bbakernbay

I presume the OFSC has authorized those Clubs to continue maintenance type grooming and assured the District(s) that they will be reimbursed for those appropriate Grooming Hours.

Friday News from BayToday.ca North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit is listed as one of Ontario's four high-risk regions and thus will continue to be kept in the shutdown and stay-at-home measures until at least Feb. 22. North Bay-Parry Sound joins Peel, Toronto and York regions. Somehow the numbers certainly do not justify that. Obviously the NBPS Medical Officer of Health thinks otherwise.

According to the North Bay Nordic Ski Club President Dr. Chirico the District MOH is NOT a member at the Nordic Ski Club and I have amended my previous post accordingly.

The North Bay - Parry Sound District Health Unit Order has closed all of these trails.

The North Bay - Parry Sound Medical Officer of Health had a brief "News" Conference earlier this week which required pre-submitted questions and from which he apparently chose which of those to answer. In Southern Ontario and here in Region of Waterloo and also Guelph MOH the local MOH's are on the news almost daily answering reporter's questions at great length. This is same scenario I watch on CP24 with Toronto, Brampton and GTA MOH answering reporters questions. Same for Ontario MOH and also Federal MOH as well as Premier Ford and PM Trudeau. I am not saying they answer every question thoroughly but the questions are made public and at least they answer as they choose. I am advised that no one in North Bay (MOH, Mayor or MPP) are responding to any representations in this regard. Some theorize that this Order originated shortly after the trails in the area were opened and many snowmobilers visited the Town of Mattawa for fuel, food, lodgings, etc. and the Mattawa Mayor went very public condemning the actions that placed his residents at increased risk. Whether this was a turning point only the MOH knows. According to the North Bay Nordic Ski Club President Dr. Chirico the District MOH is NOT a member at the Nordic Ski Club which wasn't included in the Order but did modify their rules to allow Members Only on Saturday & Sunday and to post security guards in their parking lot on weekends to keep people separated. Personally, I see nothing wrong keeping an outdoor cross country ski trail open during the pandemic. I feel terrible for my former club (NBSC) as well as the other clubs that fall within the boundaries of the North Bay - Parry Sound District Health Unit, the only one in all of Ontario issuing this Order. NBSC is getting unfairly blasted on their FB page by many who are understandably frustrated by the situation and some even asserting that the Club is the guilty party. Yes, the tourism and hospitality businesses are getting unduly slammed as you can imagine. These few months of snowmobile tourism revenue will be forever lost and the ill will and stress created is staggering. Whether the MOH relents on February 16th is questionable. Lifting the Order now really cannot be justified as nothing has really changed from this week to next week, particularly considering the recent extensive outbreak with a variant mutation reported at a large North Bay apartment complex.

Exactly, were any of those ever purchased by Ontario Districts/Clubs although almost impossible with the industrial groomer mandate which doesn’t suit in all circumstances. I still have nightmares about the SS-RSC sinking their BR on D trail on the return trip after turning around at Trout Lake and heading back south to Birch’s Road. Skandics or similar aren’t suitable for cutting the moguls on heavily moguled trails such as this which is almost continuous swamps and ponds.

Some major trails like TOP D south of Trout Lake have a considerable number of swamps and ponds that are very risky for industrial groomers to navigate. There needs to be some provision for smaller tracked vehicles to groom these very important trails and be reimbursed for grooming hours at some reduced rate and also for capital cost of purchase.

I just had her Business Card out today and my big regret was never getting there. Her family is from North Bay Area and we are fortunate enough to purchase one of the family cottages on Lake Talon. Marie visited this past year at the family cottages and I had a great chat with her. She is doing quite well but doesn’t miss all the work involved at Post 392.

Virtually same terms for CAA Roadside Service as Accidents - does not include snowmobiles

From CAA Southeastern Ontario, see screenshot This is for Accident Tows. Snowmobiles in of themselves are not eligible but trailers with a snowmobile are. About 20 years ago CAA put my Dodge Caravan on their roll off but the operator charged me separately for the snowmobile trailer. CAA reimbursed me afterwards as a Goodwill gesture.

NBPS MOH response https://www.nugget.ca/news/my-focus-is-on-keeping-people-alive

Did the Township require anything from your group in writing or was it just a verbal okay to go ahead. Did you make a formal request to Council and they approve it by Resolution. I wouldn’t expect anything in writing but just wandering. Great solution for everyone.

When a municipality formally accepts a particular roadway or section of roadway for either year around maintenance or only non-winter maintenance then the cost associated with that work is spread amongst the entire tax base in the municipality based upon assessment and tax rates, etc. Same thing applies to improvement work, etc. If a municipality were to accept a road for year around maintenance when it was previously only summer only, then the entire municipal tax base assumes the cost. There is no provision to bill the newly added property owners separately. Once this is done then the Assessment for those properties would very likely increase and those property owners would see their tax bills eventually increase but not directly as the result of the additional cost of providing winter maintenance on that section of roadway now assumed for winter maintenance but rather the value of their property is assumed to be then greater than it was previously. In some circumstances the municipality could enter into a separate contract with the owners of a non-winter maintained roadway if they chose to do that but that is certainly not recommended practice in my 30+ years of municipal engineering experience. This easily leads to a court case wherein the property owners years after contest that the municipality has “assumed” the road section in question and then the battle begins as occurred in North Bay just prior to me starting employment there after working for DHO.

You said previously "a Prescribed Trail gives exclusive use to the OFSC except the exemptions as outlined in the MSVA" Where does it actually state that exclusive use? It certainly doesn't state that in the definition of a Prescribed Trail only that a Trail Permit is required. It does say "but excludes any Crown Land or other public land where the operation of motorized snow vehicles is prohibited by law." which obviously makes sense. This in fact gives strength to my argument that joint use is permitted unless the Crown/Public Land Agency specifically prohibits snowmobiles.

Should be for zoso

Definitions 1. (1) For the purpose of section 2.1 of the Act and this Regulation, “prescribed trail” means a trail or part of a trail on which a trail permit is required by section 2.1 of the Act and that is operated or maintained by or on behalf of the Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs, and includes such a trail or part of a trail that is on Crown land or other public land, but excludes any Crown land or other public land where the operation of motorized snow vehicles is prohibited by law. O. Reg. 185/01, s. 1 (1). The OFSC trails don’t claim exclusive use as your Club and others have been advised but almost every Club in District 11 has prescribed OFSC Trails on certain public roadways including Forest Access Roads. Where does it say an OFSC prescribed trail gives exclusive use for snowmobiles?

That reasoning certainly explains why Clubs cannot do anything about other vehicles driving on a roadway which is also designated an OFSC trail. What you stated doesn’t mean that a public road cannot be designated as an OFSC trail with the approval of the roadway authority or a Crown Land Use Permit.

I don't agree with zoso regarding roads can't be designated as OFSC trails but Upon Further Review there is an exemption for the following and similarly if you have a Land Use Permit to occupy Crown Land. 7. Landowners, their tenants and the immediate family members of landowners and of their tenants. While travelling directly to or from the property owned by the landowner, if the trail is the only access route from the closest road to the property or is the only safe access route to the property. Proof of ownership of or title to the property that is a government form, deed, registry or other document of land transfer, or in the case of tenancy, a copy of the lease for the property if one exists or a letter from the landowner prepared within the previous 240 days identifying the property by its municipal description and address and identifying the owner and the tenant by name, address and phone number.

Anglers and hunters are only permitted to travel on OFSC trails without a valid Trail Permit “ if the trail is the only access route from the closest road to the area open for angling or is the only safe access route to the area open for angling.” & the respective season is Open and the operator has a valid Outdoors Card or is over 65 years old. I have never seen any exemption for getting to one’s cottage. The OPP Officer told me that you are expected to trailer your snowmobile as close as you can to the lake where you to intend to fish and only use the OFSC trail for the last potion of your trip.

Very difficult to do, when Trails are Closed most Clubs then close the gates to private property and install the appropriate Trail Closed signs. I don’t know what all the Clubs within the North Bay - Parry Sound Health Unit boundaries will choose to do, the minimum would be revising the ITG to Red to indicate Closed. Whether the OFSC would pay for grooming hours during this period would need to be clarified. I haven’t read the particulars of the Health Unit’s Orders and what they expect the OFSC Clubs to do. I know it will likely be crazy out on Lake Nipissing, Trout Lake as well as Lake Nosbonsing and Lake Talon in the immediate North Bay Area.

Taking Odds on whether the new date actually comes to pass. My vote is NO.

No cancellation notice of Free Weekend yet on FCMQ website.

Per Facebook post from Temiscaming Voyageurs Club

Districts/Clubs get the significant majority of their funding based on actual grooming hours, verified by logs and GPS tracking not like 10 years ago when a club’s revenue was primarily based upon Trail Permits sold.

Who has some personal knowledge of an actual insurance claim against the OFSC/Club that actually had a bearing on what was posted on a Facebook page, club website or otherwise? I would be interested in hearing the details.