The municipality of Grey Highlands held an information session to address an update to the firearms discharge by-law.
The session held on Aug. 24 identified various aspects of the regulations, building upon the draft created in 2018, and touched on both shooting for hunting and for maintaining the peace.
The draft created in 2018 came following concerns of hunting on the lake from the Grey Highlands Police Service’s Board in 2017, but was deferred pending consultations.
“The Grey Highlands Police Service’s Board actually made a recommendation to council to update and clean up the current discharge of firearms by-law, because there is currently one in effect right now, it’s dated from 2003,” says Director of Corporate and Legislative Services and Clerk Raylene Martell.
It was later recommended by a previous CAO that the draft be put on hold during election year, and was further delayed in 2020 due to Covid. A new draft was then created in 2021.
As part of the regulations, no one will be able to discharge a firearm in certain areas of Badjeros, Ceyton, Eugenia, Feversham, Flesherton, Heathcote, Kimberley, Markdale, Maxwell, McIntyre, Priceville, Proton Station, Rocklyn, Singhampton, and Warham, unless it is on private property in one of these areas that has a size greater than one acre, has the owners permission, and does not travel across property lines.
The regulations also prohibit the discharge of weapons around any highway, land owned by Grey Highlands including parks and cemeteries, around a place of worship, school or hall, around a planned subdivision, around the Rail Trail, around Lake Eugenia, Irish Lake, Brewster’s Lake, or Wilcox Lake, and 30 minutes after sunset and 30 minutes before sunrise.
Exemptions to this by-law include duties performed by peace officers, farmers defending their livestock, and firing blank ammunition.
The by-law will be enforced by the OPP and municipal by-law enforcement officers. Those found to have contravened against this by-law could face a fine.
The by-law will allow Sunday Gun Hunting and as long as people have permission of the property owner, they will be able to hunt. The restrictions are still in place, however, for prohibiting weapon discharge over lakes.
Martell says, “council always has the opportunity to amend, repeal or rescind any by-law in effect in the municipality. So it does not matter if it is this council that enacts it, the next council can always amend it, repeal it, or rescind it, they can always make those changes to it.”
During the information session, a number of comments and questions were received. These ranged from the need for this by-law to what would be restricted.
“Every single one of the comments and concerns that were referenced here tonight and were received, will be brought forward in a report for council consideration for direction to be included or not included into the draft by-law prior to passing the by-law,” says Martell.