Council closes road allowance through Happy Valley Forest
By Bill Rea

Todd Farell, a science stewardship coordinator with the Nature Conservancy of Canada, was conducting a tour through the Happy Valley Forest Thursday, along the road allowance Township council voted to have closed earlier in the week.

Vehicles are to be prohibited along the unopened road allowance between the two segments of the 7th concession in King.

King councillors approved the prohibition at their meeting last Tuesday, as well as on unopened allowances on the 16th and 17th Sideroads in the area. Township staff is also going to be working with the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) toward setting up a conservation easement over the unopened section of the 7th.

The lands in question include part of the Happy Valley Forest on the Oak Ridges Moraine, which is regarded as one of Canada's natural masterpieces by NCC.

The move drew praise from NCC. Mark Stabb, program manager in Central Ontario with NCC, said they want to work with the community over the long term to ensure the forest is cared for.

There wasn't much opposition to the vehicle prohibition, but local resident Barry Klady had some concerns about the easement. He told councillors NCC is not a government agency, and he wondered what priorities it might have. He also didn't like the idea of the Township giving away something for nothing. "To give away an easement now, I think, is totally inappropriate," he remarked.

He also wondered why an easement would be needed if vehicles are going to be banned from the allowance.

Township CAO Scott Somerville said the easement was not being discussed at that point, just the closure of the road allowance.

Stabb added the purpose of the easement would be to prevent a road from being built through there in the future. It would still be owned by the Township and people would still be able to use it, without a vehicle.