Some local farmers are joining together to call for tougher fines for trespassing ATVs.
The Ontario Federation of Agriculture Farmers says ATVs are not only spreading plant and animal diseases on their property, but also damaging their crops, fences, and farm buildings.
They want the province to set a minimum $500 trespassing fine – and offer compensation of up to $25,000 for farmers who suffer financial losses as a result.
The Ontario Federation of ATVs says the best way to fix the problem is to create a trail system similar to Ontario’s snowmobile trails.
“What we want to do is put in trails so people don't trespass,” says the president of OFATV Bruce Murphy.
“ It all comes down to working with land owners, ATV clubs, and of course ATV'ers and the federation to stand together as one and work together with a common goal which is to create safe, legal and insured trails.”
Graeme Davis with the County of Simcoe says municipal by-laws across Ontario have created confusion about where the ATVs are allowed to be.
“You’ve got the farm community, you’ve got the Simcoe county forests, you need local municipal cooperation with roadsides and others … and of course you have residential areas scattered throughout, so it's that diversity of land ownership that really creates confusion and it also creates some challenges with building a trail network in this part of the country.”
ATV riders who want to use the trail systems in Simcoe County’s forest system are required to have a permit from the Central Ontario ATV club.
