The online petition to bring back trail names like Merry-Go-Round (now #11) and Chicken Run (now #14) shows support from 500 signatories as of today.
Here’s the guy who started it all, Charles Mortureux as rendered in the Ottawa Sports Hall of Fame at Scotiabank Place.
There Mortureux is remembered not only for being president of the Ottawa Ski Club for 25 years (1919 to 1947, that’s 28 years isn’t it?) but also for his involvement in paddling as Commodore of the New Edinburgh Canoe Club. As president of the OSC he purchased the first shack at Camp Fortune (from a man named Garrett Fortune – the shack thus being referred to as a “camp,” giving rise to the place-name we use today). It was during his tenure as president that many of the oldest ski trails in Gatineau Park were established and named.
With respect to the petition, although it today reads 500 signatories, in fact the representation is higher since some signatures represent couples and I, who started it, am not counted in the total.
The cards that GuideGatineau has begun distributing to promote the website are considered to be highly environmentally responsible due to the fact that the paper used is 100% recycled and is produced using energy from biofuels plus the ink is vegetable based.