RM of Tache approves funding for Centre of Canada, Monominto Trails gets grant

The RM of Tache has approved funding for the Centre of Canada Park in perpetuity and the Monominto Trails have received a grant for restoration.

Council voted to create a reserve fund in perpetuity for the Centre of Canada Park in the annual amount of $40,000 beginning in 2027.

“We want to be able to give the park committee (the Community Development Corporation) some security every year that they can have guaranteed funds to be able to move ahead with projects to keep the park alive and progressing,” said Mayor Armand Poirier.

The Centre of Canada Park reserve fund will be financed through taxation by a special levy on all taxable and grant-in-lieu properties within the municipality. Annual rental fees collected from the lease agreement of the remaining undeveloped land in the southwest quarter section of 26-9-5E will also go towards the fund.

The Centre of Canada Park opened alongside the Trans-Canada Highway in mid-August 2017. At the time, the establishment of the park cost $79,675, which was offset by $38,432 in grants and donations with the remainder being paid for by the municipality.

The money covered the cost of mowing and maintaining the site after a culvert was installed, a driveway and parking pad were built; interpretive signage, flagpoles, and picnic tables were erected; and flowers and topsoil were added, according to an article in The Carillon at the time.

Long-term plans for the park include shops, restaurants, and even glamping to increase traffic beyond the estimated 1,500 vehicles that already stop every day in the summer, according to a 2025 article by The Carillon. Organizers at the time shared that an outdoor rink might also be in the future for the site as a winter attraction.

Monominto Trails

The Monominto Trails restoration project has received a provincial grant through the Off-Road Vehicle Land and Trail Rehabilitation grant program in the amount of $22,478.

“There’s apparently some damage that had been done by ATVs and other off-road vehicles,” said Poirier.

“And then (we’ll be) making the trail safe. There’s trees and rocks to be moved here and there to make things easier to navigate for people walking through there.”

The 6.5 kilometre trail system is located at the intersection of Monominto Road and Highway 501 and travels north onto municipal property. “(It’s a) very popular trail that people use on a daily basis,” said Poirier.

As a condition of the grant, the RM must get authorization from the drainage and water control branch for culvert replacement, if needed, and a certificate of general liability insurance with a minimum coverage of $5 million dollars that is valid until March 31, 2027.

Once the grant agreement has been signed and processed, the first payment of $17,982 will be issued followed by the balance upon project completion. Poirier said the grant will be matched by the RM.

“And, of course, public works has a busy summer ahead of them. So, it will be up to the public works (department) to decide how they’re going to undertake this or whether they will or we’re going to have to get a contractor to do the work,” said Poirier, who estimated the work will be done in preparation for fall or winter.

The project must be finalized by Jan. 1, 2027.