Funding from the provincial government announced today will provide healthier options for getting around in Sooke.
Dan Coulter, Minister of State for Infrastructure and Transit, joined Langford-Juan de Fuca MLA Ravi Parmar and Sooke Mayor Maja Tait at École Edward Poirier on Monday (March 25) to announce a $500,000 Active Transportation infrastructure grant for a multi-use trail and pathway that will provide a vital link between Sun River and Ravens Ridge Park that will connect with Sooke’s downtown core.
The link will turn what was a four-kilometre commute along the highway through Sooke into a one-kilometre walk surrounded by nature.
Another grant in the same amount will provide improvements such as extended sidewalks, pedestrian crossings, and bike lanes along Charters Road.
“I am thrilled and grateful to see the Active Transporation Infrastructure Grants program bolstering our community’s efforts towards a more sustainable and active future,” Tait said
The two projects will improve safety and foster a healthier, more connected and resilient community, Tait noted.
Parmar said people across the province are seeing tangible enhancements in their neighbourhoods through these grants.
“Promoting active transportation isn’t just about roads and paths, it’s about fostering safer, healthier and more convenient lifestyles for everyone,” Parmar said. “By investing in bike lanes, sidewalks and safe routes to schools and trail networks now, we’re laying the foundation for a safer, more interconnected future that benefits everyone.”
Coulter said the grants enable communities to plan on a larger scale to address transportation challenges and provide more options for people to get around.
“More people are choosing to walk, run and cycle each year,” he noted.
Jen Temple, president of the École Edward Poirier Parents Advisory Council, expressed her gratitude to everyone involved in the projects.
The Little River multi-use trail connector will provide parents with a safe and healthy option for parents to get their kids to and from school, she added.
The funding is part of $24 million allotted to support active transportation infrastructure projects such as pathways, pedestrian bridges, and safety improvements for Indigenous, local, and regional governments across the province.