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Opinion
Is trust still possible?
The Bruce Trail Authority, the Niagara Escarpment
Commission, the Ontario Trails Council, the Northern
Rate -pavers Association. Bill 129, the Federation of Agriculture.
An awful lot of names and numbers are involved in any story
on the conflict over agricultural and recreational use of land.
Perhaps that's part of the problem.
Bureaucracy, red tape and a high handed disregard for the
rights of property owners seems to be the legary created by the
high budget NEC, established by the province in 1973.
In response to NEC legislation allowing expropriation and
controlling land use on and near the escarpment. which includes
the Bruce Trail. farmers in affected areas organized protest
groups. That's understandable and it's only self defense but it
lead to more red tape. more meetings, briefs and letters.
Lost in the shuffle is the trust that once existed between
individual farmers who back in 1967 with no protection or
remuneration allowed the public to take the trail through their
land and responsible hikers who respected owners' rights.
Farmers are fed up with damage to proprtv. crops and stock.
with litter and lost hikers. with the province dictating what they
can do on and near their own land.
They're having trail signs removed from their properties an::
we can't blame them. But all of Ontario is the loser. Farmers too
lose since they also like to hike along beauty spots. when they
have the time. The only possible way to save public acess to the
Bruce Trail. and other recreational reas that are also farm land.
is to somehow get back to those days of individual responsiblity
and trust. That could mean public money to pay farmers
compensation for any damage to their land. It would mean
careful policing of hikers and heavy fines for any abuse of private
property.
Preserving the Bruce Trail means a recognition by the Dubh,
that access across farm land is a privilege and a responsibility
rather than a right. The onus is not on farmers; it's on the
recreationalists to prove themselves worthy of trust.
the rura
•
Olee
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THE RURAL VOICE/ AUGUST 1978 PG. 3