Trail tours

Proposed wine tour business on Millennium Trail sparks concerns

Prince Edward County Council will look to update a 22-year-old by-law that determines what is and what isn’t proper use of the Millennium Trail.

Earlier this month, Prince Edward County Vacations started advertising a new service offering wine and beer tours in six-passenger utility terrain vehicles (UTV), departing from the Waring House and using the Trail to hop from location to location. Multiple UTVs may be deployed for larger parties to facilitate a large group, such as staff parties, birthday, bachelorette and bachelor parties.

Several members brought their concerns to the council meeting last week. Millennium Trail volunteer Barbara Mason worries that the UTVs will negatively impact safety on the Trail.

“The current speed limit on some stretches of the Trail is 50 kilometres an hour—faster than some of our roads. Who is enforcing that?”

She added that vehicles of this size and speed “sounds like an accident waiting to happen.”

Steve O’Brien said clarity is needed on the Trail’s commercial use.

“This notion clearly challenges the integrity of the Millennium Trail as a recreation trail, using it instead as a roadway and an entertainment event venue,” said O’Brien.

Amy Bodman, a PEC Trails member, also voiced concerns about the safety of trail users.

“Over the past five years, the PEC Trails Committee has worked hard with various stakeholders to come up with compromises and solutions to allow it to be a safe trail while protecting it as a wildlife habitat,” said Bodman. “Introducing another stakeholder— commercial motorized tours, for instance— to what is already a very complicated mix is a bad idea. It will only make the Trail less safe for all users.”

According to Pat Maloney, chair of the PEC Trails Committee, the Trail is nine feet wide with loose gravel edges. He feels that the UTVs and ATVs of today would be unrecognizable by the council who wrote the original Millennium Trail by-law.

“The resurfacing project done over the last five years was not designed for commercial vehicles of this size and weight,” said Maloney. “There is just not enough room on the trail for a vehicle of this size.”

Councillor Brad Nieman sought to get ahead of the issue. While he did not want to make a rash decision about who could or could not use the Trail, he wanted more information about how it is being used now.

“All the people using it now need to stay there,” said Nieman. “But we need to look at the commercial aspect and how it affects the Trail.”

Councillor Phil St-Jean told his colleagues that motorized vehicles on the Trail has long been a contentious issue. Nevertheless, he suggested Council review its policies to determine what is appropriate today.

“This by-law was written in 2001,” said St. Jean. “Times have changed. The size of the vehicles has changed. There are things being used on the Trail that were not contemplated at the time,” he said.

Councillor Janice Maynard noted that commercial operations and motorized vehicles currently use the Trail. She thinks the size of the vehicles proposed by this service may be an issue.

“Am I comfortable with large side-by-sides? Perhaps not,” said Councillor Maynard.

CAO Marcia Wallace told Council that the use of the Trail is a complicated issue, and the current by-law permits the tours in question.

“Certainly, there are a lot of opinions,” said Wallace. “We have heard at least one side of that issue tonight. I would caution Council not to make a quick decision without having looked at all sides of the issue. I think we just need to move slowly to make sure we get it right,” she said.

Staff will report back on proposed amendments to the Millennium Trail Use by-law. The report is expected back in June.

The municipality acquired the abandoned rail line from the Canadian National Railway in 1997 for the purpose of developing a trail system through the County. Today, the Millennium Trail system serves as a County-wide recreational facility for local residents and visitors. The trail corridor is nine feet in width and 46 kilometres in length, and a total land area of 73.5 hectares. The Trail starts in Carrying Place and winds through the County to Picton and includes three natural core areas and four provincially significant wetlands.