Four N.S. trail groups receive almost $40k from Trans Canada Trail

Trees are planted along the Bow River. (Trans Canada Trail photo)

NOVA SCOTIA: Four trails in Nova Scotia will be making use of almost $40,000 in a grant from the Trans Canada Trail’s Trail Care Grant program.

The total given out through the program across Canada to 221 trail groups is $269, 250.

Trans Canada Trail announced the recipients in a release issued on May 2.

The Trail Care Grant program opens every spring – when trail groups are preparing for the busy season – and has engaged thousands of volunteers in its five-year history.

ADVERTISEMENT:

The grants, up to $1,500 each, were awarded following an application process and can be used toward a number of trail activities, including clean-up, debris removal, art installation, maintenance or volunteer appreciation.  

“These grants support the Trail where it really counts – at the local level.

“Trail groups can decide what their community needs most, while making their mark on this incredible national trail network,” said Mathieu Roy, VP and Chief Trail Experience Officer at Trans Canada Trail.

“It is inspiring to see such strong interest in a nationwide effort to care for the Trail that connects us all.” 

ADVERTISEMENT:

This year, Trans Canada Trail is proud to award Trail Care Grants from coast to coast to coast: 

  • Alberta: $22,750 
  • British Columbia: $22,750  
  • Manitoba: $20,250 
  • New Brunswick: $19,000 
  • Newfoundland and Labrador: $12,750 
  • Northwest Territories: $2,500 
  • Nova Scotia: $39,500 
  • Ontario: $68,000  
  • Prince Edward Island: $2,500 
  • Quebec: $30,250 
  • Saskatchewan: $25,000 
  • Yukon: $4,000 

The dollars spent on trail improvement won’t go to waste.

A 2023 report shows that communities along the Trans Canada see enormous economic benefit.

Every year, trail users spend more than $13 billion at businesses and services along their route, and trail activity supports more than 220,000 jobs across the country.

ADVERTISEMENT:

The Trail Care Grant program opens every spring – when trail groups are preparing for the busy season – and has engaged thousands of volunteers in its five-year history. 

Grants awarded in Nova Scotia include:  

Trail cleanup and safety sign replacement on the Chignecto Ship Railway Trail

Mitigating Erosion on the Celtic Shores Coastal Trail

Flood mitigation on the Yarmouth County Rail Trail

Prepartations for the Àros na Mara World Oceans Day Festival on the Bras d’Or Lake Water Route

“These grants support the Trail where it really counts – at the local level. Trail groups can decide what their community needs most, while making their mark on this incredible national trail network,” said Roy.

“It is inspiring to see such strong interest in a nationwide effort to care for the Trail that connects us all.”

ADVERTISEMENT:

The Trail Care Grant is just one of the ways Trans Canada Trail provides funding to trail organizations at the local level. 

Learn more about the organization’s funding opportunities.

The Trail Care program will culminate with a national Trail Care Day on June 1, when volunteers across the country will roll up their sleeves and make a tangible difference for their local trail.

This will include a public event open to media on the Dynamite Trail section of the Rum Runners Trail in Mahone Bay.