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Michael Blair — Collingwood mayor

If elected mayor, Michael Blair will urge town council to take the following steps:

1.    Freeze property taxes for at least five years while studying ways to reduce property taxes. Collingwood enjoys a strong balance sheet and operates at a surplus. It does not make sense to burden Collingwood residents with property taxes beyond the taxes needed to support approved programs. Rising property values have seen a parallel increase in property taxes which risks forcing residents on a fixed income out of their homes needlessly.

2.    Improve cycling safety by providing paved shoulders and cycling lanes where practical as part of the town’s maintenance of its linear assets. Collingwood has an excellent trail system but exposes cyclists to dangerous cycling conditions on many roadways where the lack of a paved shoulder or cycling lane forces cyclists dangerously close to passing traffic.

3.    License and regulate short-terms rentals to alleviate the shortage of rental property facing the town while allowing residents the opportunity to earn additional income from their homes. Collingwood is a vacation destination and the availability of short term rentals such as Airbnb enhances the town as a destination.

4.    Ensure transparency of contracts with the town. Recent reports of potential conflicts of interest by members of the town council and the need for a judicial inquiry in respect of at least one such incident point to the need for greater transparency.  The town can require representations and warranties by all contracting parties that they are aware of no actual or potential conflict of interest and have made full disclosure of all relationships they have with persons involved in town management or town council and their relatives.

5.    Expand inventory of serviced industrial land. Long-term growth of industry in Collingwood is hampered by the limited availability of serviced lands and related infrastructure. Collingwood is an ideal location for knowledge-based industries but is uncompetitive in terms of the availability of serviced land.

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Oro-Medonte to allow ATVs on some roadways in one-year trial

All-terrain and off-road vehicle users will be able to ride on some Oro-Medonte roadways as part of a one-year trial period.

On July 18, Oro-Medonte council amended a bylaw to allow the vehicles on some roadways in the township for a trial period, beginning Aug. 7.

Residents will be able to ride their vehicles in wards 2, 4, and 5, with the exception of settlement areas, between April 16 and Nov. 14. Under a previous bylaw, riders are also permitted in another area south of Highway 11 from Line 1 to Line 14/15 between Jan. 1 and March 15.

Oro-Medonte resident Allan Baker was vocal in his opposition to the bylaw amendment, presenting a petition of 600 residents who supported the status quo to council.

He said residents have a number of concerns.

“The biggest one obviously is safety,” Baker said.

Enforcing the boundaries of the permitted areas and rules surrounding the bylaw also present a challenge, he said.

He noted there is an ATV/ORV user group who plans to act as a “neighbourhood watch” and help enforce the rules, but he said he doesn’t see what authority they’ll be able to exercise. “Ultimately the enforcement lies with the OPP and they just don’t have the resources.”

Shawn Scott, the Oro-Medonte resident who spearheaded the ATV/ORV proposal to council, said he has at least 50 people who have volunteered to help with enforcement through a program called Safety Through Observation Reporting and Education.

Scott said they can approach people seen not safely obeying the bylaw and educate them.

“If offenses continue to be observed, what those people can do is they can notify myself, or one of the other four people that are going to be the points of contact with the OPP,” he said, adding the OPP Snow-Vehicle, All-Terrain Vehicle, and Vessel Enforcement team has told him they are willing to assist.  

As for why ATV/ORV users want to access the roadways, Scott said it will make it easier for them to access recreational activities and to do other things like snowplowing and wood harvesting.

“It’s not to be a mode of transportation per-se, it’s more to allow us to get to and do certain activities.”

There are no approved trails for the vehicles in the Simcoe County forests in Oro-Medonte, but riders could use the roads to access trails in Severn Township.

Oro-Medonte’s Deputy Mayor Ralph Hough also shared concerns about the bylaw during the July 18 meeting, including liability if someone were to sue over an accident on township roads.

“If somebody sues and names the township, even if we’re found one per cent responsible, we could be liable for 100 per cent of any award,” he said, adding, “They’re not designed for road use.”

Despite the opposition, Scott hopes ATV/ORV users will get a chance to prove themselves responsible road users.

“I’d like the people who oppose this to at least give it an opportunity,” Scott said.

For more information about ATV/ORV use in Oro-Medonte, visit