Trent Hills starts process to regulate discharge of firearms
Trent Hills starts process to regulate discharge of firearms
Public meetings planned to consider proposal to develop new bylaw
Trent Hills council is rather reluctantly stepping into the business of regulating when and where firearms can be discharged in the municipality.
At its meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 27 council asked Jim Peters, Director of Planning & Development, to develop a public consultation process for input regarding the consideration of a bylaw to regulate the discharge of firearms.
If you read that as a rather tentative approach to a potentially divisive topic, you’re right.
“At present there is only one bylaw that regulates the discharge of firearms within the Municipality of Trent Hills,” Peters said in a brief report. “This is an old bylaw for the Town of Campbellford that prohibits the discharge of firearms within the town boundary.
“Municipal bylaw staff have received numerous complaints from an individual regarding the discharge of firearms within the geographic Township of Seymour. Investigation has demonstrated the discharge is associated with hunting. Although occurring in the rural area it is taking place along the Trent River in proximity to a number of dwellings. “
The complaints are from Christine Trillard, who last November started a petition on Change.org demanding that Trent Hills establish no shooting zones. The petition currently has 19 signatures.
Councillor Gene Brahaney said he had heard the complaints and noted it was “a convoluted issue” with a lot of bureaucracy.
Trillard lives on the Trent River near Healey Falls and said in the petition that the homes are only 20 to 30 feet apart. “Despite this close proximity, it is currently legal to discharge firearms in our backyards. This becomes a significant public safety issue during the three-month-long goose hunting season when neighbours decide to shoot in their backyards over the Trent River.”
The petition says: “We urge the Municipality of Trent Hills to create a bylaw or establish No Discharge Zones that limit firearm discharge within 150 metres of any dwelling and in populated areas. 100 to 150 metres are the two commonly used distances for firearm discharge bylaws in five other municipalities of Northumberland. This measure will not only protect residents from potential harm, but also contribute towards creating a peaceful living environment. “
Mayor Bob Crate said that the issue becomes complicated because the municipality cannot regulate what people do while on the river in boats. Councillor Rick English agreed the problem is intertwined with different agencies.
Crate said Trillard is not the only resident with concerns. “There's other people around her that have voiced some concerns through her.”
He noted that Brighton recently updated its firearms bylaw and the municipality will be reviewing it and others as it prepares for public consultation on the issue.
In his dispassionate preliminary report, Peters said: “Staff have undertaken research into how other municipalities have undertaken the regulation of the discharge of firearms. One approach is to identify specific geographic areas where the prohibition is in effect based on density, such as urban areas and rural settlement areas. Another approach is a prohibition within a specific setback to any dwelling unit or building.”
In his understated tone he concludes: “It is expected that there will be public interest regarding the implementation of a bylaw regulating the discharge of firearms, as there has been in other municipalities.”
It could be a lively spring, since the municipality is also planning public meetings on the issue of short-term rentals, better known as Airbnb rentals, another hot topic with strong views on both sides.
Hospital adds dermatology clinic
Campbellford Memorial Hospital has announced the opening of a new outpatient dermatology clinic operated by Dr. Ashley O’Toole, a dermatologist from Peterborough
O’Toole received her medical degree from McMaster University in Hamilton and completed her residency in dermatology at the University of Ottawa.
The clinic, which will operate on the first Friday of the month, will cater to a wide array of skin conditions including acne and rosacea management, rashes such as psoriasis and eczema, and suspected skin cancers.
The hospital said anyone who needs dermatological care should talk to their health care provider to get a referral to the new clinic.