A former employee of the Department of Natural Resources and manager of parks and trails in the northeastern part of the province says he is concerned about the safety of those who use St. Peter’s Coastal Trail.
The 3km stretch that runs from River Tillard to Toulouse Street was without a group to maintain it for several months until the East Richmond ATV Riders Association was awarded the Letter of Authority (LOA) in June.
Mark Vanderhoeden, who is part of the St. Peter’s and Area Trail group, says he was disappointed when he found out about the LOA and asks that vehicles stay off of it until the trail is up to a certain standard.
“I had a friend of mine say a dirt bike came up behind her and passed her, scared the heck out of her,” said Vanderhoeden. “No work has been done and yet the bikes are on there already.”
“They are even to the point where they’re going down onto the beach.”
A concern, he says, is ATV’s using the trail before it’s ready if the government refuses to change their mind on who will take care of it.
Vanderhouden says, his group is considering pushing the province to rescind the LOA, feeling like the province did not properly do their due diligence and that during consultations, the public got the wrong idea about the kind of trail it is.
“The posters that [the province] advertised the consultation process on, only identified the trail as an abandoned unmaintained rail corridor,” explains Vanderhoeden in a message.
“We felt this was unfair because of the 38 years of management that Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources and their Parks Division had carried out on this trail.”
Province says they did consultations
In a statement to our newsroom DNR and the Department of Communities, Culture, Tourism and Heritage says St. Peter’s Coastal Trail has been the subject of community discussion for many years.
“Community members expressed a desire or broad public engagement to help inform decisions about the long-term use and management of the corridor.”
The province says a third-party consultant gathered feedback from residents and other stakeholders.
- A public information session held on January 18, 2025, where participants had opportunities to ask questions, share their views and complete surveys
- An online survey to broaden participation and gather additional feedback
- Direct outreach to adjoining landowners and community groups
The final report indicated that the community wanted “a shared, multiuse trail that could accommodate a variety of recreational users.” In addition, the province says the ATV group hosted a public information itself and received similar feedback.
“The decision to issue the Letter of Authority reflects years of community dialogue and engagement regarding the future of the corridor,” says the statement. “It supports a collaborative, community-led approach.”
ATV group excited
The ATV group made the announcement on social media late June saying they were excited about getting authority of the trail and that the milestone had been a “long time coming”.
“It would not have been possible without the dedication and support of our current and former members who have contributed countless hours to this project over the years,” says the group.
In the post the group asked motorized vehicles to stay off the trail until the work is complete to bring it to a multi-use standard.
Enforcement
Vanderhoeden says the group is worried about who will enforce not using the trail before it is ready.
He says he called the head of the ATV association but did not get answer when he asked him about it.
“Apparently there is none or very little [enforcement].”
We have reached out to the ATV group for comment.
