Here We Go Again

I have to make this statement so it is clear that I am not harassing our elected officials: The following is political commentary related to community damaging policies that need to be reversed for the betterment of "all CBRM". The battle against hypocrisy must go on :-)  

Also CBRM Recreation did not create this mess and there's been lots good Active Transportation proponents in CBRM who deserve kudos irrespective of what the elected officials do. No disrespect intended towards any of these people or organizations here.

Active Transportation (AT) is well defined globally and available on the CBRM Website as: "Active Transportation (AT) refers to any form of self-propelled transportation that relies on human energy. The most common AT activities are walking or biking, although inline skating, jogging, paddling, cross country skiing, and ice skating are other forms."

FACT: Adding Off-Highway Vehicles (ATVs, dirt bikes, side-by-sides) into the mix, negates Active Transportation. The visions, missions or goals of both are 100% opposite of each other.

The image attached is a record of how residents were fooled (or made a fool of, depends how you look at it) in District 9 and 10.

Where The Issues Started:

The control of the Coal Town Trail was handed to the Marconi Trail Blazers, who are anti-Active Transportation by definition (see AT definition above, not hyperbole). The reason I say this is because the original AT committee would never put Off-Road Vehicles (OHVs) on a community trail, on their own, it goes against the AT mandate. The Coal Town Trail was at this point, changed from an Active Transportation Trail to an ATV Trail without permission or a mandate from our communities. Besides all the troubles it brings to our community, this locks us out of the $400million funding that the federal government has committed to Active Transportation (at least in districts 9/10, keep an eye on the others). Read here: Feds unveil first-ever dedicated fund for active transportation 

AFAIK FACT:

Three councillors ("Two of the councillors mentioned here: CB Post ) were solely responsible for changing a decade long Active Transportation project into an ATV Trail. I say solely because I can find no evidence that this decision was ratified in council chambers. The decision to acquire land from the federal government for the specific use of Active Transportation, was indeed ratified in council in 2019. Read here: Where Has Our Active Transportation Trail Gone?

FACT FROM THE ATTACHED IMAGE: The residents of District 10 (not sure how many districts were surveyed but #10 for sure) were surveyed using taxpayer money about the Active Transportation Trail that would be built (much like the current survey). Then a report was generated using taxpayer money that wordsmith the results as "concerns about ATV use". Regardless, nobody asked for this is our community and residents actually took the time to say "NO".

COMMUNITY ISSUES:

Read here about the problems brought to CBRM by anti-social groups: Physical & Social Damage Related to ATV Trails in CBRM. The contention and social distress created in District 9/10 by this municipal calamity has manifested in threats, harassment, slander, house eggings and property damage.

SOLUTION:

Tear up the land-use agreement with the Marconi Trail Blazers (needed by law to access public trails) as a sign of good-faith and then we can get on with making all of CBRM a better place to work and live. PSPC did the work on the trail and gave us $1million with no strings attached, so let's fix this mistake and get some Active Transportation funding to pave the trail. 

IN SUMMARY:

Residents were asked, over a decade ago, what they wanted in terms of Active Transportation and the collective noses of council were turned up on residents after securing and using the budget for Active Transportation for years. Now residents are being asked again in 2021 to "Help Shape the new CBRM Active Transportation Plan". 

A private group free of bullying and full of information:  Residential Areas - ATVs (OHVs) 

Remember this: ATV DOES NOT equal AT (Active transportation)...The "V" makes all the difference.

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