Soooo, MNR does it again, more restrictions, denied access , and road closures. MNR are entrusted to protect Crown Land from the taxpayers of Northern Ontario. Tell us your story about road closures and restrictions being imposed on your family….
My family and I do lots of camping, hiking, hunting and fishing north of Capreol. We go to the area around Stewart Lake in Haentschel Twp. It is located approximately 65 km up the Portelance Road. I have been going up to this area since I was a young boy. I am now 53 years old. My father, grand father, and great-uncle were the ones who first brought me up to this area. Now I am bringing my family up to this area. My great-uncle Eddy Jalbert was a dozer operator for the M.J. Poupore Lumber Company. He was one of the men who opened up lots of the roads in this area.
There is a section of road in this area that was closed to motorized access approximately 2 years ago. It was just posted last Fall. The road name was changed to Gervais Lumber Road since Gervais Lumber made a new road that tied into the old road. Gervais Lumber is actually the old M.J.Poupore Lumber Company. It was bought out by the Gervais family. The section of the road that is closed runs from the crossing at the Sturgeon River right up to the crossing at Upper Stull Creek at Stull Lake. There is also a few side roads off of this road that are closed. One is called Regan Lake Road. This road was closed a few years prior to the main road being closed. There are a few smaller roads that are not named.
The lakes & rivers that are no longer accessible are Hamlow Lake, Regan Lake, Solace Lake, Little Scarecrow Lake, Woods Lake, Scarecrow Lake, Stull Lake, Canthook Lake, Upper Stull Creek, Stull Creek. These are the ones that I can think of; there are probably others.
We have a few friends who have camps along this section of road or just north of this area. They are only allowed access to their camps but can not drive up and down the road to fish or hunt. We can’t even visit them anymore. When ever we used to camp along this road we always made visits to our friends camps and to check on their camps when they were not around. They would also check on our trailer when we were not around. This part of the closure really upset us because it seems like we have lost our friends. Now the only time we see our friends is when they are going into or coming out of their camps; they will stop by our campsite for a coffee and to talk. Apparently there is a way we can apply to the MNR for a letter that will let us cross this road to visit our friends but this letter is only good for one trip. We can not hop onto our ATV like we used to and just run up to their camps to visit them.
We used to clean up garbage left by canoeists at some of the more remote sites. But now there is no one to clean up after these pigs so the campsites in this area are probably getting quite dirty now. It bothered us that we had to clean up after the pigs who left these sites dirty but we used to do it for free. Now the MNR & Ontario Parks can clean up their mess.
We plan on going up Pickeral fishing in the Sturgeon River on the last week in May. I will get photos of the signs and gate on the Sturgeon River bridge when I am up there. Let me know if you need more info regarding this section of road.
Richard Jalbert
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Sandra to answer your question regarding how to find crown land for your activities. You can go to ofah.org and under resources” how to find crown land”. I believe you would have to sign up and become a member of this hypocritical federation that has for years has stated publicly that they are supporters of free access and then behind closed doors agreed that buffer zones with access restraints are necessary . Although you will be able to find crown land for your activities becoming a member of the OFAH is sort of a trade off, kind of like the many satellite groups within Northern Ontario that continue to exist under the OFAH umbrella and also the cloud of hypocrisy . You are right not every canoeist or southerner are pigs although the OFAH for their annual salary of 1.8 million dollars from our trustee (our MNR) kind of act like pigs at the trough. That is the difference between a group like Ontora and the OFAH. Ontora continues to fight for access and the OFAH for years pretended to fight for access and now is relegated to show you where you can and cannot recreate on our crown lands. Sandra if you want documents on the OFAH and their true values as it pertains to crown lands e-mail me at g.pedersen@eastlink.ca and please share them with your friends in Beaverton. Sandra wouldn’t you rather be a member of Ontora ?
May run is fast approaching have your cameras ready .When approached by M.N.R. officials be curtious ,try to remember details of the conversation , post the pictures and details on this web site .All this will help in Ontoras fight for equal access for all. Thank you for your participation.
It is your constitutional Rights under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms to access ALL Crown land as a Canadian citizen.
I recently discussed this along with hunting in closed access areas and the MNR CO told me if I am not native I am o the wrong race to be permitted in these locations. He then quoted me sections of the charter that guaranteed fishing and hunting for natives and that they were enforcing this policy based on that. Then I quoted to him MY constitutional rights to access all Canadian Crown lands and he laughed saying he wasn’t there to protect my rights, only natives.
So it is game on with the MNR who have been bought out by natives! I will NOT forego my constitutional rights and will access any Crown lands that I wish.
I am descendant of the French Voyageur here in Canada since the early 1600;s. and will fight to protect my rights.