By Tessa (Townson) Swanton, Bruce Peninsula Press
Public Works Manager, Troy Cameron, presented six mitigation options to the Municipality of Northern Bruce Peninsula (MNBP) Council to address Crane Lake Road concerns. Crane Lake Road issues were originally discussed at the May 26, 2025 Council Meeting where Council passed a resolution to temporarily close a section of Crane Lake Road north of Lindsay Road 40 and past 289 Crane Lake Road by barricade. Staff were also directed to circulate Council’s two preferred mitigation options to surrounding property owners and the Bruce Trail Conservancy (BTC) for comments. Mayor Milt McIver declared a conflict of interest and refrained from participating in Crane Lake Road discussions as he is a part owner of a property near the flooded area.
Comments received showed divided opinions and no consensus on how to address Crane Lake Road. One commenter asked if there are legal implications for closing a road that has provided access to properties for over 100 years. Other commenters mentioned that snowmobilers use the road to access trails, and a closure would result in long walking distances to Parks Canada and negatively impact Bruce Trail continuity.
Cameron said, “It is a narrow road and does go through private property so there’s a trespass section of the road where the Municipality can only maintain the wheel tracks, so therefore it’s very limited as to what you can do to the road in those areas for improvements. The water does come over the road due to the flooding downstream. There are safety concerns that are warranted on this road.”
Councillor Golden stated that she has “no objection to improvement of the road for landowners because that road has provided access to private landowners for a number of years. But [I] don’t think we need to lose sight of the fact that the Bruce Trail does need to be rerouted around there, not just because of the road but because of the private landowner issues, I think we’re making that rerouting more complicated than it has to be. [We] need to keep that at top of mind.”
Council approved Option Six, a new option that was not presented at the May 26 Council Meeting. Staff Report No. PW 25-17 explains that Option Six is a combination of the previously presented options from May 26. Staff will first work with Parks Canada and surrounding landowners to control flooding issues over Crane Lake Road. Once water elevation is lowered, the MNBP may replace damaged culvert infrastructure and repair parts of Crane Lake Road to a achieve a passable condition. Option Six notes that strategies to deter beavers could be implemented on the roadway, and on Parks Canada and private lands. Gravel will be added to the road and washed-out areas of the travelled portion will be repaired. Informational signage will be installed along the road to inform users of the hazards and responsible tourism signage stating, “Please Stay on the Road” and “Respect Private Property” will also be mounted.
Option Six also includes the installation of a permanent gate structure that is locked to restrict access during hazardous road conditions, the gate will remain open to the public when conditions are safe. Signage advising if the gate is open will be strategically placed.
Staff will investigate rerouting the Bruce Trail off private property and the Crane Lake Road. Rerouting will involve the Bruce Trail Conservancy, Parks Canada, MNBP, Snowmobile Trail Club, and private landowners. The Sustainable Tourism Committee is recommended to facilitate this discussion.
Councillor Todd Dowd said that “[I] like what Option Six entails, [it] seems to cover all the bases, there are times that if the road is passable that it wouldn’t hurt to have it available for use.”
Cameron notes that closing Crane Lake Road may impact tourism. Parks Canada provided data from 2020 to 2024 reflecting a decline in visitors to the Crane Lake Road parking area since 2021. Cameron’s report says, “The Bruce Trail relies on this route for access to the High Dump campground, and closing it would add considerable hiking distances, potentially deterring visitors and limiting the trail’s accessibility.”
Surrounding property owners suggested that they may be interested in partnering with the MNBP on developing a visitor parking area.
MNBP Receives E.A. Danby Award at the AMCTO’s Awards Gala Dinner
The MNBP was recognized as the recipient of the AMCTO (Association of Municipal Clerks and Treasurers of Ontario) E.A. Danby award at the June 10 Gala Dinner. The award was presented to the MNBP in the category of municipal administration- municipalities of 20,000 or less, for its digital transformation journey project.
Mayor McIver said, “I want to thank the entire team for getting us into that limelight at the AMCTO.”
Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), Peggy Van Mierlo-West, expressed “The team has worked very hard at incorporating Laserfiche (online document management program) into every piece of how we work from our work order system to our time sheets. It really provided a lot of connectivity to our external offices as well. We’ve saved a lot of time and energy on some of the forms we’ve developed. We have provided a nice repository of our current files and our historical data. The team has done very well and it’s amazing the ideas they’ve brought to the table. I’m very grateful.”
The MNBP was also awarded the Tom Wayman Digital Transformation Leader of the Year Award by Laserfiche for its digital transformation journey earlier this year.
