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Maps Updated!
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Region
lends $1 million to Circle Route to finish trail
THOROLD - With provincial and federal dollars on the line, Niagara's regional government is loaning $1 million to the Greater Niagara Circle Route. In an effort to get the trail completed and capitalize on $1.2 million in SuperBuild funding, regional council has agreed to front the cost with hopes it will be repaid through a community fundraising effort. "This is a window of opportunity," said St. Catharines Regional Councillor Bruce Timms, chairman of the circle route steering committee. "If we don't engage in this process, an opportunity for $1.2 million will be lost." While there is strong support for the project among councillors, it is not unanimous. St. Catharines Regional Councillor Brian Heit didn't question the merits of a trail that runs along the Welland Canal and the Niagara River, connected by trails along the shores of lakes Erie and Ontario, but he did question its financing. "This is a nicety that maybe the taxpayers can't afford," Heit said. "It should be put on hold until we get some answers from this organization on how they are going to repay the money." The money will be repaid by private sector donations, but the circle route group has been having difficulties soliciting funds. The fundraising campaign has only raised $62,399 so far. "Raising private sector money for this type of project is difficult," Timms said. The group overseeing the development of the trail has formed the Friends of the Greater Niagara Circle Route in a renewed effort to attract private dollars to the project. "They are responsible for raising the money," Timms said. The Region will be on the hook for the money should the group fail to raise the dollars. But Niagara Region Chairman Peter Partington said it is a reasonable risk to take. "Council has seen fit, due to the apparent value of the project, to move it forward," he said. |