The West Parry Sound Active Transportation Committee is working on a master plan to encourage people to leave their cars behind and give people interconnected routes region-wide for walking and biking.
Started in 2006 through the health unit to promote healthy activities to decrease cases of chronic diseases such as heart disease, Type 2 diabetes and cancer, the committee has now also set its sights on attracting tourists.
According to committee chair Wendall Fisher, who cited a 2002 Transport Canada paper, bicycle tourism is taking off in this country and was worth $131 million in Quebec alone in 2002.
 Fisher said this region is well suited to benefit from bicycle tourism and that, in addition, a master plan would help attract business and employees here.
We agree for two reasons.
Parry Sound area, flanked by Georgian Bay, has a unique and wonderful landscape that already attracts visitors to the parks, cottages and resorts. Ecotourism is already well established with people heading to Canada’s mountains and oceans for vacations beyond a resort’s walls.  We already rely on tourism for the vast majority of our business and have the infrastructure needed to make this a reality – Park-To-Park Trail and paved shoulders along Oastler Lake Drive.
But, as Fisher pointed out, ‘what we lack is an overall plan for our area and connectivity with respect to the routes which already exist.”
And, on top of that, as a community we’re constantly clamoring to attract more professionals in the medical community to build on the skill sets we already have and save residents a drive to larger communities. A community with great, accessible trails and routes for recreation and green transportation can be nothing but a benefit for professionals looking for a new home base.  
If those two points weren’t enough, there’s our health and our environment that would improve with people choosing green transportation.
Two municipalities have already endorsed the initiative.
We hope the rest follow suit in the new year. 

http://www.cottagecountrynow.ca/opinion/editorial/article/1272081