ATHABASCA – Local snowmobile enthusiasts are going to have to wait a little longer before the Trans Canada Trail connects through Athabasca County.
During the Feb.18 committee of the whole meeting, Athabasca County councillors discussed the topic for the first time since October 2023, although they’re taking a new approach to the project which they had previously approved.
“We need to take the politics out of this and put it back to the residents so it’s up to them what they really want,” said Reeve Tracy Holland.
“I would really like to see the county send out a communications document to let the residents on the route know what’s happening and what’s coming down.”
Councillors settled on having the Alberta Snowmobile Association (ASA) host a town hall with the local club, the Athabasca River Runners, to help inform community members of the project.
The trail, which seeks to connect an existing trail from just west of the Village of Boyle to an existing network near Baptiste Lake, would primarily run alongside highways, although it may route through quieter, county-maintained roads.
Athabasca County had initially made a motion to support the project in a close 5-4 vote — Holland was opposed, as were councillors Gary Cromwell, Joe Gerlach, and Kelly Chamzuk — and the trail was brought back after the province sent the initial draft of the master plan to administration.
“I’m glad council has the ability to change its mind and fix decisions that may have been made in error before, and that’s the whole purpose of having a robust and engaging conversation,” said Cromwell.
“The idea of doing consultation after the fact … comes with a huge amount of hubris and I believe it’s completely wrong and misguided.”
The initial approval had been granted on a trial basis so residents could see what impact, if any, was made on them, but a delay on the provinces side meant a trial never started.
ASA executive director Chris Brooks said the Athabasca County section of the trail is unique because the right-of-way designation along the highways belong to the province instead of the county, so an extra organization had to be involved.
“This connection is all on a provincial controlled right-of-way; in many other counties, the two and three numbered highways are under country control, but in Athabasca they’re under provincial control,” he said.
A primary point of concern for the county is the section of the trail that runs along Township Road 660, locally known as Paxson Road. Sections of the ditch are fenced to the roadway, and snowmobiles would have to cross the road in multiple places.
While Brooks said he was happy to host the town hall, he said certain concerns from councillors were new to him despite his 16 years of experience with similar projects.
“We’ve never had a concern raised when we’re on a provincial right-of-way when someone is indicating that snowmobiles are going to be more terrifying for livestock than say a semi-trailer going by,” said Brooks, referencing a concern raised by Holland.
“What I heard in the committee was some concerns raised by one or two councillors where, while the trail is one a provincial right of way, it goes past their farms.”
The proposed trail would run west from Boyle to Range Road 204, where it would turn north, then west along Paxson, before hitting Highway 827 and eventually turning into Athabasca along Highway 55.
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During the Feb. 27 council meeting, councillors narrowly defeated a motion to send a letter to impacted households living alongside the route. Councillors Rob Minns, Brian Hall, Ashtin Anderson, Camille Wallach and Natasha Kapitaniuk were against sending the letter, arguing it wasn’t the county’s responsibility to do so.
“This is what I hoped wouldn’t happen with this whole discussion; here we go around again from the committee of the whole, and we’re beating this thing to death,” said Minns.
“The snowmobile club should take this initiative and get their own open house going.”
Holland was a vocal advocate for reaching out on behalf of the county — as was Cromwell — saying the county needed to improve its communications strategy.
“As to the question of whether or not we should (send out communications) every time, if it directly impacts a resident and their quality of life, you bet we should be,” said Holland.
“That is our responsibility. We need to communicate better to our residents; it’s only fair to them to understand what is happening in their neighbourhood.”
