The province announced more than $600,000 toward expanding the city's off-road bike trails, just two weeks after the federal government contributed funding to expand parts of the John Rowswell Hub Trail and a new connection to Kinsmen Park.
Sault MPP Ross Romano made the announcement on behalf of the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation at the Hub Trail on Friday, steps away from the Finn Hill parking lot.
The funding to Tourism Sault Ste. Marie will eventually add 30 kilometres of trails to the existing year-round Algoma Trail Network.
Romano said the expansion of the off-road trails will not just add to the enjoyment of Sault Ste. Marie residents, but also make the city even more of an ecotourism destination for cycling enthusiasts.
“It’s an awesome opportunity for our community to be able to really utilize a lot of our natural surroundings — a lot of what makes us special — and something tourists coming into our community can certainly enjoy," said Romano. “It really is something special we have here in Sault Ste. Marie."
Mayor Matthew Shoemaker said the city is already becoming known as a destination for cyclists from across the province and beyond, with over 100 kilometres of trails currently available.
“We are seeing for the money we put in for trails — the Hub Trail and off-road trails — they are keeping people here longer, they are spending more money here. It expands the offerings that we have,”
For years, the Sault's main tourism draw has been the Agawa Canyon Tour Train, but Shoemaker said because it only operates seasonally the city had to strategize ways to diversity the sector.
"Right now we are drawing on what works and what is shown to have a direct positive benefit in terms of tourism spends, and that is expanding our trail network," he said.
Beverley Barber, chair of Tourism Sault Ste. Marie, agrees Sault Ste. Marie is well positioned to establish itself as Ontario’s premiere mountain bike destination.
"Mountain bike tourism has grown exponentially over the past couple of years and is expected to maintain that growth for years to come," said Barber.
Tourism Sault Ste. Marie is taking a 'build it and they will come' approach to marketing the trails, relying more on word of mouth than traditional advertising in places like mountain bike magazines.
Romano said the people of Sault Ste. Marie can contribute by using the trails and spreading the good word.
"I think it’s incumbent on us as a community to promote our city as individuals," he said. “When you have something as beautiful as what we have here and something as special as we have here, I think a lot of that will often sell itself and it’s up to us to do what we can to get that message out there."
"“I would really encourage anyone who has not used it — anyone who is reading about this or seeing this at home who has not taken advantage of our Hub Trail — it really is beautiful," said Romano.