We had a telephone conversation this week with a gentleman from the MTO Property Office in London . Thanks go out to the good people at Gerry Martiniuk’s office who directed us to the proper people.
Mr. Bill Warner, the head of Property Management for the region that includes Chilligo Valley, verified that the MTO owns a rather large chunk of land north of The Speed River and east of the former Hwy 24 bypass left over from when the road was constructed. The highway and road allowance itself is of course now controlled by the Region Of Waterloo and is an extension of Hespeler Rd.
Mr Warner was appalled to hear that their land has become part of an illegal ATV playground and admits that he is worried about liability problems. He went on to say that his office would like to divest themselves of the land and as per their mandate they would gladly sell it at a fair market value. Negotiations are ongoing with the GRCA and The City Of Cambridge, he says.
It is our hope that either the GRCA or The City Of Cambridge buy the land from the MTO and establish a passive use park for the health and well-being of our city.
Bill Warner half-promised us that in the near future he would try to get some MTO signs put up in the area…NO MOTORIZED VEHICLES….NO TRESPASSING etc . We hope that this happens as we feel that the offenders are offending out of ignorance.