Thanksgiving 2010: Members of the Ramblers/Les Randonneurs take a break during the annual Father Demers hike from Hudson to Rigaud. The trail passes on private land the Town of St. Lazare is hoping to incorporate into its municipal trail network. (Gazette photo)

by  JIM DUFF

ST. LAZARE — The town’s long-awaited trail master plan will be presented to residents at a public consultation at the Community Centre on Thursday, March 1, starting at 7 p.m.

“The objective of this public meeting is to take into consideration the different points of view, concerns, suggestions and comments with regards to the vision, orientation, improvement and management of the trails for years to come,” Town of St. Lazare communications director Genevieve Hamel announced last week.

Mayor Pierre Kary and council committed to the creation of a master plan for the development of a contiguous multi-use trail network in October, 2010.

At the time, District 6 councillor Jean-Claude Gauthier outlined his vision of a recreational trail circuit winding its way through the community’s most beautiful natural areas and linking the different sectors. The trail network would be similar to Rigud’s L’Escapade — open to runners, walkers, cross-country skiiers and equestrians, possibly even to skaters in winter.

“Basically, it’s how to accommodate developers while giving the residents of St. Lazare recreational options they don’t have,” Gauthier continued. “Imagine, if several years ago, someone had taken the initiative to ensure that the developers had to preserve recreational trails, we’d have beautiful walks amid natural surroundings today.”

The town commissioned a consultant to work with Gauthier and Louis Paquin, the town’s recreational services director. Their mandate was to identify public trails that already belong to St. Lazare and those that don’t. The underlying concern was to protect trails threatened by development, as was the case three years ago with Trail 64 connecting Dynasty with the regional network.

“Essentially, it will identify trails the developer is required to maintain or relocate,” Gauthier said in 2010. “What we want to prevent is the location of these trails under Hydro-Quebec lines, or between two backyards where people are dumping the overflow from their pools. That’s not very rural....unfortunately, that’s what developers were doing.”

There was immediate resistence from landowners concerned about the threat of expropriation. They’ll likely be a significant presence at the March 1 consultation.

As well, there’s now a political dimension, now that a council majority decision taken in December pre-emptively bars cyclists from the trail network and confines them to the town’s bicycle paths. Kary, who has since replaced Gauthier at the head of the trail master plan working table, has said he’ll look to reverse the bike ban if it isn’t in harmony with the master plan.

Most municipalities bar cyclists from non-motorized trail networks used by equestrians because horses and fast-moving bikes are considered incompatible.
For information: 450-424-8000, ext. 218.