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Land Access Issues

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Priorities

Hot Provincial Issues -

• Change in lead Ministry

• Trail development

• Land use/access/NIMBY

• Ontario Trail Strategy

• User etiquette

• Policy development – insurance and liability

• Volunteer issues

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Land Use Issues

Wide Range of Land Problems• Legal Issues - Liability• Privacy – land use• Crime, vandalism – land access• Relations within motorized community

fractured• Need to find support for a consistent

land management policy• Crown Land versus private land

distinctions• North South Divide• Urban Rural Divide

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Land Abuse

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Land Use Policies and Security

• OFATV Etiquette• OTC Trail Etiquette• Off Road Vehicle Act• ATVOntario Pass• Management Authority• Training for Use• Risk Management• OFATV Pass• ON-Trail Pass/Permit• Blue Trails Park/Conservation Authority

Police Relations• SAVE Team• Enforcement?

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Land Access - Greenbelt Plan 2005-06

The greenbelt is 1.8 million acres of land stretching from the Niagara Peninsula in the southwest to Rice Lake in the east The greenbelt includes the 800,000 acres of land protected by the Niagara Escarpment Plan and the Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan. It also includes 1 million newly protected acres The greenbelt is vital to maintaining quality of life for people living and working in the Golden Horseshoe, where the population is expected to increase by about 4 million, for a total population of about 11 million by 2031

Courtesy Ontario Parks Association

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Land Access - Corridor Lands

Land Access

• Remediation of lands towards greenways

• Controlled by Municipalities or Crown Land Agencies

• GTA Greenbelt

• Rail to Trail Conversion one method of utilizing brown zones, corridor lines

• Great grade, poor materials

• Hydro Corridors

• Ontario Hydro, Ontario Realty Corp. and Municipal Act

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Land Access - Rail Trails

QUICK Facts• Significant Corridor Transformation• 22 major conversions in Ontario• Over 600 km of trail• Multi-use, multi-season• Managed by municipal or community

organizations• In Conservation Areas and on Crown

Lands• Some are international in scope• Many incorporate rural and urban

landscapes• Stopped by Line Fences Act

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Regional Management Council Development

Mission - work with communities to implement comprehensive trail management

• Get diverse trail managers together• 1 year plan to consolidate RMC members• Definition of regional areas• Create a short list of regional trail problems• Share solutions, new practices, funding,

programs• Sustain trails• Create at least 5 RMC’s by year end• Tie into Significant Government Funding –

Infrastructure as per provincial budget

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Municipal Planning

• Vital Role• Standardization of model• New elements• Risk Management• Events• Liability• Volunteer and Community

Capacities• Audit Function

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Successes through RMC Process

• Niagara Region– involves municipal, Canada Parks, Conservation Area, Community and User groups – looking at ATVOntario model to reduce abuse

• Near North – Municipalities of Muskoka, Parry Sound, Gravenhurst, Haliburton; involves user groups, atv, snow clubs, FON, and Health Units, MNR

• Woodstock – Brantford – formed a working group, lobbying for funds from Cities in support of rail trail and TCT completion

• Chatham-Kent Essex/Lambton - meeting in February to complete link to TCT and in order to complete intra-county completion of trail systems.

• National Capital Region – posting joint TTN OBR signage

• Bruce Grey Region – wants to meet to discuss land access issues with ATV users to ensure municipal trail regulations are followed.

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Conclusion

Next Steps

Questions?

Recommendations -