- Hub staff

A number of readers have commented on the excellent maintenance at Harrison Park this winter, and how grateful they are. The park has become an essential part of exercise and mental health routines for those doing their best to obey public health orders during this pandemic.

But a local woman walking her dog in Harrison Park on Sunday said she was taken by surprise by groups of snowmobilers coming at her over the bridge at the south end of the campground.

It's a busier place than usual this year, she says, and there was no warning that snowmobiles would be sharing the walkway or bridge.

Manager of Parks and Open Space Adam Parsons says snowmobiles “are permitted in parks where they are explicitly permitted by land use agreements with local Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs affiliate organizations. Those trails where use of snow vehicles is permitted are mapped here by the OFSC.” Parsons also shared Schedule B from the 1992 By-law to Control and Regulate Parks which included this rendering of the Harrison Park portion of the trail.

Sharing the trails safely and obeying public health rules will be crucial to maintaining goodwill between sledders and the general public.

Medical Officer of Health for North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit Dr. Jim Chirico closed snowmobile trails on Crown land in that district after receiving complaints about people travelling from other regions to use the local snowmobile trails. He said people were also put at risk of COVID-19 when groups of snowmobilers congregated on trails and in parking lots, not maintaining a two metre distance and exceeding the gathering limits.