Kawartha Lakes council votes to make ATV pilot project a permanent fixture of the municipality

DAN CEARNS The Standard

KAWARTHA LAKES: The City of Kawartha Lakes is making the pilot project for All Terrain Vehicles (ATVs), on City roads, permanent.

The decision was made at a meeting, on Tuesday, March 19th. The project saw approved routes for ATVs to travel along set roads, in Pontypool, Lindsay, Omemee, Cameron, and Janetville.

Originally, Ward 5 Councillor, Eric Smeaton made a motion to defer the subject for one month. However, that motion failed to find enough support to pass. Then he tried to renew it as a one-year pilot project.

“I’ve heard an enormous uproar for an entire year, and you’ve heard some excellent samples of the true discussion, to be had. These people want the pilot to end for Lindsay, so they may be disappointed, some people even in what I’m offering,” Councillor Smeaton explained.

Then he spoke against making the pilot project permanent law, stating it could lead to more residents asking for more streets to be opened up for use for ATVs.

“Lindsay did not want this. That data, we have. I really encourage you to support a councillor who knows his constituents.”

Ward 2 Councillor, Pat Warren said, the project parameters need to be adjusted, “so it’s easier for people to lodge a complaint.”

Ward 7 Councillor, Charlie McDonald spoke in favour of keeping the program going and not scrapping it based on some residents’ complaints.

“Everybody has to have a piece of the pie here, and everybody has to work together. I can’t believe, if we took this energy of saying yes and no, all the time, and put it into working together, we would solve most of the problems. Believe me, we would,” said Charlie McDonald.

However, Councillor Smeaton’s second motion also failed when it was brought to a vote.

Ward 8 Councillor, Tracy Richardson made a motion to have the pilot project become permanent.

“We need to work together. We’re a community of communities, with a whole bunch of interests, and we need to compromise and find that balance and not choose one over the other. So, we do need to have better partnerships and we do need to improve our stewardships, and I think we are.”