Keeping the Trans-Canada-Trail open, safe and clear
On March 3, 2026, local trail users, volunteers, business representatives and Christina Lake Trail Alliance partners met at the Welcome Centre with representatives from the Trans Canada Trail (TCT) to talk specifically about the 67 km Christina Lake section of the Trans Canada Trail — and what’s needed to keep that stretch accessible, maintained, and properly supported going forward.
What we discussed:
TCT shared their priorities-trail quality, safe and engaging experiences, and reducing barriers to access-while hearing local concerns and on-theground realities for this 67 km corridor. Key themes included:
- The trail’s importance to the community (recreation access, local history, and even functioning as a firebreak)
- The need for a clear pathway for designation/management so maintenance work can happen effectively
- Ongoing questions around liability and costs- without the right designation, access to funding and coverage is severely restricted.
What’s next:
With support from the Trans-Canada Trail organization, we are planning to meet with the Province to instate a management frameowork that will allow for coordination across agencies and work with local, industry, and other partners on a shared stewardship model that keeps this important TCT link safe and accessible.
The CWRT-TCT Issue, Explained
In 2019, the Province disestablished a 67 km section of the Columbia Western Rail Trail ( Castlegar to just north of Christina Lake) as a formal recreation trail, while assuring the public there would be no impact to The Trans Canada Trail designation and that access would remain as it had been.
A June 30, 2025 notice issued jointly by the Ministry of Forests and the Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Strewardwhip states the rail grade is being managed toward a “wilderness status,” leaving this important TCT link open to use but without the stewardship framework typically needed to keep it consistently safe and reliable.
Since then, a core group of community groups, including Gateway and other members of the Christina Lake Trail Alliance have been gathering support and asking the government to come to the table to work towards a solution.
