Active Transportation Plan For Town Of Peace River

PEACE RIVER: Randy Boissonnault, Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance, announced a federal investment of $50,000 to support active transportation planning in the Town of Peace River.

This funding will support the development of the West Side Active Transportation Plan.

The project will include planning and preliminary engineering work to review existing conditions and identify solutions to improve active transportation connections, particularly on the west side of the Peace River, and connecting to the new pedestrian bridge that opened in 2021. This study will give residents a chance to weigh in on the future of active transportation to ensure that the Plan meets their needs.

The West Side Active Transportation Plan will provide clear direction on how to close gaps in the Town’s active transportation network. This will result in infrastructure investments to support a variety of modes of transportation.

Active transportation encourages healthy lifestyles, provides an affordable means for Canadians of all ages and abilities to access their communities.

Minister Boissonnault said: “Walking paths, bike networks, and other active transportation options keep Alberta communities connected and healthy. Today’s announcement builds on our net-zero goals, providing Peace River with new resources to develop an active transportation plan informed by community priorities. Thank you to everyone that made this announcement possible.”

Elaine Manzer, Mayor, Town of Peace River, said: “One of the goals of the Town’s Strategic Plan is to ‘Build a Physically Connected Community’ and the Active Transportation Plan will be used to identify the long-term plan to achieve that goal. This project is an important step forward.”

• Active transportation refers to the movement of people or goods powered by human activity, and includes walking, cycling and the use of human-powered or hybrid mobility aids such as wheelchairs, scooters, e-bikes, rollerblades, snowshoes and cross-country skis, and more.

• The Active Transportation Fund will provide $400 million over five years to make travel by active transportation easier, safer, more convenient and more enjoyable, in support of Canada's first National Active Transportation Strategy.

• Municipal governments, local and regional governments such as service districts, and Indigenous organizations are eligible recipients for the Active Transportation Fund. Provinces, territories, and not-for-profit organizations are also eligible in specific circumstances.

• The Active Transportation Fund’s first general application intake closed on March 31, 2022. Applications for planning and capital projects from eligible Indigenous recipients continue to be accepted on an ongoing basis.

• Canada's National Active Transportation Strategy is the country's first coast-to-coast-tocoast strategic approach for promoting active transportation and its benefits.

The strategy’s aim is to make data-driven and evidence-based investments to build new and expanded active transportation networks and to create safe environments for more equitable, healthy, active and sustainable travel options to thrive.

• Active transportation infrastructure provides many tangible benefits, creating good middleclass jobs, growing the economy, promoting healthier lifestyles, advancing equity amongst vulnerable Canadians, cutting air and noise pollution, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Investing in safer active transportation infrastructure is key to ensuring people of all ages and abilities can access jobs and services and connect with their communities.