“I am just very happy Jim (Peters, Director of Planning & Development) to see there’s going to be a public process through this whole thing because it is a problem.” Councillor Rick English
Article by Sue Dickens
Trent Hills – Tues., Feb. 27, 2024 – “It’s a very convoluted issue of who’s got rights … but I’m sympathetic to her cause,” commented Councillor Eugene Brahaney at this morning’s meeting of Trent Hills Council.
He was referring to a resident regarding their complaints relating to the regulation of the discharge of firearms within the Municipality of Trent Hills.
Director of Planning & Development Jim Peters submitted a report to council making the suggestion that staff develop a public consultation process for public input.
According to the report by Peters, municipal by-law staff have received numerous complaints from an individual regarding the discharge of firearms within the Township of Seymour. He noted in his report, “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.”
At present there is only one by-law that regulates the discharge of firearms within the municipality. This is an old by-law for the Town of Campbellford that prohibits the discharge of firearms within the town boundary.
Continuing with his comments Councillor Brahaney noted, “There are a number of houses that are in that area. It’s pretty well a built up area… but there seems to be so many different areas of jurisdiction overlapping that I don’t know where it fits in the puzzle so you could stop people from discharging so close to their home.”
He added, “I continue to be amazed by some of the bureaucracy that we have in Ontario.”
Councillor Rick English also commented. “I am just very happy Jim to see there’s going to be a public process through this whole thing because it is a problem.”
He added, “I know it intertwines with different agencies and it’s going to be a hard one to nail down but happy that there’s a public process.”
In the report by Peters, he offered an analysis which points out that hunting and firearm discharge in regard to predators has been a common practice in rural areas over the years.
As well, he added, “Staff have undertaken research into how other municipalities have undertaken the regulation of the discharge of firearms.”
One approach, he wrote, 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.
He concluded in his report, “It is expected that there will be public interest regarding the implementation of a by-law regulating the discharge of firearms as there has been in other municipalities.”
Council voted to instruct the staff to develop a public consultation process for public input regarding the consideration of a by-law regulating the discharge of firearms within the municipality.
