So Far S'No Good in Snow Road

Jeff Green | Nov 02, 2022

The K&P Trail development is intended, in part, as a boon to tourism related businesses along its path. But disputes with landowners in North Frontenac who own parts of the trail have delayed its completion.

And the fallout from those disputes is now a detriment to the existing winter tourism season, at least in the short run.

For decades, the Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs (OFSC) has operated the trails each winter, thanks to annual agreements with each landowner along the route.

A year ago, as Frontenac County was planning the upgrade to the trail, and had approached landowners along its path, hoping to purchase the trail outright or obtain easements for its use, several landowners balked.

“Historically, these landowners have always kept the former railbed open for snowmobile use, every winter, through license agreements with the local snowmobile clubs ... In 2021 when the County began to communicate with the property owners about its intention to acquire the rail-bed to convert it to year round use, several owners determined that they would not enter into private agreements with the snowmobile clubs while negotiations were underway with the County,” is how Frontenac County described what happened last year in a report to Council by Manager of Economic Development Richard Allen.

As a result, the trail was closed as a snowmobile trail all the way south to Sharbot Lake, in the winter of 2021-2022, eliminating one of the provincial trunk lines that the OFSC depends on to promote snowmobile travel across Eastern Ontario, and the province as a whole. It also slowed tourism in communities as far apart as Calabogie and Sharbot Lake.

While Snowmobile traffic on the K&P Trail, south of Sharbot Lake, was slightly higher in 2022 than it had been in 2021, according to Allen, traffic from Sharbot Lake north, was down significantly, and from Clarendon through North Frontenac there was no snowmobile traffic at all.

In late June this year, Frontenac County moved to expropriate some of properties in the Snow Road area that are on the trail route.

Frontenac County had planned to complete construction of the trail to the northeastern border of North Frontenac this year, but the project has been delayed

And at their October 19 meeting, Frontenac County Council was informed that the 2022-2023 snowmobile season will be the same as 2021-2022, OFSC Trunk Line E will be closed (See map).

“County staff will continue to work with the Snow Road Snowmobile Club, and other local clubs, towards re-opening the K&P Trail for winter use. However at this stage of the negotiation process, and assuming that winter weather conditions remain consistent, it can be expected that the 2022-23 snowmobile season will look similar to the 2021-22 season, especially north of Sharbot Lake,” said Allen.

Grant Penstone, Vice President of the Snow Road Snowmobile Club, appeared before Council at the October 19 meeting. He explained that the closure of the trail last year crippled the club. They were forced to close several feeder trails that run off the K&P, “because they didn't have anywhere to go, and in order to work around the closure, the club had to redirect resources to create a pathway on trails that were not designed for the amount of traffic that a trunk trail could expect.

“It's like a road system, smaller roads are not designed to carry the traffic that highways are designed to carry,” he said.

He also said that the implications for the OSFC of not having a major corridor were significant as well, and asked if there was any way the county could facilitate the re-opening of the trails.

Central Frontenac Mayor Frances Smith asked Frontenac County Chief Administrative Officer Kelly Pender for an update on negotiations.

“We continue to negotiate with several of the property owners and have commenced expropriation as Council has authorised,” he said. “It's the landowners that have blocked the access, not the county, I want to make sure everybody realises that. We continue to negotiate, and we hope to have it done as soon as possible, but it hasn't happened yet. We continue to press forward, and hope to have it open for next year.”

Penstone mentioned that at least in once case, a property owner, Bob Riddell of Robertsville, was seeking fencing along the trail to keep snow mobiles, and ATV's, from leaving the trail and trespassing on his pits.

“Has there been any discussion about that option,” Penstone asked.

“There are ongoing negotiations as part of the expropriation process,” said Pender.

When contacted, Bob Riddell's brother Jim, who also owns a piece of property that is being expropriated, said that he has not had any direct contact from Frontenac County since the expropriation notice was sent to him.

“As far as I know, nothing has really happened at all,” he said. “I know some people along the trail have hired lawyers, and they may have been in contact with Frontenac County, but no one has approached me,” he said.

He said that he responded to the expropriation notice by sending a request for review to Frontenac County back in July, and had not heard back.

“They have certainly missed their chance to do anything this year,” he said.