MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
2020 – What a rollercoaster of a year ! First , COVID-19 has affected everyone and everything . One of the few bright spots during the course of the ongoing pandemic has been the surge in people discovering or re-discovering our parks and trails . We have seen huge increases in people getting out on the trails . With more people comes more work in trail maintenance , development and education . There is also an opportunity to build long-lasting support and grow stewardship groups and trail volunteers to ensure that the beautiful trails in Manitoba continue to offer a welcoming respite long after the pandemic is over .
There were many highlights to celebrate last year as well . The biggest one was an announcement by the Provincial government to provide $ 7.5 million dollars for trails in Manitoba . The money , which is held by The Winnipeg Foundation , will provide long term operating funds for the organization as well as support two new granting programs for trail development and maintenance . We are very grateful to our partners at the Province and The Winnipeg Foundation for their ongoing support .
The new funding led to significant work by our Grants Committee to develop a Grant Guide and Applications . A very big thank you to Dean Kriellaars and the whole committee for all their work ! We were very excited to launch our new grant program in December and can ’ t wait to see all the wonderful projects that will be coming from it in the years to come .
Last summer I was very fortunate to be able to attend two bridge opening celebrations . The first , that occurred in two parts was the celebration of the completion of what has now become our iconic red bridges on the Cabin Lake Trail and over Hanson ’ s Creek on the Centennial Trail . These bridges were saved from the landfill by innovative thinking and a wonderful partnership with Pier Solutions . The second bridge celebration was the new crossing of Joubert Creek on the Crow Wing Trail . This bridge will take trail users off of a busy provincial road , improving safety on the trail . Congratulations to everyone who helped make these new crossings a reality .
With all of this activity , I am very proud that the staff and Board of Trails Manitoba still found time to complete our 3-year strategic plan . This process was started by the membership at the 2017 AGM and has now resulted in the creation of a new Vision Statement , an updated Mission Statement , and new Objectives and Goals to help guide Trails Manitoba for the next three years .
In 2020 , we have also had opportunities to build partnerships with Travel Manitoba and Manitoba Parks . In September , I had the opportunity to meet with other trail groups and user groups to provide input into the ongoing Provincial Trails Strategy . We look forward to our continued partnership and working to build and promote amazing destinations that will benefit our communities and local economies together .
We have one retiring Director this year . Ian Hughes has served on the Board for 10 years , many of those as President . He oversaw the completion of The Great Trail in Manitoba in 2017 and the celebration of the opening of the new pavilion , steps away from the Canadian Museum for Human Rights . He led Trails Manitoba through some difficult years , ensuring the organization moved forward and remained vibrant . Ian , from everyone at Trails Manitoba and all of the trail groups and trail users in Manitoba , THANK YOU for your volunteerism , your time and your dedication .
Finally , I want to thank everyone involved in building and maintaining our beautiful trails . Thank you to my fellow Board members ; Tim our Executive Director ; Janette our Executive Assistant ; Darcy and her team at Little Bluestem ; and all the trail groups and volunteers working so hard out there . Also , a big thanks to our funders : the Province of Manitoba , Trans-Canada Trail , and many private donors . We can ’ t do this without you .
Erik Dickson President , Trails Manitoba
Annual Report-2020 Year in Review 5