Some Fort Frances businesses would like the town to allow greater access for snowmobilers to reach their establishments.
La Place Rendez Vous’ General Manager Sarah Noonan and Boston Pizza owner Dale Fortes spoke to members of the town’s Planning and Development Committee Monday about their proposal.
They feel it could help the town become a popular winter destination.
Fortes says the current laws restrict snowmobilers from accessing services like restaurants, hotels and service stations.
“We felt that if there was an opportunity to develop a similar by-law to some of these other areas that are promoting snowmobile tourism in terms of allowing access to some of the amenities in our community in a safe way that we should look at it,” says Fortes.
They point to communities like Timmins and Dryden where snowmobilers can drive on certain municipal roads.
Noonan would like Fort Frances to follow in their footsteps.
“We want to try from a hospitality perspective to become more of a destination for snowmobilers to come, and giving them access to places in town, I think makes that a better experience,” says Noonan.
No specific routes have been identified.
Fortes sees it as a great economic opportunity.
“I see this as a stepping stone to a trail system whether it’s snowmobiles and ATVs, or you could look at an east-west, north-south accessibility for the summertime for people to walk on, people to bike on,” says Fortes.
It’s not certain if anything can be in place for this winter.
Committee members have asked the proponents to sit down with the town’s by-law department and explore potential routes.
