STEPHEN RICCIO
PONTIAC April 12, 2021
Funding for recreational opportunities in the Pontiac received a shot in the arm recently, with separate government investments injecting money into local motorized vehicle clubs as well as the PPJ trail.
On April 9, Pontiac MP Will Amos announced a . . .
series of grants for recreational clubs in the Pontiac through the Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions (DEC) fund.
The Penguin Snowmobile Club, which maintains a 540 km trail network around the Mansfield et Pontefract area, was granted $196,055 to purchase a new trail groomer. Meanwhile, the Pontiac Quad Club, an ATV club that maintains 365 km of trails, was granted $177,677 to buy its own groomer.
“Whether it is to support cross-country skiing, snowmobiling or quad biking, these activities represent popular channels for both international tourists and local tourists,” said Amos in a press release.
MRC Pontiac Warden Jane Toller told The Equity that she was pleased to see the two clubs receive assistance as it’s been a priority for her to enhance not just the PPJ trial, but trails for ATV and snowmobile users as well.
“We need to allow people to get from A to B within the Pontiac and we also need to be able to link with the massive network of trails in Quebec,” she said.
“So whether it’s snowmobiling, ATV, cycling, motorcycling, I see an increase with all of these things in the Pontiac and it’s all good. It’s bringing people to our beautiful wilderness and hopefully, going to put the thought in their minds to stay here.”
The PPJ also received a boost to its budget, with Amos announcing on April 12 that both the provincial and federal government’s are contributing $145,839 each to the trail for maintenance and improvement over the next two years, for a total amount of $291,678.
In conjunction with the operating budget that the MRC typically invests $125,000 each year into and an additional $125,000 that the MRC receives yearly from the provincial Route Verte program, there is now a total of $791,678 of funds to be used for the PPJ for 2021-22 and 2022-23.
Toller said that the funding was much-needed given what she views to be the trail’s increased usage during the pandemic.
“[Cycling] is one of the things that you can do,” she said. “You can go out on a bicycle, you can go out as a family and bicycle, everyone’s going to be having a staycation. So we’re anticipating heavier use of it.”
She said that once funds are used to focus on culvert work and applying stone dust on the highly-trafficked 18 km stretch between Campbell’s Bay and Shawville, these additional investments would allow for further improvement of the trail.
“Eventually we will get it to a point where it’s in very good shape with all of the culverts in place, etc. and we’ll probably be able to use, you know, that money in different ways to improve.”
She added that while the PPJ already helps boost tourism, she would like to see more attractions along the 92 km trail that would help to keep outdoor-seeking tourists in the Pontiac for longer periods of time.
