CALEB NICKERSON
MANSFIELD ET PONTEFRACT Feb. 12, 2019
Le Patro in Mansfield et Pontefract has a swanky new piece of machinery to groom their winter trails thanks to a grant from the federal government.
Pontiac MP Will Amos was on hand Feb. 12 to explain that Le Patro received a grant of $19,000 from Canadian Economic Development for Quebec Regions (CED), specifically the organization’s Winter Tourism Initiative. The fund covered 60 per cent of the cost of a new side-by-side and groomer, complete with an enclosed cab and snow tracks which will allow staff to manicure their trails more efficiently.
Fr. Marc Frappier of Le Patro said that they were using an old Bombardier sled prior to the new equipment and was pleased with how quickly the funding came through.
The initiative supports the purchase of equipment for the maintenance of ski and snowmobile trails, and is open for applications. Amos said that winter tourism in the Pontiac is an area where there is room for growth, and touted Le Patro’s extensive network of trails.
“I know in Chelsea, where I live, the traffic around cross country skiing is nothing short of tremendous,” he said. “This is an investment that is worth making.”
