From left, RDFFG Chair Art Kaehn, NDIT CFO Brenda Gendron,TMRS president Randy Ellenchuk, SCI BC resource centre manager Pat Harris, PG-Valemount MLA Shirley Bond, Prince George Mayor Lyn Hall and Lheidli T’enneh Chief Dominick Frederick – photos 250News

Prince George, B.C. – It was all smiles just south of Prince George near the Dougherty Creek campsite on Tabor Mountain today.

Dozens of people gathered to celebrate the grand-opening of the Great-West Life Mobility Trail extension and the addition of two gazebos to the roughly 1.5 km pathway.

The work was spearheaded by the Tabor Mountain Recreation Society (TMRS) with input from Spinal Cord Injury BC (SCI BC).

Randy Ellenchuck, TMRS president, says just over $87,000 went into the extension once all the calculating was done.

“It’s great for northern, B.C. to have such a facility available to them. Folks can come out, they can relax in nature, they can sit here, read a book, wheel around on the trails,” he says.

“They’re all universally friendly so whether you’re in a wheelchair or you can’t walk that well, you can get around. The trails are a maximum three percent grade.”

Plans were also unveiled today for a universally friendly campground project at Dougherty Creek.

“There will be nine campsites and they’ll all be maximum three percent grade. We’ll be working with Spinal Cord Injury BC (SCI BC) to make sure that we get it right and that’s going to happen starting next year.”

The announcement coincided with SCI BC’s Access North Day, an event that highlights “exceptional examples” of accessible outdoor spaces in communities throughout the region.

SCI BC resource centre manager Pat Harris says his organization introduced the concept of the universal design to TMRS a couple of years ago.

“Although we wanted the space to be accessible, we wanted them to start embracing the concept of universal design which is making a space available for everyone and not singling out any specific group,” he says.

“Universal design is embracing everybody from toddlers to seniors and everybody can come and enjoy the space. And these folks really embraced that and took it on and it’s amazing the works that’s being done here.”