From Left: Brett Bandy (City of Vernon), Akbal Mund (Chair of Greater Vernon Advisory Committee), Mayor Victor Cumming (City of Vernon), Harold Sellers (Ribbons of Green Trails Society), and Brad Akerman (Regional District of North Okanagan) are standing near the newly dedicated park space and trail connection for Grey Canal Trail.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/City of Vernon
December 16, 2021 - 3:38 PM
A section of the popular Grey Canal Trail in Vernon will soon be connected following a recent land sale agreement between a private property owner and local governments.
According to a City of Vernon media release, the land sale agreement will now connect the trail between the Turtle Mountain section of the Grey Canal Trail and the Bella Vista, Okanagan Hills section of the Grey Canal Trail.
The land sale agreement encompasses four acres of parkland along Davidson Road and slightly more than three-and-a-half kilometres of a right of way on a trail connecting the two currently disconnected sections of Turtle Mountain and Bella Vista, Okanagan Hills.
"The development of the Grey Canal Trail has been a passion project for many community members, local government representatives, and avid local trail users for nearly 20 years," Vernon Mayor Victor Cumming said in a media release. "This agreement makes way for a significant trail connection to be made from Bella Vista neighbourhoods to Turtle Mountain, and beyond."
The release says the sale is "notable" for the Grey Canal Trail as it is one of the last remaining privately-owned portions along its route between Okanagan Hills Blvd and Coldstream Valley Estates.
If all the missing connections become part of the Grey Canal Trail, the trail would be a continuous 35 km route.
"Earlier this year, we received a $110,000 grant from the Ministry of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport and the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association to develop this section of the trail and install interpretive signage. Now that we have attained ownership, we can put the grant to use and begin trail development in the spring of 2022," chair of the Greater Vernon Advisory Committee Akbal Mund said in a release.
The land sale agreement is between the City of Vernon, the Regional District of North Okanagan and Westco Properties.
"We at Westco Properties are pleased to have given the City of Vernon and the RDNO the opportunity to complete this section of the Grey Canal Trail and also introduce more park area within the City," Westco Properties owner Greg Herfst said in the release. "We see this as an important part of the overall development plan, which will also include the Tassie Creek walking path and wetlands, ensuring the protection of this environment for future generations."
The history of the Grey canal dates back to 1905 when Lord and Lady Aberdeen started an intensive irrigation program to move water lakes from the highlands southeast to areas of Vernon.
The project was completed in 1914 at the cost of $423,000 and once supplied water to the largest irrigation district in B.C.
However, it fell on hard times and in 1963 ditches were replaced with underground pipes and by 1970 the canal was no longer in use.
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