The latest obstacle for the North Okanagan Shuswap Rail Trail was overcome when the District of Sicamous rezoned land so the trail could be built along Mara Lake.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/Gabe Nava, Splatsin Development Corporation’s Yucwmenlúcwu (Caretakers of the Land)
April 18, 2024 - 4:13 PM
The latest obstacle for the North Okanagan Shuswap Rail Trail was overcome when the District of Sicamous rezoned land so the trail could be built along Mara Lake.
A section of the rail trail runs along Mara Lake, where the land was not zoned for recreational use and some Sicamous residents were opposed to having the trail built.
The district held a public hearing on April 10 and then council unanimously decided to rezone that section of land to allow recreational use so the rail trail could pass through, according to a press release.
The proposed cycling and walking trail will stretch 50 kilometres from Armstrong to Sicamous. It will pass through several jurisdictions which has created some challenges with coordinating the project.
Some residents who oppose the construction of the rail trail in Sicamous circulated a flyer with misinformation about the project and how it would affect residents.
The District had to post a fact check ahead of the public hearing to remedy misunderstandings caused by the flyer.
READ MORE: Construction of Shuswap North Okanagan Rail Trail underway ahead of public hearing
Construction has resumed on the trail. Crews have started working on the section from Kilometre 1.5 to Kilometre 4.5. Now that the district has rezoned the section along Mara Lake, construction of the stretch between Kilometre 0.5 and 1.5 can begin.
“We are already going over our construction plans to see how we can get this done. If we can do it this year, we will do it this year,” project construction manager for Splatsin Development Corporation’s Yucwmenlúcwu (Caretakers of the Land) Gabe Nava, said in the release.
The trail is owned by the Columbia Shuswap Regional District, Splatsin té Secwépemc and the Regional District of North Okanagan.
The North Okanagan and Shuswap section of the rail trail is part of an effort from municipalities and First Nations throughout the region to connect Sicamous in the north to Osoyoos in the south.
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