LEGEND Green- AT Proposed in current DASZ/Orange-Possible future AT connections/Blue- Current Bonavista AT connections
Closer examination of the forthcoming DASZ 10/2026, prepared for future Precinct K South development, shows two small Active Transportation connections not seen in previous iterations. One new AT pathway ROW, in South Fraipont to the east, connects a new street to the linear parkway within the City’s Four Mile Road ROW. The new connecting ROW may or may not be in line with an existing AT ROW extending southwards from Bonavista’s Eau Claire Drive.
The second AT stub, immediately west of the CPKC railway tracks, connects a new street in South Royalwood to the Four-Mile Road tree-line. The City informed us in 2025 that they had not been in recent discussions with CPKC Railway regarding a similarly proposed AT pathway crossing the tracks at the end of Royalwood’s Demetrioff Drive. The possibility also exists for a second at-grade AT crossing in Precinct K at the Four Mile Road ROW. In fact, construction rights for that at-grade crossing may have already been historically granted. (Although the City may well wish to trade those rights to CPKC for the rights to the future Warde Avenue road crossing.)
The Precinct K area structure plan recognized the need for an east-west AT pathway leading from the Seine River to points to the east. A recent City AT map (admittedly too macular for much use) seems to confirm that.
In Spring 2026 Qualico revealed to SOS that, pending confirmation from land surveyors, most of the tree stand along the potential east-west ROW was located in the Sampson Lands to the north. While the new DASZ 10/2026 does not protect the subject tree line with a Qualico designed AT pathway ROW, it does create a new AT ROW connection to the city owned Sioux Road West ROW.
It is our belief that Qualico has not negotiated a land swap for the City ROW, and that the City will retain ownership of Sioux Road West.
In 2025 a City staffer wrote the CBRA and community stakeholders…
“In the recently adopted Pedestrian and Cycling Strategies (PCS), the Bicycle Network Map shows the pathways on the east side of the rail line as well as a proposed pathway parallel to the rail line on the east side. It doesn’t identify Demetrioff [Drive] and a crossing specifically, but that doesn’t mean that the desire and the potential ability to do it aren’t there. The PCS also identifies the future Warde Avenue connection across or under the rail line as the Primary Network connection here. The final thing to note regarding the PCS is the priority map. The priority for the connections leading to the Demetrioff crossing are ‘Lowest Priority’, although many of these were constructed by the developer, but we would interpret the crossing to have the same priority. Warde Ave has a ‘medium priority’, but that is tied to the future road construction. Without direction from Council to bypass higher priority AT projects, I don’t believe I have the ability to elevate the study and design of a new rail crossing in the short term. I could see a future Councillor motion asking us to study, design, and get a cost estimate for Council to consider in a future budget, especially when the Rec Centre development starts to take off. As part of that study we would reach out to CPKC and engage them on the potential for a new crossing, but they may continue to say no and then there is not much more we can do.”
Precinct K South has a brand-new City councillor. That councillor will be voting to approve the Qualico-led DASZ application in less than 4 weeks. It is unknown if community groups could ever be able to break through the flood of information, described by others as a hosepipe, presently surging around the new City councillors on the Riel Community Committee.
In an ideal world, community groups would meet with City staff, the Mayor and with local councillors in the next few weeks to discuss local AT connectivity, the new community centre in Bonavista, the two new proposed schools in South Fraipont, and the Mayor’s pre-election commitment to improve land-use planning along the Seine River Valley greenway in South Royalwood.
Time is indeed short.
(NOTE: My apologies to the private owners of the Sampson Lands, Guertin Lands and Creek Bend Retreat for showing lines depicting nominal AT trail ROWs on your properties.)