The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Jonathon Naylor Editor Mayor George Fontaine is politely but sternly imploring snowmobilers to steer clear of schoolyards and public parks. 'For safety's sake' and to comply with the law, snowmobilers should avoid those areas while out riding, the mayor said at last week's city council meeting. 'There's hidden dangers in the parks,' Fontaine said during time set aside for his personal remarks. 'They're not set up for snowmobile riding, so please stay out of them, and also for the sake of the kids wandering around.' Since at least 1991, the city has assigned routes for snowmobilers designed to allow them to exit and enter city limits at minimal risk to themselves and the public. The city's map of legal routes shows that snowmobiles are forbidden on all school properties. It also appears the machines are not allowed in any public parks. Under the Off-Road Vehicles Act, snowmobilers who travel in areas where they are not permitted face fines of up to $2,000 if convicted. Staff Sgt. Andy Jarvie of the Flin Flon RCMP said police have not fielded many complaints of this nature this winter, but he agreed that one instance is one too many. He said most area snowmobilers behave responsibly but there are, as in any community, a few bad apples. Fielded complaints Over the years, police and the city have periodically fielded complaints about snowmobilers either abusing or veering off the legal routes. Some members of past city councils have at times dangled the threat of removing or restricting the routes as a means of keeping snowmobilers in line. Former councillor Dave Kennedy once referred to Flin Flon's allowance of snowmobiling within city limits as 'a privilege that few other communities have.' Complaints have also surfaced over the misuse of all-terrain vehicles, or quads, within city limits. Under a 2009 bylaw, ATVers are permitted to travel within city limits as long as they stay off 16 specific roads, most of which are heavy traffic areas. Copies of the ATV and snowmobile routes are available at City Hall at no cost.
