After years of planning, Timmins ATVs allowed on some city streets
Off-road riders in Timmins are rejoicing this week after city council voted to allow them access to some streets in the city’s west end.
After years of planning, the Timmins ATV Club calls the decision a major step forward for local outdoor tourism.
“Very, very excited,” said club president Rick Marin.
Five years in the making, Marin said he got emotional when city council voted to finally allow off-roaders on the road.
“We’re finally going to have tourism in this town, and we’ll be able to leave our home and go to a restaurant, here in town, and gas.”
The permanent street-access bylaw will apply only to some roads in the city’s west end, allowing for connection to sanctioned ATV trails.
Rules include a maximum speed of 20 km/h and a 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. curfew.
This is the club’s third attempt at convincing council to allow them to use some city roads to access trails.
Coun. Rock Whissell said the difference was the club now has official trails.
“I think having those official trails, now, is easy for city council — or for Ward 1, anyway — to give them permission to use the roads, to get to the trails,” Whissell said.
Did everything right
Marin said the club worked hard to do everything right.
“We followed all the rules, we got OFATV permits, we got trails, we got apps,” he said.
“We got support -- we have landowner support. We have a lot of support in this town.”
Officials are expecting interest from riders in Timmins and beyond.
“For somebody to leave from Kapuskasing, Hearst or Cochrane … they could come drive with their ATVs, stay overnight and go back home,” Whissell said.
“I think this is a positive thing for the community.”
Street access will only be in available during the regular ATV season from May 1-Oct. 31.
The Timmins Police Service has said it doesn’t support the idea, and so Whissell said it will be up to the off-roading community to prove it wrong.
- Download our app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
“Doing it responsibly is the biggest thing,” he said.
“To make sure that this is not going to fall apart and that we’re not going to have to go back on our word, here.”
“Please, buy a pass, support, support,” Marin added.
“Do it right, follow the rules and regulations. We got this, we got this.”
Data and feedback will be collected throughout the ATV season, after which council will decide whether to expand street access to more parts of the city.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Bodies recovered in Mexico likely 2 Australians, 1 American who went missing: officials
Three bodies recovered in an area of Baja California are likely to be those of the two Australians and an American who went missing last weekend during a camping and surfing trip, the state prosecutor’s office said Saturday.
Pastrnak scores winner, Bruins down Leafs 2-1 in overtime in Game 7
Sheldon Keefe told his players hockey history would remember them one way or another.
What a judge's gag order on Trump means in his hush money case
A gag order bars Trump from commenting publicly on witnesses, jurors and some others connected to the matter. The New York judge already has found that Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee for president, repeatedly violated the order, fined him US$9,000 and warning that jail could follow if he doesn't comply.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Pro-Palestinian protesters at USC comply with school order to leave their encampment
Protesters left a pro-Palestinian encampment at the University of Southern California early Sunday after they were surrounded by police and told they could face arrest if they didn’t go.
Trudeau 'absolutely' best person to lead the Liberals in next election: LeBlanc says
Cabinet minister Dominic LeBlanc insists he's not planning a leadership campaign to head the Liberal party, should current leader and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau resign, seemingly quashing rumours he's planning to make a move for his boss' job.
Bombarded with spam texts? Stats show the problem is getting worse in Canada
In particular, messages that involve phishing — an attack where a scammer tries to trick the recipient into clicking a malicious link, downloading malware or sharing sensitive information — are on the rise.
Madonna's biggest-ever concert transforms Rio's Copacabana beach into a massive dance floor
Madonna put on a free concert on Copacabana beach Saturday night, turning Rio de Janeiro's vast stretch of sand into an enormous dance floor teeming with a multitude of her fans.
The American paradox of protest: Celebrated and condemned, welcomed and muzzled
Americans cherish the right to assemble, to speak out, to petition for the redress of grievances. It's enshrined in the first of the constitutional amendments. They laud social actions of the past and recognize the advances toward equality that previous generations made, often at risk of life and limb. But those same activities can produce anger and outright opposition when life's routines are interrupted, and wariness that those speaking out are outsiders looking to sow chaos and influence impressionable minds.