News that the North Bay Snowmobile Club needs to close up all the trails they have been working hard to groom for this season is not going over well with sledders.
“We are not in favour of shutting down this great outdoor activity for local riders, but we will certainly comply and support efforts by the health authorities to reduce the spread,” said Shawn Flindall, Director of Communications with the North Bay Snowmobile Club.
"We are upset with the news, especially from a timing perspective. We have just gone through thousands and thousands of hours of work, effort, money, and time to get these trails in shape and open, so it's really disappointing to have a close-down."
Flindall notes that snowmobiling is a huge economic driver for the north and this area in particular.
"That is really going to have a lot of impact on businesses involved too so we are disappointed but clearly supportive," he said.
But the biggest group that is being hampered by the news is the local snowmobile enthusiasts.
"A lot of snowbirds and others who were committed to snowmobiling this year spent an awful lot of money on new machines and new gear knowing, at the time, it was one of the few outdoor activity options to do," said Flindall.
But he believes the closure will halt southern Ontarians from coming up to North Bay.
"OPP will police it and many trails have gates on them that will be closed and locked. All interactive maps will show the trails are closed so that alone will keep out-of-towners from coming," said Flindall.
"The OPP will be on the trails enforcing the closures and issuing fines if people are caught out there so there are lots of enforcement options and all will be used."
The season was somewhat put on ice Monday when the North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit announced that it's shutting down all the OFSC snowmobile trails in the district as a way to curb the spread of COVID-19.
See related: Health Unit closes OFSC snowmobile trails
Monday's news release from the Health Unit stated it is "reasonable and necessary" to close the trails which affect the entire district served by the North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit in order to decrease or eliminate the risk to community health presented by COVID -19."
“We have been told to stay home and we need to do this," said Dr. Jim Chirico, chief medical officer in the release.
"I have received many complaints about people travelling from other districts to use the local snowmobile trails, thus putting our district at risk of COVID-19. The OFSC recommends that snowmobilers avoid trailering and travelling to destinations that are outside their health unit region to snowmobile, but people have not taken the direction seriously.
"We are also seeing groups of snowmobilers congregating on trails, in parking lots and other locations not maintaining a two metre distance and exceeding the gathering limits.”
