An opening ceremony was held at the Village Commons to open a new trail system as a part of the Rainbow Ridge Affordable Housing development.

The trail system is now open to the public, and creates direct connectivity for travelers on several existing trail systems. The network is designed for humans, dogs, and even horses. The trails were funded by the Healthy Communities Initiative Grant.

The Village Commons is a public gathering space connected to the trails. It is also a very new public space, in its early stages of fruition. 

Brenda and Rose Hanson, from the Klahoose First Nation, began the ribbon-cutting ceremony with a welcome song. Christopher Fleck helped open the ceremony with a musical circle. There was free food and pony rides available.

Jason Thompson, a community member present at the event, spoke with CKTZ about how this trail system will affect the health of the community.

"The mental health especially, because if there's an organization, all they need is a space to go, I can then join that organization because now they've put out a spotlight...that makes me feel that much better to be a part of what I want to do, plus just be a part of the community and everything else...And then you gather together and everybody does the same thing and they're all happy."

Sandra Wood, executive director of the Cortes Housing Society, elaborated on the plans moving forward with the Rainbow Ridge Affordable Housing Project, where the trails are located.

“It's our third time, it will be the lucky time for Cortes Island to be selected by BC Housing to build affordable rental homes for our local community. And that is something we're hoping if we get picked this year in 2023, that we will actually start construction next year in 2024," Wood said. "So that's the dream.”

To hear more about how this new trail system will impact the community, listen to the CKTZ News Update below: