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Confederation Trail is the name for a 470 kilometre recreational rail trail system in the Canadian province of Prince Edward Island. It was developed in the 1990s, following the December 31, 1989, abandonment of all railway lines in the province by Canadian National Railway.
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Comprising almost the total mileage of the historic Prince Edward Island Railway, development of the Confederation Trail was encouraged by a rails to trails advocacy group founded at a meeting held on August 3, 1989, in Charlottetown. Rails-to-Trails P.E.I. worked with local communities and individuals across the island, culminating in the decision by the provincial government to purchase the entire railway right-of-way from CN in 1994 after the company had removed all track. The vision of a multiuse linear park from one end of the island to the other was embraced by the provincial government, which manages operations through the Parks Division of Tourism, while the Properties section of the Department of Transportation handles all matters pertaining to the use of the trail other than public use as a biking or hiking trail.
In addition to provincial government employees, the development of the Confederation Trail was assisted by the Trans Canada Trail foundation and by various community groups, volunteers, and Canadian Forces engineers who volunteer in reconstructing abandoned railway bridges for recreational trail use across Canada.
Since its completion from Tignish to Elmira in 2000, the Confederation Trail has proven a popular recreational trail for residents and tourists. Given its railway heritage, the trail has little to no grades and is well drained. Stone dust has been placed over the traditional railway crushed rock ballast, providing a surface suitable for walking/running and biking. Horses are not allowed on the trail. The Confederation Trail remains a non-motorized path for most of the year except during the winter, when the PEI Snowmobile Association leases it, from December 1 to March 31 each year.
The entire trail system is marked with kilometre posts and directional and interpretive signage as well as benches, picnic table shelters, and scenic lookouts throughout. The trail winds through Prince Edward Island's agricultural and forested landscapes and is frequently crossed by public roads.
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As of 2020 [update] , the Confederation Trail had several major routes:
Main trail
Branch trails
Prince Edward Island is an island province of Canada. While it is the smallest province in terms of land area and population, it is the most densely populated. The island has several nicknames: "Garden of the Gulf", "Birthplace of Confederation" and "Cradle of Confederation". Its capital and largest city is Charlottetown. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces.
The Confederation Bridge is a box girder bridge carrying the Trans-Canada Highway across the Abegweit Passage of the Northumberland Strait, linking the province of Prince Edward Island with the mainland province of New Brunswick. Opened on May 31, 1997, the 12.9-kilometre (8.0 mi) bridge is Canada's longest bridge and the world's longest bridge over ice-covered water.
The Prince Edward Island Liberal Party, officially the Prince Edward Island Liberal Association, is a political party in the province of Prince Edward Island, Canada. The PEI Liberals are affiliated with the federal Liberal Party of Canada.
The Progressive Conservative Party of Prince Edward Island is one of three major political parties on Prince Edward Island. The party and its rival, the Liberals, have alternated in power since responsible government was granted in 1851.
The Prince Edward Island Railway (PEIR) was a historic Canadian railway in Prince Edward Island (PEI). The railway ran tip-to-tip on the island, from Tignish in the west to Elmira in the east, with major spurs serving Borden-Carleton's train ferry dock, the capital in Charlottetown, Montague and Georgetown and the original eastern terminus at Souris. A major spur from Charlottetown served Murray Harbour on the south coast.
Tignish is a Canadian town located in Prince County, Prince Edward Island.
Alberton is a Canadian town located in Prince County, Prince Edward Island. It is situated in the western part of the county in the township of Lot 5.
There are various neighbourhoods within the Canadian city of Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island.
The Prince Edward Island Junior C Hockey League is a Junior "C" ice hockey league in Prince Edward Island, Canada, sanctioned by Hockey Canada. The league was known as the Prince Edward Island Minor Junior Hockey League until 2009.
The politics of Prince Edward Island are centred on a provincial government resembling that of the other Canadian provinces. The capital of the province of Prince Edward Island is Charlottetown, where the lieutenant governor and the premier reside, and where the provincial legislature and cabinet are located.
Route 2, also known as Veterans Memorial Highway and the All Weather Highway, is the longest highway in the province of Prince Edward Island, Canada, at 216 kilometres (134 mi). It is a two-lane uncontrolled access highway that runs nearly the entire length of the province, from Tignish to Souris. Route 2 was recognized as the first numbered highway in the province in 1890, when it opened between Charlottetown and Summerside.
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The Hillsborough River Bridge is a bridge crossing the Hillsborough River estuary between Charlottetown and Stratford in Queens County, Prince Edward Island. The current road bridge, built in 1962, replaced a 1905 rail bridge crossing the same span which was known by the same name.
Robert Joseph Morrissey is a Canadian politician. He represents the electoral district of Egmont in the House of Commons of Canada. He is a member of the Liberal Party.
Stanislaus Francis Perry was a Canadian farmer and politician in Prince Edward Island.
Charlottetown is the capital and largest city of the Canadian province of Prince Edward Island, and the county seat of Queens County. Named after Queen Charlotte, Charlottetown was an unincorporated town until it was incorporated as a city in 1855.
The Prince Edward Island Liberal Party, a political party in the Canadian province of Prince Edward Island chooses its leadership by an open vote of party members at a convention called by the party executive when there is a vacancy in the leadership. The first convention was held when Alex W. Matheson sought reelection as leader in 1961.
Public Schools Branch (PSB), formerly the English Language School Board or ELSB, is a Canadian school district in Prince Edward Island.
The 2015 Prince Edward Island general election was held May 4, 2015, to elect members of the 65th General Assembly of Prince Edward Island. Under amendments passed by the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island in 2008, Prince Edward Island elections are usually held on the first Monday of October in the fourth calendar year, unless it is dissolved earlier by the lieutenant governor of Prince Edward Island due to a motion of no confidence, or at the request of the premier. The current government had hinted that an election would be held "before Mother's Day" 2015, and such a dissolution would avoid any conflicts with the next federal election, expected to be held in October 2015.
Cannabis in Prince Edward Island became legal when the national Cannabis Act went into force on October 17, 2018.
