Mr. Speaker, this past July, I was pleased to announce an agreement with the Northwest Territories Recreation and Parks Association to provide financial support for a new Recreation Trail Building Program for our communities.
The Government of the Northwest Territories has committed $500,000 over the next five years to this program. This investment will then be combined with $160,000 in funding from the Trans Canada Trail Foundation to create a fund of $660,000.
Local trails in communities provide many benefits. For the residents, trails provide low cost recreation facilities that all residents can use for a variety of activities, including walking, biking, skiing and running. They are attractive to residents of all ages and can be used year round. Trails also help to support the tourism industry by providing an attraction to visitors. For communities, trails are a great facility option since they are less expensive to maintain than other types of recreation facilities.
Mr. Speaker, we share a vision with the NWT Recreation and Parks Association that all communities in the Northwest Territories will soon have attractive, multi-use trails for their residents.
It is important that we provide this type of infrastructure. This past year, the government launched a very successful Get Active NWT campaign that saw more than 15 percent of the territory's population take up the challenge to increase their physical activity. By supporting the development of safe, accessible facilities, we hope to encourage more people to get active.
In the coming years, as more trails are developed, we expect that campaigns like Get Active NWT will indicate higher rates of physical activity.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to take a moment to recognize our partner in this program, the NWT Recreation and Parks Association, the official organization of the Trans Canada Trail in the Northwest Territories. This past year, they launched an ambitious new initiative that saw a local author, Mr. Jamie Bastedo, travel the entire length of the Trans Canada Trail in the Northwest Territories. The purpose of his trip was to conduct research for a guidebook that he is writing on the NWT portion of the Trans Canada Trail.
When this resource is complete, it will be an aid for any person traveling the trail, and help promote tourism by providing information about the amenities available in our communities.
The NWT Recreation and Parks Association has also been an active supporter of the Get Active NWT campaign, and is a leader and champion of active living in the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
---Applause