Centennial Trail in Bridgewater. Photo: Town of Bridgewater
Hike Nova Scotia, the largest group of its kind in the province wants to hear what the province’s political candidates have planned for trails across the province.
Janet Barlow, Executive Director of Hike NS says she hasn’t heard any mention of hiking as candidates campaign around the province. She says, “We’ve seen a massive surge in usage, and with that comes the need for more maintenance and care which is why we are looking for the province’s political parties to commit to helping our trails,”.
As more people use the trails Barlow says things like garbage collection, repairs, and maintenance are more needed now than ever.
In the last year, Barlow says their membership has increased by 20 per cent and their online following has grown to around 80,000.
The pandemic is one of the reasons Barlow believes trails are becoming more popular along with the province’s growing population.
“It just seems like a no-brainer to help our trails, as encouraging a healthy lifestyle can help with so many other issues especially physical and mental health,” Barlow said.
So far none of the major political parties have mentioned plans for the province’s trails as part of their platforms but Barlow hopes that will change. “We’ve sent out a survey to all the candidates across the province and we plan to publish the responses we hear back so our members will know what if anything they plan to do,”.
Barlow says many of their members are incredibly passionate about trails and she thinks it’s possible each party’s plans for trails may influence their votes.
