Snowmobile ban delayed amid city concerns

A city committee voted to postpone a ban on off-road vehicles amid concerns more time is needed to educate riders and create sites on the edge of the city where they can unload their snowmobiles.

On Monday, council's protection and community services committee voted to wait until January 2014 to enact a ban on off-road vehicles within city limits. Currently, Winnipeggers can legally drive snowmobiles and other off-road vehicles in designated spots on the city's periphery, including part of Charleswood that borders the Harte Trail.

The proposed ban will make Winnipeg's enforcement similar to other Canadian cities, including Calgary and Edmonton, where it is illegal to operate off-road vehicles on city-owned land.

Protection and community services chairwoman Coun. Paula Havixbeck (Charleswood-Tuxedo) said there has been no public-awareness campaign about the pending ban, and a phased-in approach will give the city time to educate snowmobilers. Havixbeck also put forward a motion that asks Winnipeg's public administration to work with snowmobile groups to develop staging areas on the edge of the city where residents can unload their snowmobiles.

Havixbeck said the existing groomed snowmobile trails outside Winnipeg are not close to the Perimeter Highway and the city needs to create alternatives for riders who are used to riding within city limits.

Officials from Snoman, the provincial organization that represents 51 Manitoba snowmobile clubs, said they are willing to work with the city but do not have the money to pay to create areas to unload off-road vehicles or safe trails within Winnipeg.

Executive policy committee and city council still have to approve the revised plan for the off-road vehicle ban.

"Someone in (the meeting) said change is really hard, and if we (ban) it slowly and move towards a safer community then all the better," Havixbeck said.

Opponents slammed the move, and said it makes no sense to delay a ban.

"This is absolutely ridiculous. I've never seen anything so ridiculous in my 10 years on council," said Transcona Coun. Russ Wyatt.

Wyatt called for an outright ban after 51-year-old Ken Stammers was struck and killed by a snowmobile while walking in a field in Transcona last January. The field is near a strip of land where off-road vehicles can legally ride within the city.

Wyatt said he thinks police should be able to move forward and enforce a total ban within Winnipeg, which previous reports have said will address safety concerns and make it easier for police to crack down on scofflaws.

Winnipeg Police Service Chief Keith McCaskill said he would have preferred the bylaw take effect immediately, but officers will continue to do enforcement in areas where it is not legal to ride off-road vehicles. Police officials have already spent about $89,000 on equipment and training to prepare to do more enforcement when the ban takes effect.

Mynarski Coun. Ross Eadie voted against the revised ban and said he does not think it's realistic to create unloading spots for snowmobiles on the city's edge. Eadie said if riders are driving to locations on the edge of the city to unload their snowmobiles, they might as well keep driving to locations outside that city that link up with a network of groomed trails.

"This is an ill-conceived thing," he said, adding Winnipeg should not delay a ban.

Avid snowmobilers who live in semi-rural parts of Winnipeg told the committee what happened to Stammers was a tragedy, but an outright ban is not necessary. Other riders said a ban would infringe on their ability to enjoy outdoor recreation.

jen.skerritt@freepress.mb.ca

Winter riding facts

There are 12,000 kilometres of snowmobile trails in Manitoba.

There are an estimated 17,000 snowmobilers in Winnipeg.

The average age of a snowmobiler is 43.

Close to 90 per cent of all snowmobilers are male.

Slightly more than half (54 per cent) of riders use trailers to transport their off-road vehicles to riding locations.

Snoman, a provincial organization, represents 51 snowmobile clubs.

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition January 31, 2012 B1