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
