Press Release –

The Board of ATVOntario Tourism Initiatives Inc. (ATVOntario) announced today that it will offer a common trail pass that will permit ATV Riders an opportunity to ride thousands of kilometres of its trail systems for one price.

“ATVers have consistently asked us to develop a One Pass system that consolidated the passes of the best trails in Ontario.” said Andrew Ryeland, President of ATVOntario. “We listened to our patrons and I’m pleased to announce that we will indeed be offering a One Pass solution this spring. We expect this initiative will create a tremendous surge of interest in our sport and attract ‘ATV tourists’ from across the province and beyond.”

ATVOntario leads the ATV trails initiative by offering a pass system that will go a long way to consolidating trail riding opportunities and associated community products.

ATVOntario is also in serious discussions with other ATV organizations and Trail interests to broaden the scope of the trail offerings in the spirit of its Shared Use principles.

ATVOntario is intent on reaching agreements with other organizations that will allow for incremental investment in trail systems throughout Ontario.

The new pass is planned to be on sale in April 2007 through the atvontario.com website. Pricing has not yet been finalized but it is expected to be very attractive to ATVers and substantially less than similar passes offering multi-trail system access in Ontario.

ATVOntario Regional pass systems will remain available to users that only wish to ride local trail systems.

Where Can I Ride?

ATVOntario offers an answer to the over 250,000 ATVers in Ontario and ten times that number in the bordering US states. Increasingly outdoor enthusiasts are turning to the thrill of discovery aboard an All Terrain Vehicle.

More and more tourism destinations are being developed to accommodate their unique and varied interests. ATVOntario offers adventurers a consolidated, destination based source of information on where to ride, where to eat, where to stay, where to be entertained, where to mingle and many more ‘where’s. To tour our ‘wherehouse’ visit atvontario.com.

ATVOntario is a not-for-profit alliance established as a public/private initiative with the communities of Elliot Lake, Mattawa, Eastern Ontario Trail Alliance (Tweed), Georgian Bay (Parry Sound) , Cochrane and the Haliburton ATV Association. The alliance is enacting a community-based model for Shared-Use Trail tourism throughout the province of Ontario.

Memo to: The Hon. David Ramsay, Minister of Natural Resources
From: Ken W. Cartmill
Subject: Plan by the MNR to restrict access to Crown land future logging roads.

Dear Hon. David Ramsay;

It is reassuring to know, that as an average individual, I have the freedom to communicate with you and your office with regards to planned attempts by the MNR to restrict the access by motor vehicles (which is a broad and general term) to crown land via future logging roads.

As an outdoorsman I would surely not like to see this happen. I respect the outdoors and as an avid ATVer, hunter, and fisherman, logging roads offer a great way to access and explore the outdoors. Restricting access is not an option for me.

I have decided to write this e-mail only after reading an article in the Sudbury Northern Life, Friday, February 23rd edition that stated that the MNR had scheduled a open forum and public meeting in Sudbury for Wednesday February 28th at the Howard Johnson Hotel with regards to the above subject.

Unfortunately I will be away on business that day and unable to attend this open meeting. As such I wanted you to know my concerns with this proposed restriction. If the MNR wishes to restrict access to crown land by motor vehicles including ATVs, then this would be unacceptable to me.

In the next 5 to 10 years, I would guess that the use of ATV’s on crown land will surpass snowmobiles and so these proposed changes would surely affect thousands of individuals like myself who love the outdoors.

To put this as a public safety issue is ridiculous and without foundation, I have insurance. If the MNR want to restrict access to crown land via future logging roads by motor vehicles such as cars and trucks, then just take out the culverts and bridges as is done regularly right now by loggers under the MNR’s direction and instructions and put up signage indicating that liability is assumed by all users.

Should you pass legislation to restrict access to future logging roads then the MNR will simply make criminals of a great deal of cottagers and individuals who love to ATV the outdoors via the logging roads. Realistically, the MNR will have a great deal of difficulty, administering or preventing the use of these future logging roads by ATVers anyway.

Please arrive at some common sense solution that will benefit all those who wish to use the great Ontario outdoors without restricting the use of and access to Crown land by ATVs.

I truly hope that my e-mail reaches you and that it may have some measure of influence in your decision. Do what you must in the name of public safety but please keep free access to all logging roads, old and new for those, like myself, who appreciate and enjoy ATVing the outdoors and in particular Ontario’s Crown Lands.

Yours truly,

Ken W. Cartmill, Pres., CET.,
N.S.A.

Send your comments to The Hon. David Ramsay at dramsay.mpp@liberal.ola.org