Snowmobile Club Request To Use Road Allowance Approved In Principle

Craig Bakay | Aug 10, 2022

Addington Highlands Council is sympathetic to a proposal from the Mazinaw Powerline Snowmobile Club (MPLSC) to use Hunt Road to access their trails and passed an approval in principle to that effect at its regular meeting last week in Denbigh (which was also broadcast on YouTube now that the Denbigh facility has been outfitted for meetings.

Appearing as a delegation before Council, MPLSC President Pat Reid said they’ve been having issues for five years with landowner Amos Shiner who keeps closing the roadway the club had been using.

“We want to move our trail back to the road allowance,” Reid said. “It would be from Dec. 15 to March 15.

“We have $15 million in insurance and we’ve gotten a $100,000 grant from the Snowmobile Federation to fix it up.”

Reid said that by their reckoning, snowmobiling generates $73,000 in yearly revenue to the local economy.

“For us, this huge,” Reid said. “If he closes the gate, we can’t get the groomers through.

“We just want the Township to buy into what we’re trying to do.”

Dep. Clerk Patricia Gray said that after talking with Manager of Roads and Waste Brett Reavie, the project would require surveys, permits and MNR approval.

“There would be no maintenance, we’ll need a written agreement and others will be able to use it as well,” she said.

“I snowmobile down through there and I think it’s important to have,” said Coun. Kirby Thompson.

“I think it’s important as well,” said Dep. Reeve Tony Fritsch.

“Landowners have the right to say yay or nay as to who crosses their property but I do think we need to support snowmobile clubs where we can,” said Coun. Helen Yanch.

Council approved the plan in principle if the club can provide a survey to prove it’s on the road allowance.

Private Laneway Assistance

There won’t be any private laneway maintenance assistance program similar to that in place in South Frontenac Township in Addington Highlands in the near future.

Responding to a request from the Skootamatta District Ratepayers Association, CAO/Clerk-Treasurer Christine Reed said at the last meeting, Council decided to only receive similar requests for information.

“Since it has budgetary implications, it’s not something that can be implemented at this time,” she said.

Short Term Rentals

The working group looking at Short Term Rentals won’t be meeting again until September, Reeve Henry Hogg told Council but even so, it doesn’t look like the problem is as prevalent in Addington Highlands as it would appear to be in other municipalities.

“We haven’t had a lot of complaints,” said Dep. Clerk Patricia Gray.

“It’s sounds as if they’re just writing up for hoodlums,” said Coun. Kirby Thompson. “I’m not saying there aren’t examples of that but I don’t think it’s rampant.

“It also sounds like they would only rent properties zoned commercial.”

“Most resorts and tent/trailer parks are zoned residential,” said Gray.

“I don’t know how much of an issue there is,” said Hogg. “I have a severe issue with licensing because once you require licences, you have to make sure it’s safe.

“I also don’t know how you would regulate it.”

“You may not solve the issue you’re trying to solve either,” said Dep. Reeve Tony Fritsch. “Enforcement is a problem.”

“We already have a noise bylaw,” said Coun. David Miles. “It’s a matter of more rules on top of rules and if it’s a problem in other areas, I don’t think it’s a problem here.”

“I don’t think we need to make rules that aren’t needed,” said Coun. Helen Yanch.

Noise Bylaw Exemption

Council approved an exemption to the noise bylaw for the North of 7 Challenge event in order to have the use of a PA system which would broadcast announcements, results and amplified music.

The event is scheduled for Sept. 10 from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 33 Jacques Bay Road in Cloyne.

The exemption includes on for Part 9 of the bylaw which pertains to persistent yelling, shouting, hooting, whistling or singing.

The North of 7 OCR Challenge is a 3-kilometre obstacle course that includes climbing over walls, carrying heavy objects, traversing bodies of water, jumping over hurdles, etc.

There are currently 53 registered and a maximum of 200 participants.