Okanagan Rail Trail gets almost $500,000 from federal government

KELOWNA – The Okanagan Rail Trail Initiative has received funding from both the province and the federal government this week.

The federal government is contributing jsut over $471,000 from the Canada 150 Community Infrastructure Program.

“I want to congratulate all those who are working so hard to bring this legacy project to fruition,” Kelowna-Lake Country MP Stephen Fuhr says in a media release. “The Okanagan Rail Trail will connect our communities, allow us to explore the heritage and beauty of the Okanagan and provide an outstanding recreational and tourist destination for many generations to come.”

Funding will go towards turning 49.5 kilometres of abandoned CN rail grade, into a cycling path that will connect Kelowna to Coldstream.

Earlier this week, the B.C. Government announced it was providing over $777,000 for the project from the Bike BC program.

The fundraising campaign for phase one of the trail began almost a year ago in May 2016 and over half the $7.8 million goal has been collected.

Find past stories on the Okanagan Rail Trail here.

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