Part of an Orillia trail is going to be dedicated in memory of Greg Stobbart, an OPP officer killed in a cycling tragedy in 2006.
At Monday night’s city council meeting, councillors — at the request of Mayor Steve Clarke — agreed to waive their normal naming policy to fast-track the dedication.
Clarke said OPP Commissioner Thomas Carrique approached him about the possible trail dedication.
The mayor said the OPP had considered naming a bridge in Stobbart’s name, but that honour is only bestowed on an officer killed in the line of duty.
Stobbart, a fitness buff, was killed while cycling in Milton by a distracted truck driver in June 2006. He was 44 years old.
His widow, Eleanor McMahon, founded the Share the Road organization in his memory. The provincial cycling advocacy organization’s goal is to build a bicycle-friendly Ontario.
After being elected an MPP, she also introduced legislation that has led to steeper fines for distracted driving.
After consultation with city staff, ministry officials and others, it has been determined that dedicating a local trail in his honour would make a lot of sense, said Clarke.
The mayor said that because Central Region Headquarters and General Headquarters are in Orillia, the city is a good spot for the dedication.
He also noted that Orillia is the OPP’s largest detachment in the province. The part of the trail to be dedicated is across the road from the new detachment being constructed in west Orillia.
“The request was made to place a sign on a part of the trail somewhere in the vicinity of the OPP and staff have picked a potential site across from the new detachment on Old Barrie Road on that trail extension,” said Clarke.
“That is the perfect position for a trail to be dedicated for this officer right across from our new OPP detachment,” said Coun. Pat Hehn.
Typically, the process for naming such a trail would go to the recreation advisory committee. However, because of the timing of meetings, that would have pushed a possible dedication ceremony to around Christmastime, said the mayor.
That would have been “problematic,” said Clarke, thanking his colleagues for fast-tracking the initiative.
Members of the recreation advisory committee will be invited to the trail dedication. The date of the dedication has not yet been determined.
