-4304

Premier Christy Clark: email premier@gov.bc.ca

Constituency Office: 3615 W. 4 Avenue, Vancouver, B.C. V6R 1P2

Phone: 604-775-1003

Fax: 604-775-1026

Ray Johnson, Grand Forks