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
'He's in our hearts': Family and friends still seek answers one year after Nathan Wise’s disappearance
It’s been a year since Nathan Wise went missing and his family is no closer to finding out what happened to him.
'My family doctor just fired me': Ontario patients frustrated with de-rostering
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
Ottawa pizzeria places among top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world at international competition
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
Canada Post cracks down on Nunavut loophole to get free Amazon Prime shipping
Amazon's paid subscription service provides free delivery for online shopping across Canada except for remote locations, the company said in an email. While customers in Iqaluit qualify for the offer, all other communities in Nunavut are excluded.
Wildfire near Fort McMurray more than triples overnight, several evacuation alerts remain in place
The fire burning near Fort McMurray grew from 25 hectares to 5,500 hectares over the weekend.
Putin replaces Russian defence minister in rare cabinet shakeup
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin began a Cabinet shakeup on Sunday, proposing the replacement of Sergei Shoigu as defence minister as he begins his fifth term in office.
Man fatally 'slashed in the neck' in downtown Toronto, suspect outstanding
Police are searching for a male suspect after a man was “slashed in neck” on Sunday morning in downtown Toronto and died.
WATCH Dashcam video shows terrifying near-miss on two-lane northern Ontario highway
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.
Edibles, armchairs and adapters: Here are the recalls for this week
Health Canada announced various product recalls this week, including electric adapters, armchairs, cannabis edibles and vehicle components.