City council is being asked to approve the Whitehorse South Trail Plan as a guiding document.

“The 2021 Whitehorse South Trail Plan provides staff and council with a point of reference that will inform ongoing trail management and development to manage diverse trail needs within the Whitehorse South neighbourhood,” says the administrative report prepared for council.

“To this end, the plan designates existing motorized and non-motorized multi-use trails, recommends these trails for ongoing maintenance, and identifies opportunities for future trail growth.”

The report says the plan will provide residents with clarity on how trails should be used and lays out a connected network of designated trails that will see an improved level of service.

The plan also designates which trails allow motorized vehicles and which trails are designated as non-motorized trails.

The administrative report says the trail plan builds directly on the results of engagement from the 2020 trail plan, as well as feedback received during the 2021 Whitehorse South Trail planning process.

The plan says it will provide clarity around motorized multi-use and non-motorized trail use by proposing designations for existing trails.

Porter Creek resident Keith Lay, however, says the non-motorized trail designation is a bit of an outlier.

Snowmobiles will be allowed on trails designated as non-motorized, he pointed out in his presentation to city council last Monday on behalf of the Active Trails Whitehorse Association.

He noted the fact that snowmobile use will be allowed on non-motorized trails was not included in the information provided in the city survey completed by 21 per cent of Whitehorse South residents.

“As a result, five of the seven survey questions were compromised, since responders were not made aware of what is actually meant by the term ‘non-motorized multiple trail use,’” Lay told council.

He said the trail plan says the non-motorized trails are to be used by a variety of non-motorized users – but does not say snowmobiles will be allowed.

“Is city council going to allow the continuation of this charade?” Lay asked.

If the trail plan is approved in its current form, he told council, every trail in Whitehorse South, except those in ESAs, would be open to motorized use in either summer or winter.

“This does not reflect the intent of the 2020 Trail Plan, which was to ensure that non-motorized trails are truly non-motorized,” he said.

Lay said council could take steps to ensure some trails in the city would be for non-motorized use, which would improve trail safety for active users.

The Active Trails Whitehorse Association frequently fields questions from community members who are well aware of the inequity, he said.