While District of North Vancouver council hasn’t yet selected a route to extend the Spirit Trail, all available options will require a bridge to be built over McCartney Creek.
At a workshop Feb. 10, staff told council that they required a resolution ahead of a Feb. 26 deadline to apply for up to $5.6 million from the federal Active Transportation Fund, which would greatly offset municipal costs for the active transportation project.
But staff sent a memo to council the day after the workshop, to say there was enough consensus to apply for the funding. That’s because the most expensive part of the project – the McCartney Creek bridge – will be built in any available routing scenario, explained Coun. Catherine Pope.
“Based on further review of the grant requirements, a council resolution is not required to apply,” the staff memo reads. “As such, staff will not be returning to council to seek a resolution, and this item has been removed from the Feb. 24 agenda.”
At the Feb. 10 workshop, council was undecided on fundamental aspects of the project – namely, if the trail should take the staff-recommended “northern route” that crosses Mount Seymour Parkway from Plymouth to Strathaven Drive; or if it should follow a “southern route” that doesn’t cross the busy parkway.
Much of the debate also focused on the crossing of McCartney Creek, a bridge that would be the most costly part of the trail segment and has also sparked concerns from conservationists at the nearby Wild Bird Trust.
On his last day employed by the district, outgoing project manager Shane Divine presented the staff-recommended northern route, which he said was the highest priority segment and would not be impacted by the funding cut of $20 million to $15 million for the project overall in the new budget.
Staff’s recommendation was the result of study, community feedback and direction from council, Divine said.
To keep costs down, the recommended route would maximize use of existing trails and would build trails to a “bronze” standard, aiming to “make meaningful improvements instead of no improvements,” he said.
However, both routes would involve a new bridge crossing over McCartney Creek, which would also attract the most grant funding, as it provides a safe route to nearby schools and brings active transportation near səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh Nation) land, Divine said.
The total estimated cost for the eastern extension is between $9 million and $10 million, with the bulk of that going to the bridge, costing around $7 million to $8 million. But staff estimated that it could gather grants for the bridge – $4.4 million federal and $1.2 million from TransLink – and another $1.2 million federal for the rest of the segment.
That funding would lower the district’s estimated contribution to less than $4 million. But council must give staff a resolution by Feb. 24 to meet a deadline two days later to apply for the federal cash.
At the workshop, staff sought general consensus from council on the recommended route, the location of the McCartney Creek bridge, the bronze standard for most of the trail, and gaining the funding from Ottawa.
Some councillors want to slow discussions while others push to move ahead
During the discussion, Couns. Pope and Jordan Back favoured the alternative southern route, which they said active transportation users would actually take.
Pope said she favoured the southern route, but there are still issues to overcome.
“It is flatter. It’s supported by people who actually would use active transportation, and it’s beautiful, but it still needs work,” she said.
And more consultations must happen with the Tsleil Waututh Nation before work on the trail continues, Pope said.
“I just want to hold off of moving forward with making a decision today about going with the northern route, because I feel like we’re not there yet,” she said. “We need to have more discussion about that expensive bridge and where it’s going to land in the neighborhood and the pathways that will come out of it.”
While Coun. Lisa Muri favoured the northern route, she also raised concerns about the new bridge.
“I don’t support the bridge at this point right now, because I’m disappointed that we did not discuss this issue with Wild Bird Trust when they have been reaching out to us about that [wildlife] corridor,” she said.
“I know this trail better than anyone and I will tell you, where that bridge is located – coming out onto Fairfield on Plymouth – is a steep incline of a hill. It’s a bus route, and there’s parking on both sides,” Muri said.
But Coun. Jim Hanson, who was acting mayor for the workshop, said the route recommended by staff was a practical option.
“Rather than engaging in more discussion and holding off before moving forward, as has been suggested, I think we’re better to pursue this, pursue the grant funding, pursue the route, pursue the bridge, and get the trail in the bronze standard to Parkgate,” he said.
“And from there, it is my commitment to be a consistent advocate for the connection of the trail to Deep Cove and Cates Park,” Hanson said.
Staff’s post-workshop memo to council added that the district has received a letter of support for the Spirit Trail from Tsleil-Waututh Nation. “The letter of support will strengthen the district’s chances of being awarded the ATF [grant],” the memo reads.
Also, staff said they have reached out to the Wild Bird Trust to continue conversations around the McCartney Creek wildlife corridor, with a meeting proposed for early March. And when the project reaches the design phase, an environmental assessment will be undertaken to mitigate impacts of the bridge, staff said.
Editor's note: This article has been amended with new information from a memo sent from staff to council after the Feb. 10 workshop.
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