The board that oversees the maintenance on a very popular walking trail in HRM says they are returning that responsibility back to the province.

The B.L.T Trail has been around for 25 years, stretching for 13 kilometres through Beechville, Lakeside and Timberlea.

Since 2004, the B.L.T Rails to Trails Association has held a Letter of Authority on the trail but now says upkeep has become too much.

In a letter written to the Department of Natural Resources and Renewables November 28, the B.L.T. Rails to Trails Association says membership made the decision to pass responsibility back to Nova Scotia after “significant reflection”.

“For more than twenty years, the community has come together to transform an abandoned rail corridor into one of the busiest and most vibrant trails in the Halifax Regional Municipality,” says the letter.

“Despite this success, the association has determined that the current community development model, the funding structure, and the limited number of volunteers mean we can no longer maintain the trail to the expected standard.”

The association says a lot of the difficulty is due to the impact of natural disasters and a reduction in volunteers.

However, they association says they are proud of what they have accomplished and looking ahead they believe the trail can remain sustainable for “years to come” with the support of Nova Scotia.

The return of the Letter of Authority will become effective March 31, 2026.