Showing posts with label Ontario Trails Council User Poster Series; Ontario Trails Council. Show all posts

Tuesday, March 22, 2016

Ontario Trails News - more information on Bill 100 - the truth about the impacts of the at for landowners

Ontario Trails Council Educational Posters

http://www.ontariotrails.on.ca/learn/educational-posters

Ontario Trails Council contacts Media, distributes content to members and third parties

At Ontario Trails Council we've done more on Bill 100 this week. We've been on the phone with trail groups, landowners, the media and government officials. We've worked to clarify the issue, we were contacted on the weekend before the story broke big and we think we helped reduce the loss of trail through our effort. Please support this by:

Contact your MP and ask them to support Bill 100
Contact your Regional Trails Committee and ask them to support Bill 100
Send the OTC Press Release to area trail and landowners to clarify the issue
Most importantly - understand what the landowners concerns are and listen to them. If we respond as good neighbours they will understand trail folks are good folks
Talk to other trail users and tell them - don't trespass, respect private property - that saves trails!
We will supply a letter you can send to your MPP - next week
Answer our Petition on Support of Bill 100 - next week

Ontario Trails Council asks media - please stop circulating incorrect coverage https://goo.gl/1YITa8

“Something that bothers me as a rural property owner is forced easement. If I have an agreement with my neighbour or snowmobile club that is exactly what it is, an agreement,” said Karen Mahon, a West Perth landowner. “An easement on the other hand is registered and runs with the land. You cannot get out of it. That is mentioned in Bill 100 and is easement law.”

Not forced. To continue to publish this is just wrong.

"But according to Elizabeth Marshall, the director of research for the Ontario Landowners Association, Bill 100 would lead private property owners into thinking they can allow trails across their property while retaining the right to shut those trails down. Shutting trails down that have been registered as easements under Bill 100 would not be as easy as it is through direct agreements, Marshall claimed."

There is no leading, this is a position the landowner can pursue of their own volition.

We request that media outlets stop publishing comments that are opinion and that are scaring landowners. The OTC has done interviews with these publishers clarifying our position, the Act and our go forward strategy, as well as getting our Press Release to them.

Know your easement and we are working with landowners to make sure the types of agreements are better understood and enacted by them.

Monday, October 5, 2015

Ontario Trails Council User Group Poster Series - get us your information today!

Find and use your favorite today!

Trail User Meeting leads to Poster Series

At the September 24th trail user meeting a few things became very clear.

Many trail user groups have issues with, access, access, access. This means there is land, but use groups can't use it, are denied access, aren't funded to purchase it or the rules aren't clear about where and when they can use it.

Many OTC members are the land managers these groups are trying to work with. However the land managers are equally frustrated by user behavior, lack of funding to police, risk exposure and other primary mandates that really, don't include trails.

It is clear that more Regional Trail Committees, and more Trail Master Plans are required. It is also clear that there is a strong role for the OTC to play between groups and land managers to secure and assure continued access.

In order to best explain our relationship be tween users and our organizations we have produced an "Ontario Trails and...(Use Group)" poster series. Each member group has a page on the OTC website where OTC explains what we do, and the member explains what they do, so that people can see how we work together.

In addition it is clear that the relationship between major use groups and the Ontario Trails Council is not well understood. We have circulated the poster template to member organizations in the interest of having them add their voice to a better public understanding of their work.

As the OTC continues to grow, and we work with the major use groups as they work to secure land for their activity, and as we work with land managers to promote and manage land access, the OTC wants everyone to understand we want resolution to local issues, with the regulatory and legislative changes that makes all our jobs easier, without losing sight of regulations and safety.

Know a user or trail group you'd like to have a poster for?

Ask them if they are a current OTC Member. If they are we'd be happy to produce a poster for everybody to use.

We are also working with Conservation Ontario, and have asked others such as Ontario Invasive Species, County Forest Managers and Ontario Parks to participate in this important public awareness campaign.

For more information contact: Patrick Connor, at 613-484-1140, execdir@ontariotrails.ca