Steve Merker, OCA Executive Director, spoke with Robert Moos (Strategic Planning Officer for Ontario Parks) on the topic of bicycle use in Provincial Parks. Here is what was clarified.

Government of Ontario may ban bicycles from a small percentage of "Wilderness Designated" Provincial Parks. Concerns have been expressed by the International Mountain Biking Association and BTAC that Bill 11, the proposed Provincial Parks and Conservation Reserve Act, would ban mountain bikes and wheelchairs in Ontario's provincial parks.  Some people may have been left with the wrong impression.

Bill 11 was introduced last fall in Ontario's Legislature.  It included a new objective for wilderness class parks that said in part: "visitors travel primarily by non-motorized means".  Many people assumed the Ministry were going to open up wilderness parks to motorized use – which was not the intent -- and they asked the Ministry to include the current, more restrictive objective in legislation.  Note that the eight Wilderness parks in question are mostly very remote and in fact many are only accessible by canoe or airplane. IE north of Thunder Bay. The closest one that people will be familiar with is a portion of Killarny.

Consequently, an amendment was proposed to Bill 11, to reinstate the wilderness class parks objective that has been in place since 1978.  The objective says in part that "visitors travel by non-mechanized means".  A second amendment was proposed to allow the Minister to approve exceptions to the "non-mechanized" provision.  This would allow current policies – which do allow limited mechanized and motorized use in wilderness parks – to continue, even though the legislated objective could be interpreted as banning such uses entirely.

The government tabled both amendments with the Standing Committee on the Legislative Assembly and both were subsequently approved by the Committee.

Bill 11 would not ban mountain bikes and wheelchairs in Ontario's eight wilderness parks.  And to clarify, Bill 11 would not impose such restrictions on the 311 parks that are not wilderness class, or our 280 conservation reserves.  Policies and regulations will guide what activities take place in provincial parks and conservation, as is now the case.  What Bill 11 will do is help ensure these treasured areas are protected for future generations.