GORE BAY—The Manitoulin Snowdusters Snowmobile Club has received approval from the Town of Northeastern Manitoulin and the Islands (NEMI) council to develop snowmachine trails on two unopened road allowance to join the Little Current trails to points south and west. Permission for use of property by the Snowdusters is also being requested of the Sheguiandah First Nation.
“We had a meeting with NEMI council on the east end trails last night, and everything has been okayed to use the unopened road allowances—that will get us back on to our trails,” stated Doran McVey, president of the Snowdusters at a meeting December 21.
NEMI council, in a letter to the Snowdusters December 21, 2016, outlined that it had passed two resolutions at its council meeting for use of the unopened road allowances, with conditions. One was to grant permission to the Manitoulin Snowdusters to develop and maintain a snow machine trail on the unopened road allowance between Howland Concession 2 and 3 Lots 31 to 38, known as Gaida’s Sideroad subject to the following conditions: it is the responsibility of the Manitoulin Snowdusters to ensure all work being done is on municipal property and the municipality will not be held responsible for any damage done or work performed on private property; Snowdusters will provide the town with proof of insurance with NEMI as a named insured for the development and maintenance of the trail system at a rate of $5 million, this will be provided on an annual basis; any and all trees removed from the road allowance will be offered to the adjacent land owner; all work will be done will be subject to the supervision and approval of the manager of public works, and any fencing removed for the development of the trail will be reinstalled at the end of each season.
The second resolution passed and approved by NEMI council reads that council, “grants permission to the Manitoulin Snowdusters to develop and maintain a snowmachine trail on the unopened road allowance between Bidwell Concession 7 and 8, Lot 1 and Sheguiandah Concession 9 and 10 Lot 1 and along the south end of Bidwell Concession 7 Lot 1, subject to the following conditions; the Manitoulin Snowdusters provides the town with evidence of permission from Sheguiandah First Nation for the use of the road allowance; it is the responsibility of the Manitoulin Snowdusters to ensure all work being done is on municipal property and the municipality will not be held responsible for any damage done or work performed on private property; the Snowdusters will provide the town with proof of insurance with the town as a named insured for the development and maintenance of the trail system at a rate of $5 million dollars, this will be provided on an annual basis; any and all trees removed from the road allowance will be offered to the adjacent landowner; all work will be done will be subject to the supervision and approval of the manager of public works; any fencing removed for the development of the trail will be reinstalled a the end of each season.
With the permission granted by NEMI, the Snowdusters could use the road allowances to provide for trails: the first being the road allowance that runs in a north/south direction along with west side of the Sheguiandah First Nation-the part that runs from Indian Mountain Road southerly to Red Lodge Road (Bidwell Lot 1, Concession 7 to Sheguiandah Lot 1, Concession 9), and the second being the road allowance that runs in an east-west direction from the 20th Sideroad west to join into Gaida Sideroad, and out to Highway 540 (Howland Concession 1 and 3).
Mr. McVey noted that while the Snowdusters have permission from NEMI, they will still need to approach Sheguiandah First Nation council for similar permission. It is expected this meeting will take place in the next couple of weeks.
