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Cariboo Regional District eyes regional trails, parks service

The Cariboo Regional District is looking into the potential establishment of a regional trails and parks service
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One of the Cariboo Regional District’s trails. (Catherine Norman photo)

The Cariboo Regional District (CRD) looking at authorizing a potential new regional trails and parks service.

At their Sept. 26 board meeting, the CRD ratified a decision brought forward from their Sept. 5 committee of the whole meeting to begin the process to implement the service.

"A regional trails and parks service would enhance the CRD’s ability to not only build trails in the region, but also maintain existing trails," said the CRD release.

Now the CRD will discuss the proposal with each municipal council within the CRD to seek their participation.

A Regional Trails and Parks Service was first proposed in July of 2022 but the discussion was shelved until after the local government elections in 2022. 

The intention now is to determine if there is broad support for the proposed concept prior to committing more resources to the ongoing detailed development of the proposed service.

The CRD does not currently have a mandate or budget for the development or management of trails and parks, except within sub-regional recreation functions that exist around regional municipalities, though they said they have invested in trails in the region for the past 20 years.

Many neighbouring regional districts do have parks and trails functions, including Fraser Fort George, Thompson Nicola, Bulkley Nechako and Peace River. More developed regional parks and trails functions exist are common with in the Okanagan and Kootenays.

The new trails and parks service would take some time to establish if it does move ahead. The CRD said the service would require a staff position and is estimated to potentially cost $110,000 in wages, travel, technology and for a basic operating budget. If the municipalities do not participate and taxation were only to come from the electoral areas, the residential tax rates would be an estimated $1.90 per $100,000 of assessed value.

For more information on the proposed regional trails service and the scope, go to: https://pub-crd.escribemeetings.com/filestream.ashx?DocumentId=49686



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