Blake Ellis/The Independent

Enniskillen will consider if all terrain vehicles (ATV) can use township roads.

Enniskillen Resident Mark Braet appeared before council on Monday and asked that the current township bylaw be changed to allow ATVs so a trail system can be created, similar to one in the Dresden area.

Braet touted ATV use for the tourism dollar it generates in Ontario. There were approximately 286,000 ATVs in Ontario in 2024. It has been estimated that Ontario riders take 492,500 day trips a year outside of their local areas.

The average rider spends $249 on a day trip and $1,086 on a multi- day excursion, said Braet.

Tri-Shores ATV Club President Andrew Van Koot and Tri-Shores Member Chris Richardson joined Braet.

Van Koot said when an interested landowner is found who wants to have a trail developed on a property, a land agreement is signed that covers them with a $15 million liability per incident.

There are already four trail properties in the Dresden area in Chatham-Kent within the Tri-Shores ATV Club’s area, said Van Koot. This amounts to 15 kilometres of trails. All of these properties are connected as Chatham-Kent allows ATVs to use the municipalities’ roads.

This allows the ATV club which has members in Lambton County as well as Chatham-Kent to run day rides.

The Tri-Shores ATV Club organizes a day ride every winter.

he most recent one had 243 participants and raised just under $6,000 for the Dresden Legion, said Van Koot.

“We can see trails developed in Enniskillen Township,” said Braet. “It just requires an interested landowner.”

When asked if the club had any landowners in Enniskillen Township who are interested in having a trail developed on their properties, Van Koot said they hadn’t asked yet, as ATVs were not allowed on Enniskillen’s roads.

“Our insurance company is telling us you should not do that, because of the liability it brings on the municipality,” said Enniskillen’s Administrator-Clerk Christine Poland, as for the reason why ATVs aren’t currently allowed on township roads. “As soon as we allow ATVs on our roads officially, we become liable if anything happens.”

Oil Springs, Dawn-Euphemia, Warwick and St. Clair Township all allow ATVs on roads.

Province wide, the Ontario Federation of All Terrain Vehicles (OFATV) has built, with the help of its 22 clubs, over 9,000 kilometres of interconnected trails across Ontario. The Tri-Shore ATV Club has also spent $20,000 on its existing trails this year.