Restore access

Dear editor:
Please accept this open letter to Northern Development minister Michael Gravelle and Transportation and Infrastructure minister Glen Murray:
Honourable ministers,
Thank you very much for your concerns and your actions to ensure our roads are safe, and continue to strengthen our economy and create jobs.
I am a tourist operator in the Fort Frances area and a taxpayer. Our industry is a minor player in our economy and we appreciate all the help!
At this time, a large part of our existence is being threatened. This also extends to most licence-paying taxpayers and purchasers of gasoline and hunting items used to hunt and get to where we can hunt.
There are vast Crown lands in our immediate vicinity that are within a tank-of-gas driving distance. This Crown land has much hunting opportunities.
The hunters and non-resident tourists, meanwhile, purchase licences from the Ontario MNR, which is good revenue.
In the hunting regulations from the MNR, it is plainly stated that hunting is not allowed, nor can firearms by used, on or off or across this highways. That is a good regulation!
Please be aware that there exists a lot of bush roads on the Crown lands that were established in the history of the paper-making companies in our area. They were built and financed with costs of operation funs probably dedicated from their corporate income taxes.
In other words, we paid for them! We use them and most of them remain in usable condition.
However, we are having a problem that negates our right to access this resource. The Highways ministry corridor management people have policies that govern the accesses from the highways and they require removal of same when the original permit user has ceased their need of the access.
I was advised that I could reinstall the access by paying the permit fee and going through the expensive process of reinstalling the access. Even though, if I did, to access the large bear management areas I lease from the MNR at a considerable cost, control of the access and the roads are not to be in my concerns or power.
These are owned by the taxpayers, licence holders, both tourists and residents, and anyone who lives here that would want to use the bush roads to go on Crown land.
For the reason I have stated, we wish to have the appropriate action be taken by our provincial government to reinstate the dug-out accesses and consider the facts that not only are the resources paid for by the taxpayer, they are located on Crown land and should be available to all—especially the people who pay the licence fees.
Please give this matter your urgent attention and help our struggling economy.
Respectfully yours,
John Steinke
Fort France, Ont.