🎯Former gun range

April 5th

Sadly he may be appealing to a higher court.

April 13, 2024

There is another article out on the OLT decision against the gun range:
‘Giant sigh of relief’: Ontario Land Tribunal dismisses appeal for proposed gun range on Rideau Ferry Road property in Drummond/North Elmsley Township

It is the typical landlord reaction: 'it's the system!' This is from people who fail to understand how government works. Voters elect reps, they make laws, they ensure these laws are followed.  
Whyte said it’s “a shame that the average person cannot get justice in the courts.” Whyte added he “wasn’t even allowed my day in court.” Whyte explained he appealed to the OLT because from his perspective “an informed decision was not made by council.”  

 “Staff had requested certain studies and council ruled against me before the studies were even completed,” he said. Whyte said he believes a decision was made for “political reasons.”

Apr. 23, 2024 – Another article: although the OPP aren't rebuilding it, but restoring the site.


OPP mandate:


May 20, 2024 – Lot #1 sold for $121,000. 

Site remediation is set for summer, 2024

According to the OPP: “The project work consists of excavation and off-Site disposal of hazardous (exceeding 0. Reg. 347 leachate criteria) and non-hazardous contaminated soil, backfilling of the excavated areas, and Site restoration to its pre-construction condition. ” And in another OPP report: “the site was originally developed as a gravel pit in the 1960s.” It is illegal to use a gun range without the proper rezoning, and approval of the Chief Firearms Officer. He tried this elsewhere and it failed. When you pay $606,000 for a property ($106,000 over asking) you should do due diligence. Also, you should talk to neighbours beforehand. There is a petition with over 500 signatures of local residents who are against it.



Sept. 2024

I was asked about the status of the defunct gun range. They have been remediating the site (getting rid of the heavy metals), although there is no information to local residents about this process. 

Things have been quiet after our township council voted to reject the rezoning required for this new project. That said, the land owner is looking for people to verify the history of the former OPP Recertification Range. There is no one to vouch for this, because it did not exist prior to the OPP and Mel (the land owner, and my hospice client, now deceased) created it in 1986. 

I think he is appealing this ruling to the Ontario Supreme Court. It's his last resort. All of us believe he's not got a leg to stand on. 

It was suggested he is trying to rewrite history!  Historical satellite photos that shows it did not exist prior to the 80's. And then only with a federal law applying to the police.

Alternative Facts!
Sept. 2024


September, lot #3 is for sale again. I wrote about it here. Property #1680 (formerly known as #1688-3) is for sale. Again. It sold (in Dec. 2023) for $135,000 – after being listed for $165,000, lowered to $140,000. It is now listed for $159,900. 



APR. 25th – WE WON!!!!  Rezoning denied.
MAY 10th – Gun range application DENIED
May 31st, – appeal by applicant to Ontario Land Tribunal is filed.
  • Land severance was granted, one lot has been posted on FB, 1.8 acres, $175.000. The 120 acres has been divided into three properties, plus a 4th (the provincially significant wetland), which is not for sale. 
July 9 – appellant announced an Open House. It was reported to the OPP and Ontario Firearms Officer.
July 10 – Letters have been sent to the Chief Firearms Officer complaining about the event.
July 21st – the gun range demonstration is being fleshed out, with a boxing demo, as well as fun and games for the kids.
July 21st – A form letter was sent by the Chief Firearms Officer to the people who contacted them. 
Aug. 9 – appeal # has been assigned: it appears on OLT website: OLT-23-000555.  The appellant is still looking for help. He is still going for that 'grandfathering' claim. It is amazing. 
There should, of course, be a comma between 'military', and 'civilian.' 
Aug. 16 – severed Lots #1 & 3 listed as 'quiet' land for sale.
Sept, 30 – severed lots have had price reductions. The larger piece of vacant land (#1) was $185,000 is now $144,000. The other lot (#3) has gone from $165,000 lowered to $140,000. They have been on the market for 46 days. They should declare the noise issues, with hunting going on there.
Oct. 13 – The OLT website: OLT-23-000555 indicates that a written decision was made on Oct. 13th: 0008497. In correspondence, OLT said that it could be more than 90 days before the decision is made public. (I.e., January). The decision is in response to DNE Township: "This matter is currently being heard as a written motion to dismiss."
Nov. 16 – Land severance update. 
Dec. 9th – Property #3 sold Dec. 9th for $135,000 (from $165,000 lowered to $140,000). It is 1.9 acres.
Dec. – Lot #1 (1.9 acres) has had its price reduced.  ($185,000:  $144,000: $130,000.) I presume lot #2 is still being renovated, it is being offered for rent.





UPDATE: Jan. 3rd, 2023 – I heard firing there 📹 , Jan. 3rd.
UPDATE: gun range news <= blog post
    
UPDATE: The landowner has been advocating for, and celebrating, trophy hunting. 
UPDATE: Feb. 14, 2023 – Apparently, the far-right are above the law, or inventing it for themselves. The Canadian Constitution does not give us a right to have guns, nor does God. 


In 1993, the Supreme Court of Canada said that our citizens do NOT have a right to carry guns. Just the same as you don't have a right to drive. You need a licence. 


UPDATE: March 3rd – The Peer Review of the Noise Survey by WSP Golder is out, and it says exactly what I stated at the Dec. 6th meeting, based on our research. This is my longer article on the Peer Review.

UPDATE: FOI has released the OPP heavy metal contamination reports.

I have learned so much about the laws regarding gun range zoning (local), the provincial firearms officer, right up to the federal laws that would govern an actual shooting range. This is nearly the end of the tale of the proposed gun range in DNE. The OPP, in conjunction with RVCA, are going to engage in a clean up. It won't be cheap. They are going to raze the berm, and put the land back to where it should be. 

site layout

Through access to information (FOI) they found out some of the costs, and the plan is in place. to decontaminate the site.  Rumours are over $1 million.


This is what they found had been done to create the berm.


UPDATE: Planner recommends deferral for the April 25th meeting.

Oct. 13, 2023  BIG NEWS: 

The case was dismissed because he doesn’t have an effective argument for having a gun range, it violates our township and provincial bylaws, not just on a ‘technicality.’ The case had no merit. The OPP aren’t rebuilding it, they are decontaminating it and taking the berm out. 




Still awaiting the results from the OLT hearing. Sudbury Mirror article on the OLT

Sept. 27, 2022 –  We found our 16-acre property, surrounded by a provincially significant wetland, which assured we would get some peace and quiet after tourist-infested Muskoka. No one told us that the OPP recertified at a firing range out across the wetland. 

The gun range is nestled in a provincially significant wetland (PSW), and even back 25 years ago they should have known better. 

When we moved into Drummond/North Elmsley (DNE) we had no idea. The noise is awful. It travels several kilometres across the land to a nearby lake, and echoes around the shoreline. The heavy metals are buried in the land, leaching into the pond.

There are 12 gun lanes on the site.

A handgun shot can be heard as far as 1.6 km away depending on the conditions. More powerful shotgun ammunition can be heard up to 3.2 km away. This would be intolerable. In the limited time we have had to research this issue, we found the Land Use Act and the township’s Official Plan state that the purpose of these documents is “to create a suitable acoustical environment for the residents.”

You can use Google to measure distances.
 

 Here we are in rural Drummond NE township. They are looking at changing zoning from rural to allow a gun club near us. It's been an OPP Recertification Range for years. Who knew? They've been doing this for 22 years. We've been here 12 years. New home owners aren't informed. We certainly weren't told, despite the vendors' realtor living in the area.


The new owner of the gun range at 1688 Rideau Ferry Rd. is applying to open a gun range and shooting club. They want to be able to fire restricted firearms and prohibited handguns. 

This is the process for our Drummond/North Elmsley Township:

The Planning Act says that they only have to inform neighbours within 150 m of the property applying for new zoning. That seems ridiculous. The sound of a long gun firing is much louder than the recommended 40 - 60 dB that the ministry suggests is acceptable. 

Once DNE Council takes a vote on rezoning, there is a further step. People can appeal to the Ontario Land Tribunal. There could be a hearing, if the gun range proponent can demonstrate that gun range meets the restrictions of the township planning act. 

The applicant did an acoustic noise study, but we'd not seen anyone out and about here. They failed to use the proper evaluation methods, to follow the Ministry guidelines. We are 600 m away from the firing range out in our backyard, as the crow flies. They recommend no more than 5 people firing at one to meet sound level standards. This isn't how the gun range is set up. There are 12 gun lanes. The OPP run 10-second firing periods, pause, then do another 10 seconds. We can hear them yelling at one another. The noise is awful. 


This is spring, while the OPP are firing. This is May, 2017.


Then they test the noise levels.  Did they test these while at our home? No. Which calibre of gun did they test and how many? When queried at the meeting, neither the Safety Office for the proposed gun range, nor the gun range proponent knew.

120 acres, lots of wetland (YouTube)

UPDATE: Oct. 5th

The Notice of Public Meeting was snuck by us, but word of mouth is great in a small township (pop. 8183).  Three of us worked on a presentation for next week at the council meeting. My daughter, JB and myself – between us we have 6 degrees, and are used to writing reports for business purposes. We've all delivered our fair share of reports. JB testified in a Senate Transportation Committee hearing on parliament his last week of work prior to retirement. I was union president in my time. 

😓 There is some momentum. A poster had been made (see below). There is a network. A local resident submitted a Letter to the Editor! The local lake association is getting involved, too. 

Oct. 12 – Blog post: I did my duty! My speech to council.

UPDATE: Oct. 13th

We made the local paper! They quoted me, and they quoted hubby. We were quite pleased with the coverage. If you ever want press go to your local small paper and keep contact with editors. They want to cover local issues that have a direct impact on daily life. 

Several people spoke, in a packed room. One man raises horses. Others have B & Bs, rent cottages, and are farming. In the photo, Amy Millar, yes, a Canadian Olympian, explained the impact of the noise on staff, students, her foals, her teaching practice. 

UPDATE: Oct. 14 – D/NE has posted the minutes of the meeting re: zoning for the proposed gun range. I don't know who took these minutes but they are fairly comprehensive and give a sense of the packed meeting.  The gun range, cancer treatment, walkies <= blog post.


UPDATE:  Release to the environment: lead ammunition; Government of Canada
The majority of lead ammunition used in Canada is discharged on shooting ranges and is not recovered or reclaimed. Out of about 5,000 tonnes, less than 200 tonnes is recovered and recycled. In addition, lead dust can be released into the air particularly at closed indoor ranges, or transferred to hands and clothes and then to other people. The elevated levels of lead in the blood of recreational shooters and their families as well as workers at firing ranges are well documented. Scientific literature also reveals that outdoor shooting ranges are renowned for having extremely high content of metallic lead in the soil. As a result, lead exposure and poisoning has also been documented in the wildlife that forage in contaminated areas around shooting ranges.

UPDATE: Oct. 26 – JB's letter to the editor: Deeply Offended

UPDATE: Oct. 29th

We've a new article about the gun range clean up. The condition of sale was that the OPP clean up the metals. This is a good thing. We are across the wetland from it and we were concerned. I just wonder how profitable they thought 120+ acres would be, on a selling price of $606,000, on a property not zoned for a gun range? 

UPDATE: Nov. 17th – The petition has 300 signatures.

UPDATE: Nov. 19 – Signs against the proposed gun range have gone up.


UPDATE: Hard-working people have also collected 543 signatures against the range. People have sent over 200 letters to our Township Planner.

UPDATES: Mon., Nov. 21 – Someone in a truck with a business logo was removing said signs in Perth. The sign committee spoke to the township, and this was clarified. The rest of the signs have been stolen, and some have been replaced. 

We've heard from people all over the place trying to prevent or stop gun range developments by neighbours. 2018/9/27 Gun Club in Guelph, an issue for years. 

UPDATE: Nov. 29 - The Planner's Recommendations are online. They decided to have a Peer Review of the Acoustic Survey, the latter I highlighted as being less than stellar during my presentation to the Committee of the Whole.  
UPDATE: Dec. 2 – Report and agenda put online prior to Committee of the Whole Agenda (CoW). 
UPDATE: Dec. 6 – CoW meeting, 5 p.m. They voted to defer. We await the Peer Review of the Acoustic Survey. 
As of Dec. 15th, I've got 144 emails on this issue. JB has 245. Thankfully, all we can do now is wait.


Timelines of our work preventing this gun range. 

📹 VIDEOS – this is what the gun range sounded like:

"A War Going On!" 

Inside Ottawa Valley

Lanark Leeds Today

CBC

APRIL 26 – CBC article.
April 27th – The gun range applicant went to CBC Radio Ottawa to rant about his loss. 

Nov. 10 – Gun Range proponent thinks he understands our concerns! He thinks we should "just accept it."CBC Ottawa Radio spot.


CTV
 CTV News decided to cover the issue: CTV News 📹   My analysis here. We are drawing the attention of gun lobbyists.
Another CTV News story. Nothing much new. Same video. A world class equestrian farm, with Ian and Amy Millar, has now been called a 'horse farm!' So trite. Jan. 10 – CTV News 📹  

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