Dear Mr. Mayor and City Councilors;
I have read with great dismay the various media articles concerning the future of the Hiawatha ski trails. The position of the Conservation Authority, and Mr. Ernie Gulyas especially, seems to be in direct opposition to maintaining the integrity of the 38 km of trails that have been used by thousands of local and visiting skiers for over 50 years. I cannot possibly imagine the rationale for this stance. It would appear that Mr. Gulyas' only real concern is how to bring more money into the Conservation Authority's coffers, regardless of the expense to the community at large, or (even worse), to the quality of the land which is under the stewardship of the Conservation Authority. It also remains to be seen what this additional money would be used for by the Conservation Authority. I believe that a forensic audit is in order to discover this and other facts about how our Conservation Authority is actually being managed. It seems that fees paid to the Conservation Authority by Sault Trails and Recreation, while it was still operational, were not honoured by the Conservation Authority providing the services for which those fees had been paid. This type of arrogant disregard for due process and contractual obligation is shocking. However, it seems to be the way in which the Conservation Authority is being directed to conduct itself. It is also not the only example of such conduct. Need I remind anybody about the golf course Request for Proposal fiasco that ensued a number of years ago? The Conservation Authority was quite ready to sign their land over to a land use that would have seen a direct negative impact on the quality of our city's groundwater acquifer, which supplies 50% of our drinking water. What kind of decision making is this?
I believe that the City should immediately request the resignation of Mr. Gulyas as the Conservation Authority Board Chair, given his complete lack of vision and his well-documented acrimonious attitude towards cross country skiers. Mr. Gulyas is absolutely not acting in the best interests of the community by threatening the integrity of the cross country ski trails that have been described by skiers far and wide as the best in Northerneastern Ontario. In fact, it seems as though he delights in alienating the residents of our city. As our elected representatives, I ask you: What sort of community would stand by and witness the destruction of such a valuable resource for local inhabitants and tourists from across Ontario, Michigan, Wisconsin and even further? Do you have any idea of the sheer numbers of people who would be impacted by such an event?
The contributions of the Soo Finnish Nordic Ski Club (SFNSC) to the original development of these trails, and to the instruction and promotion of skiing amongst the people of Sault Ste. Marie, is an invaluable resource not only to the physical and mental health of our community but also to its economic health. The many large events hosted by SFNSC (for example, the yearly Hiawatha Invitational 2-day race event) bring many valuable tourism dollars to our city. Without an intact 38 km trail system, these events will simply not be possible. I would also hazard a guess that the many volunteers that are required to run such events successfully (which has been the case for SFNSC) would rapidly disappear if the ski trail system was reduced or divided in any way. Many people, myself and my family included, would gladly agree that one of the main attractions about living in Sault Ste. Marie is that we have nearby access to such a wonderful trail system. If we describe our city as "Naturally Gifted" in our promotional literature, how can we countenance any action that would ruin the ski trail system?
I urge you to look deeply into this matter and truly do what is best for our "Naturally Gifted" community. Do not allow the Conservation Authority to simply run roughshod over the many, many cross country skiers in our city. Examine all aspects of their 'due process' to ensure that no conflict of interest or personal benefit to any member of the Conservation Authority or their Board is inherent in their 'Request for Proposal' decisions. I do not understand why the Conservation Authority is requiring this monetary process in the first place since hikers, cyclists, snowmobilers and runners currently use the trails without having to pay fees or be accountable in any way for property damage, vandalism, etc. It is as if the Conservation Authority feel that they are managing private land, when in fact their land base was deeded to them by the Ministry of Natural Resources to be used by and for the public. It is, in short, public land, paid for by our tax dollars. I believe that it is the job of our elected officials, yourselves, to show our entire community the power of people who really are working for the best interests of the community. Remove the Conservation Authority's damaging Board. Then, replace them with people who really can work honourably and collaboratively with the many user groups who benefit from an intact Hiawatha trail system and are willing to work together to protect it for now and the future.
Sincerely
Leslie Dafoe
88 Parkshore Dr.
Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario
P6A 6B3
