With access to hundreds of kilometres of trails, a local man hopes to see an old logging road opened up for all-terrain vehicles.
Located on the north end of Sault Ste. Marie, Connor Road is currently open to hikers, cyclists, and snowmobilers through the winter, but John Kallio would like to see a seven km section opened up for ATVs and utility terrain vehicles, as well.
“We're just asking to be able to use that seven kilometres, and from there you can hit the trail network. You can get to Echo Bay. You can get to Thessalon. You can get to Searchmont,” said Kallio, president of the Ontario Outdoors Recreational Association.
“We're the only city that doesn't have a trail access system for ATV and UTV riders.”
The Sault Ste. Marie Region Conservation Authority, which oversees the area, has not agreed to Kallio’s request – which he put forward on behalf of numerous members of the public who brought the idea to him.
A part of the hold-up is that the conservation authority raised safety and liability concerns about the plan at its May meeting – noting that other groups, like the Ontario Federation of Snowmobilers, are insured as a collective – but Kallio said riders are required to have their own insurance to hit the trails in the first place.
“You or I, when we leave our yard, we have to have liability insurance on our machines,” he said.
“I've sent them a supplemental letter . . . asking them to reconsider again because of what I found out about insurance companies and how it actually works, and I'm hoping they'll take a better look at it.”
He also said he’s willing to work with the conservation authority to ensure “access is provided in a way that minimizes environmental impact, follows all safety maintenance guidelines, and respects the conservation goals of the area.”
With a lot of support already behind the idea, Kallio said opening the road up could provide new tourism opportunities for the city, as well.
“All the dealers have provided me supportive letters. They are all for it,” Kallio said.
“For the Sault, it could provide opportunities for people coming up,” he said.
“This also gives you an opportunity just to ride, even for people to go in the afternoon for a ride with their family.”
SooToday has reached out to the conservation authority for this article.