The West Yellowhead Trail Society is hoping to alleviate worries from some Hinton-area residents regarding a proposed pathway that would connect the town to Jasper National Park’s east gate.
Chairperson Garth Griffiths assured that the society would continue to move forward with the project while addressing concerns about pedestrian safety and the potential impact on user groups.
“We respect those concerns and then we will work towards trying to alleviate their concerns,” Griffiths said.
Formed in 2021, the West Yellowhead Trail Society aims to create a scenic, paved multi-use trail for non-motorized users. The 30-kilometre trail would be three metres wide with a six-metre clearance area.
The project would be completed in two phases, with the first phase going from Hinton to Wildhorse/Kinky Lake. A majority of the proposed pathway goes through provincial Crown land, but a portion of the pathway and a trailhead parking lot would be located within Hinton’s town boundaries.
The trail would be owned by the Government of Alberta under the Trails Act and cost up to $12 million, although most of this would be in-kind.
The society is hoping to break ground in fall 2025.
Griffiths said both the society and the province have engaged in Indigenous consultations. They have also received letters of support from the Town of Hinton, the Hinton Chamber of Commerce and others.
While the Alberta government had initially supported the pathway and signed off on a trail management plan, it has since suspended approval until the society gets support from both the Town of Hinton and Yellowhead County.
“It’s basically to help the MLA guide and gauge the degree of political support from the project, both in communities plus the two council[s],” said Bernie Kreiner, vice-chairperson of the society.
On Nov. 26, multiple residents voiced their concerns about the project to Hinton council. Denise Boutin, Collette Walker and Shelley Burn gave a presentation on behalf of residents from Aspen Heights and the surrounding area.
“Pathway users will be placed in danger while crossing three gravel service roads on Highway 16 in addition to the intersection at Highway 40 and Highway 16,” according to their presentation. “There will be increased danger to pathway users and traffic at the intersection of Aspen Heights and Highway 40 North.”
In addition, they pointed out the perceived lack of consultation and the potential impact on user groups such as hunters, trappers and recreationalists.
They also noted it was a potential conflict of interest for Coun. Stuart Taylor to be sitting on the society’s board. Taylor said he had received no remuneration for this role, meaning there was no pecuniary conflict.
Kreiner noted the society would look at the impact of a parking lot and were aware that the intersection with Highway 40 was a concern, but they couldn’t address it yet, because this was detailed design work.
Griffiths admitted he was a little surprised about the pushback but was hoping to work collaboratively with stakeholders.
“The people from Aspen Heights have presented us with some concerns, and we respect that,” he said. “There are some issues out there. Our group understands that, and we respect that, and we’re going to work towards trying to solve them.”
On Tuesday (Dec. 19), Hinton council voted 3-2 against approving the release of $50,000 to the West Yellowhead Trail Society. A caveat on release of the funds had included sorting out trail ownership and long-term trail maintenance.
Coun. Albert Ostashek said while it was now known that the Alberta government would own the trail and a trail manager had been appointed, there were still questions about how much maintaining the trail would cost and where the funding would come from.
“I’m not satisfied that they met the conditions as they were originally laid out,” Ostashek said. “Unfortunately, I believe at this stage, they cannot have costs for maintenance without having a detailed design or newly required support from local municipalities.”
Kreiner said the society has done early work on addressing maintenance but acknowledged more needed to be done.
“Obviously, we’ve been more focused on the design and building than the operations, but we will provide information to council and hopefully address some of their concerns so that we can move forward,” he said.
Griffiths noted how pathways like this existed across North America, a notable example being the Banff Legacy Trail, and would help improve safety along Highway 16 to Jasper while providing another source of recreation.
“We’re trying to attract people to come to our town, like doctors and nurses and other professionals, and if you can offer them amenities to come here and do, they’re going to come,” he said.
He added how the pathway would bring more visitors to the region and help the Alberta government achieve its goal of a $25-billion tourism economy.
