Heather Brouwer/The Independent

St. Clair Township will not be enacting an off-road vehicle by-law after all.
That decision came at its March 21 council meeting, after a report from staff indicated that there hadn’t been an increase in relevant complaints since a change in provincial regulations.

“We put it off and wanted to see what happened for a year and see if there was an increase in issues,” said Mayor Steve Arnold.

In January of 2021, changes in provincial legislation effectively authorized the use of off-road vehicles on township roads, unless a bylaw to prohibit their use was passed.

According to staff’s report, council engaged in “robust” discussions about a possible by-law over the course of several months, but ultimately did not pass the bylaw, opting instead to revisit the matter.

“It remains the recommendation of staff that the township opt not to pass or enact an [off-road vehicle] bylaw, as its enforcement would remain very challenging, and the volume of complaints received related to their offensive use has not increased,” wrote Clerk Jeff Baranek.

The motion to withdraw the draft by-law was carried.