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The Wilderness Riders of Algoma became an organized group in October 2001. The driving force that created the need for such a lobby group was the quiet takeover of crown land trails (traditional) by the O.F.S.C. In doing this, they have partnered up with their new source of revenue, the Ministry of Tourism. While the unsuspecting public of Ontario was carrying on with winter activities as usual, the O.F.S.C. and the Ministry of Tourism were plotting the beginnings of a drastic change of lifestyle for northern Ontarians. Thousands of kilometers of traditional trails were transferred to the jurisdiction of a profit making organization. Developing a process to oppose the passing of changes to Bill 101 (that legalized the charging of fees for travel on traditional trails on crown land) was a difficult task. While discussing our problem with others we heard of a group in Kenora who were also incensed with the change in the laws. Efforts to contact someone in Kenora who knew of such a group paid off with the contact of Penny Todd the Chair of the Wilderness Riders of Kenora. After talking to Penny and obtaining information as to what their organization stood for, it was decided to join them and add our numbers to the overall lobby effort. The information provided by them mirrored our philosophy almost exactly. The Kenora group has been a great help to us with ongoing information and guidance with other issues. We have found that our groups are composed of fundamentally different types of members. The Kenora and Redditt chapters are primarily disgruntled trail riders who have been dispossed of their trails on crown land. Our club was spawned from the outrage of being deprived of our fishing trails. The results were the same. All residents of northern Ontario have had their rights to crown land taken away from them. If deals like this are to be made behind closed doors (as this deal was) what can we expect next? By now we're sure that all fishermen and hunters know that the O.F.S.C. has awarded the fishers and hunters of this province a wonderful "Christmas gift" (the O.F.S.C's quote in a press release, printed in December19, 2001 issue of The Algoma News.) In other words they have given us some of our rights to crown land. No mention was made of the fact they were forced into the decision by outside influences of which the Wilderness Riders organizations were a part of. As a result of that, some of our members have expressed the opinion that the job is done. We did not begin this effort with just one thing in mind. The whole issue of exorbitant winter trail fees in Ontario, the granting of millions of dollars in tax money and the right to claim traditional trails on crown land for exclusive use of a profit making organization flies in the face of our democratic rights. The use of crown land by all the people of this province is still at stake. I give you this as an example of the type of falsehood our efforts have uncovered. Local O.F.S.C. representatives have for years claimed some local roads and highway rights of way as their exclusive domain. Our investigations revealed no agreements in place to support these claims and indeed, if forced to do so, must leave allowance for public access beside the groomed portion of roadways. In our area concerns have been raised about the possibility of other organizations being granted the same rights as the O.F.S.C. in crown land use during the other seasons. We believe it is a justified fear. A recent joint press release by the O.F.S.C. and an organization called the Ontario Federation of All Terrain Vehicle Clubs requested that ATV riders not ride on snowmobile trails. There is no law that prohibits the use of ATV's on crown land trails at any time of year. The very existence of an organization who may have aligned themselves with or is a part of the O.F.S.C. organization gives us a glimpse into the future. Be ready and be aware of what might transpire. Presently we have members from just about all types of crown land users from bikers to ATV riders to snowmobile users. Oh yes, one dog sled driver who, like the rest of us, fears that crown land rights and privileges are being handed over to private organizations. We will remain a lobby group who will fight to regain and keep the use of crown land traditional trails for all users. The building of new snowmobile trails and the relocation of trails by the O.F.S.C. must come under public scrutiny in order to not adversely affect other crown land users. Traditional trails that the O.F.S.C. wishes to use should remain open to public use. The outrageous fees charged by the O.F.S.C. should be lowered to competitive rates in the $30.00 to $50.00 range in order to encourage tourism and other users to buy permits. The Wilderness Riders of Algoma has undertaken a number of initiatives in order to reverse the negative impact of the changes to Bill 101, lobbied for by the O.F.S.C. Our members continue to contribute strongly in bringing us information that they run across and help in increasing our membership. It is numbers that count in this effort. Our efforts to reach out to snowmobilers have been negatively affected by the poor snow conditions this year. Few people are using the trails we intended to visit in an effort to recruit new members. In spite of that our membership continues to grow at a rapid rate. The changes in the laws have negatively affected your rights to crown land. Only by joining an organization that is in a position to make a change in those laws can you hope to reverse the negative impact of the changes to Bill 101. If you live in Algoma District you can join the Wilderness Riders of Algoma. If you live outside the Algoma district you should start your own chapter. You will get all the help we can provide as we feel this is a very important issue that will affect all future crown land activities in Ontario. |
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