{"id":5209,"date":"2026-03-21T04:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-21T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/infonews.ca\/inwheels\/news\/5209\/movement-to-save-the-kvr-trail-near-coquihalla-picking-up-speed\/"},"modified":"2026-03-21T04:00:14","modified_gmt":"2026-03-21T11:00:14","slug":"movement-to-save-the-kvr-trail-near-coquihalla-picking-up-speed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/infonews.ca\/inwheels\/news\/5209\/movement-to-save-the-kvr-trail-near-coquihalla-picking-up-speed\/","title":{"rendered":"Movement to save the KVR Trail near Coquihalla picking up speed"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A stretch of the Kettle Valley Rail Trail is set to be decommissioned, but a group of locals are trying to save it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 67 kilometre stretch of the trail from Princeton to the Coquihalla Highway was damaged by heavy rain and flooding in November 2021 and it would cost $60 million to repair, but Princeton\u2019s mayor Spencer Coyne said there have been good discussions with the provincial government about saving it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe pace of conversations has picked up in recent days, and we are feeling optimistic that we are moving toward the outcome the community would like to see,\u201d Coyne said in a written statement on March 15. \u201cAny path forward must ultimately reflect the province\u2019s priorities regarding liability management, public safety, financial constraints, and the parameters of available federal funding.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This stretch of the KVR trail is part of the Trans Canada Trail, and while it would take $60 million to fix, the province estimates it would cost $20 million and up to three years to decommission it, according to an announcement from the Ministry of Environment on Feb. 6. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conservative MP for Similkameen-South Okanagan-West Kootenay Helena Konanz said she has met with officials from Princeton and Tulameen to work on a plan to save the trail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTo lose this part of the KVR would be a huge loss to these communities and a massive blow to tourism for the area. The BC Government needs to come back to the table with a plan to save these beautiful trails instead of erasing them,\u201d she wrote in a post on social media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An online petition to save the trail has 11,792 signatures<\/a> in an effort to try to convince the provincial government to pause the decommissioning and look for solutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe KVR is an important recreational, historical and economic asset. It supports tourism, local businesses, outdoor recreation and public access to natural spaces, while preserving a key piece of British Columbia\u2019s transportation and settlement history,\u201d the petition reads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An engineering report found that there are 61 sites on the trail between Princeton and the Coquihalla Highway that were damaged including bridges, culverts and various other hazards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coyne said that some people have been pushing to protest, but he thinks it would be counterproductive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are actively working with the province, and organizing a protest of that nature would be counterproductive to the collaborative work that has been underway and continues today,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since it\u2019s so early in the negotiating process, Coyne said it\u2019s too early to start fundraising, but there are reasons to be hopeful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOnce there is greater certainty about the path forward, we will be in a better position to determine whether, and to what extent, financial support may be needed,\u201d he said. \u201cBoth sides are approaching the discussions in good faith, with the shared goal of identifying a viable solution.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cThe pace of conversations has picked up in recent days, and we are feeling optimistic that we are moving toward the outcome the community would like to see.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":547,"featured_media":5210,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"guid":"","source":"","byline":"","published":"","updated":"","_infotelid":"","_prepressid":"","_multisite_post_sync":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1285,492,493],"tags":[],"region":[206,207,208,209],"class_list":["post-5209","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-local","category-topnews","region-kamloops","region-kelowna","region-penticton","region-vernon"],"blocksy_meta":[],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/infonews.ca\/inwheels\/news\/5209\/movement-to-save-the-kvr-trail-near-coquihalla-picking-up-speed\/","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Movement to save the KVR Trail near Coquihalla picking up speed","url":"http:\/\/infonews.ca\/inwheels\/news\/5209\/movement-to-save-the-kvr-trail-near-coquihalla-picking-up-speed\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/infonews.ca\/inwheels\/news\/5209\/movement-to-save-the-kvr-trail-near-coquihalla-picking-up-speed\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/infonews.ca\/inwheels\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/inwheels-Screenshot-2026-03-19-at-1.59.18-PM.png?w=150&h=150&crop=1","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/infonews.ca\/inwheels\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/inwheels-Screenshot-2026-03-19-at-1.59.18-PM.png"},"articleSection":"Featured","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Jesse Tomas"}],"creator":["Jesse Tomas"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"iNwheels","logo":""},"keywords":[],"dateCreated":"2026-03-21T11:00:00Z","datePublished":"2026-03-21T11:00:00Z","dateModified":"2026-03-21T11:00:14Z"},"rendered":"