It’s only the first step but it’s a big step! This week in council the City of Kawartha Lakes councilors voted unanimously in support of forming a task force committee regarding off road vehicle (ORV) use on municipal roads across Kawartha Lakes. We have asked the councilors to look at opening up more roads in the municipality to help us connect the villages and communities to the trails. This is the first time in our history that the council has unanimously voted in support of ORV’s and taken so many big steps forward in recognizing the value of off road vehicles to the local economy. They have seen and continue to recognize the positive contributions we as a club have made to the community as a whole in not only the management and maintenance of the trails but also the education of the riders and our members. They not only recognize the tourism benefits from visitors to the trails but they are listening to the residents who have made it clear that they want to be able to ride their ATVs and SxS to the trails from their homes and cottages. This is a great opportunity so please do your part in assisting us by riding responsibly and respecting the local residents and landowners. Thank you again to council for taking this step forward with us. Thank you to council for being open minded and willing to move forward and a special thank you to councilor Tracy Richardson and KATVA President Carolyn Graham Richards for the countless hours they have put into spearheading this project. We look forward to seeing the outcome in time for the 2021 riding season.