Calling all OC.Com Members We need Help NOW!!!!

[Faceman]

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Firstly and in all fairness. Northern Ontario was developed from a tourist point of view, many years ago by some who are no residents. And that is OK.

Government owned land was leased for next to nothing and those leasing were given exclusive right to this property. If you're not a client of the lodge you simply shouldn't be on the lake or their remote lakes.

At the same time lumber companies are reaching out further and further and starting to get closer and closer the "remote lakes" that outfitters prided themselves on being sold as "remote.

There has been an ongoing debate over how close loggers can cut to the remote lake and the last I heard it was 1000 ft of an "outfitters" lake.

Outfitters then got upset because now there is road access close to the lakes and along come the ATV'ers/4 wheelers and their chainsaws and boom, more lakes apparently off limits being accessed by fishermen/hunters

So then the provincial gov't , realizing they are really missing a boat here decide to re-evaluate these leases and impose a further fee to the outfitters. Each parcel of land where a outfitter had a camp established had to be surveyed and charged accordingly for survey and and new one time lease fee was imposed.

And speaking of the province, the logging companies pay road access fees . They develop the road, put in ditches and culverts off highways and carry on with their business. Well they pay road access fee's every year to the Province so the logging companies decided to remove the "road access by removing the culverts once they are done removing trees from crown land..

The Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters attempted to step in and thought they had an agreement to keep such road access open but guess what, the logging companies still remove culverts... outfitters don't want access.

And then we have the mining companies and their "existing " claims...if you haven't heard the terms "surface rights" and mineral rights" then you should look them up.

Properties in Northern Onrario can be bought and sold with or without the above rights.

You can buy a chunk of land and have no right over what happens to it in the next 50 years....

Things are NOT simple in Northern Ontario and now the province is once again kissing the butts of what really is a dying business, fly in fishing is a thing of the past due to ATV/4WDR access. These operators are attempting to retain exclusive "access" to our province .

Me, I can't afford a fly in trip but I sure can afford to drive up, pitch a tent and spend a few days. The province/outfitters are trying to restrict this.

I hope everyone that reads this will past it on to 20 others because it is real and it is happening.

And if you are a sledder, guess what, your trails could/would/will be gone if some outfitters don't want you "near " their prize lakes. Trails run on crown land.

Please pay attention, do your homework, this could happen. We in Southern Ontario negotiate year in and out with private landowners to keep permission but our brothers in Northern Ontario have had the benefit of Crown Land access which has really been wide open.

What if that freedom was taken away due to a money grab?

The Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters is of the position that we are entitled to the right to access all crown land unless certain and very strict conditons apply.

I'll leave this alone as I'm limited in to what else I can say but encourage you to do some research.

Whose country is this?

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[slomo]

and yet you guys continue to vote Liberal

It started with the Conservatives, their corporate friends and company owned fishing lodges, which, at first, were remote. Many lodges today are former corporate 'retreats'. As time passed, in order to provide a 'niche' element for fishing and tourism industry, certain lodges gained exclusivity. Seems the pendulum has swung a bit far the other way.

While it seems cruel to close access to lakes, after having returned to a favourite crown land camping spot last summer, where the mouth of the Wahnipitae River meets north Lake Wahnipitae (east of Rocky's camp) and found it turned into a garbage dump, I can understand lodge owners wishing to protect their investment.

This particular spot has sand beaches that rival anything on PEI, good pickeral fishing up the river, and just great surroundings. Ruined by a bunch of people drunk at 10 am, who think metal can burn in fires, garbage strewn all over, chairs, junk auto parts, and all manner of refuse thrown into the lake.

Personally, I don't patronize lodges where owners have a U.S. winter address, or charge Canadians payment in U.S. dollars.

In a parallel situation, Ducks Unlimited is largely funded by U.S.contributions, as U.S. duck hunters like having good breeding grounds in Canada so hunting is good during the migration south.

Freezer Burnt - As for your choice of political party hope it suits you in NDP Manitoba

And Satrat, now being north of French River must adopt the term 'pickeral' for 'walleye'.

Did send my support for more access.