Off Road Vehicle Task Force

The ORV Task Force project is now complete.

At the March 22 Regular Council meeting, the report and By-Law outlining how the two year pilot project for ATVs will be monitored and enforced were adopted by Council.

The project is now closed, however all background documents and meeting recordings remain available to the public through the project.

The results of the pilot will be brought forward to future Council meetings.

Thank you for providing your input to Council on this project.

Here's the latest on the ATV Pilot Project:

On March 8 at Committee of the Whole, a report outlining the monitoring and enforcement for the ATV Pilot Project was received by Council.
The report recommended:

• Traffic counts will be conducted by staff to monitor the vehicles using the routes
• Complaints and issues concerning the routes will be reported and tracked using the Case Management system.
• Municipal Law Enforcement will be the primary point of contact for the public and will provide enforcement of the By-Law in coordination with OPP and Kawartha Lakes Police Service.
• That the By-Law governing ATV use will come to Council on March 22, along with the monitoring report, for final adoption.

If you've been following along with the ORV Task Force Project, you'll want to know we're at the final step.

On March 8, 2022, Committee of the Whole will review a report outlining how the pilot program will be monitored and enforced to ensure safety and enjoyment of roads and trails on the five routes throughout the municipality. Download a copy of the report.

Following that, on March 22, Council will consider the Report and the accompanying By-law for final adoption.

View the Council agenda for March 8 Committee of the Whole meeting. You can tune into the meeting on the Kawartha Lakes YouTube channel.

Kawartha Lakes – At the December 14 Regular Council meeting, the proposed recommendations regarding the additional ATV connection routes were approved. Pilot programs for the areas of Janetville, Pontypool, Omemee and Cameron will take place in 2022, as well as in Lindsay, which was approved by Council in October.

Council also reviewed the minutes from the last Off Road Vehicle Task Force meeting from November 26, and adopted recommendations for monitoring the pilot program. Staff will bring a feasibility report in February that outlines how the roads, complaints and traffic counts will be observed and tracked throughout the course of the program.

The approval of the remaining recommendations by Council was the final action item for the Off Road Vehicle Task Force and concluded their work. The Task Force was dissolved on December 14. Council took a brief moment to acknowledge and thank everyone who was a part of the project.

“I want to thank the members of the Task Force for all of their work. Some of them have never been part of a Task Force before and I know it wasn’t an easy matter to tackle,” commented Mayor Letham. “A decision has been made and we need to move past the arguments and work together. I hope Council, enforcement, residents and ATV users can work together to implement a pilot project that is safe and effective. We are committed to doing this accurately, monitoring it properly and if we need to make adjustments as we go, we can always do that.”

“I want to take a moment to personally recognize the hard work completed by the members of the Task Force, especially our civilian members who may not be accustom to the politics that arose over the course of this project,” commented Councillor Dunn, Chair of the ORV Task Force. “I want to commend them for listening to all sides, moving forward through difficult conversations and for coming together to make these final decisions.”

All information related to the Off Road Vehicle Task Force is available on the project page on Jump In. Maps have been updated to reflect the approved routes for Janetville, Pontypool, Omemee and Cameron and can be viewed online.

Kawartha Lakes – During a Special Committee of the Whole meeting on November 16, a report was brought forward to Council regarding the remaining recommendations from the Off Road Vehicle (ORV) Task Force that addressed proposed ATV connection routes for the areas of Bobcaygeon, Cameron, Janetville, Omemee and Pontypool.

The following routes were brought forward during the meeting and will be coming back to Council on December 14 for further discussion and/or final approval:

Pontypool, Janetville and Omemee
Council recommended the proposed routes for Pontypool, Janetville and Omemee as written.

Cameron
Council requested that amendments be made to the proposed route for Cameron.

Bobcaygeon
The proposed route for Bobcaygeon was not recommended for approval.

Lindsay
Council recommended the proposal of adding Kenrei Road and Thunder Bridge Road.

Councillor Dunn, Chair of the Off Road Vehicle Task Force, made note that the Task Force will meet again on November 26 to discuss the process to monitor the success of the 2022 pilot programs. The meeting will begin at 10am and will be livestreamed on the municipality’s YouTube channel.

The November 16 Special Committee of the Whole meeting is available online to watch.

Kawartha Lakes – Council will meet on November 16 at 10am for a Special Committee of the Whole (COW) meeting regarding the outstanding Off Road Vehicle (ORV) Task Force recommendations. The report coming forward outlines the remaining recommendations, which address connecting route access for ATV use in the Bobcaygeon, Cameron, Janetville, Omemee and Pontypool areas. The report will also include all public correspondence received to date for the above routes.

The sole purpose of the meeting is an opportunity for Council to review and discuss the connecting routes outlined for the communities above. Council has already approved a pilot ATV connection program for the community of Lindsay, which will begin in spring of 2022.

On November 16, Council will review the report and any recommendations will be forwarded to the Regular Council meeting on December 14 for final approval.

The agenda for the November 16 meeting is available on the municipality’s website, including the remaining recommendations from the Task Force.

Should anyone wish to speak to or provide correspondence on the report for November 16, a request for a deputation must be completed online before Friday at 12pm.

Kawartha Lakes – Last week, Mayor Letham put out a statement that at the October 19 Regular Council meeting a decision would be made regarding the Lindsay ATV connection route. During the meeting, Council voted in favour to approve a two-year pilot for the proposed route from the Off Road Vehicle Task Force.

The approved pilot connection route is as follows:

Logie Street Trail Head (South) to Thunder Bridge Trail Head (North)
1. North on Logie Street to King Street
2. King Street to Lindsay Street
3. Lindsay Street North to Wellington Street
4. Wellington Street to Victoria Avenue
5. Victoria Avenue to Elgin Street
6. Elgin Street to Angeline Street North
7. Angeline Street North to Thunder Bridge Road
8. Thunder Bridge Road to Trail Head

A visual map of the route can be viewed on the Jump In website.

“Council has made a final decision and it is our responsibility to ensure the roll-out of the pilot is done in a way that prioritizes the safety of our community,” commented Mayor Andy Letham. “I want to remind our residents this is a two-year pilot program, whereby the goal is to monitor and gather information to determine the success of the route. We will work closely with our enforcement partners to make sure those participating are doing so responsibly and that the protection of our residents, both those on and off the trails, remains top of mind.”

The pilot program will be implemented in Spring of 2022 to correlate with the operation period of the trail system, which runs May 1 to December 1. Staff will be working over the course of the next few months to ensure the appropriate measures are in place regarding safety and education prior to opening the connection route.

In addition, the Terms of Reference for the Off Road Vehicle Task Force were amended to reflect a completion date of December 31, 2021. The Task Force is currently working on a potential linkage route through Bobcaygeon as well as looking into additional routes throughout the municipality. To learn more about the Off Road Vehicle Task Force, including past meetings, public feedback and news articles, please visit the project page on Jump In.

At the October 19 Council meeting, Mayor Letham will ask Council for a final decision on the Lindsay ATV Connection Route. A resolution status report will also be coming to Council on October 19 to serve as a reminder of the progress of the Off Road Vehicle Task Force and decisions made to date.

“A determination needs to be made regarding the urban connection route in Lindsay one way or another,” commented Mayor Letham. “Over the course of this past year, we have considered different options, heard many deputations, received many emails, correspondence and survey results. It’s time to stop trying to spin the data and make an informed decision.”

An urban connection route in Lindsay was one of the first discussion matters brought forward by the Task Force to Council.

“We have had an overwhelming response from the public regarding this matter and at this point, the community has become divided,” stated Letham. “We need to put this part of the conversation to bed. By the end of the discussion, there should be a clear direction on whether the municipality will proceed with a pilot connection route through Lindsay or not.”

The agenda for the October 19 meeting will be released before the end of day through the municipality’s website. The October 19 Council meeting will be livestreamed and can be viewed on the municipality’s YouTube channel.

- 30 -

Council received the recommendations from the September 7 Committee of the Whole report but determined that further investigation on the Lindsay linkage route for the north and south ends of the trail is required. The proposed route is being sent back to the Off Road Vehicle (ORV) Task Force. They are being asked to revisit and provide Council with alternative by-pass options for Lindsay, including a potential bridge at Thunderbridge Road. The Task Force will also look at connections for Bobcaygeon and Pontypool areas. The next ORV Task Force meeting is scheduled in October. To stay up to date on the latest from the Task Force, visit Jump In Kawartha Lakes.

ATVs in Lindsay
As per Council’s request at the June 15 Council meeting, public feedback was obtained surrounding the proposed ATV connection route for Lindsay. Through the survey, it was identified that out of 1632 responses, 49% were in favour and 51% were not. Of those who live in Lindsay, 66% do not support the route.

At the September 7 Committee of the Whole (COW) meeting, Council opted to receive the report and not move forward with the proposed connection route. The ORV Task Force will discuss alternative routes that by-pass Lindsay if this direction is adopted by Council on September 21. The next ORV Task Force meeting will be held on September 13, 2021 and can be watched on YouTube through the municipality’s livestream.