Town of Cochrane Strategic Plan – Final Report October 2014
Snowmobiling
The Polar Bear Riders Snowmobile Club offers Cochrane area residents and tourists 650 km of
well-groomed, safe and adventurous snowmobile trails; the group hosts a variety of events
throughout the winter.
Snowmobile trail operations in Ontario rely on a natural snow cover of 15cm for smooth terrain
trails and 30-60cm for rough terrain trails. They also require temperatures below 0 degrees Celsius
over a sustained period. Over the past decade, changes in the climate have resulted in
snowmobile seasons with fewer than 28 days in many parts of Canada, including central and
southern Ontario. This threatens the financial viability of affected trails, as shorter seasons tend to
result in lower trail permit revenues, although fixed maintenance costs remain the same. As early
as the 2020s, many of these snowmobiling districts could suffer from significantly shortened
snowmobile seasons. Research suggests that northeastern snowmobile districts such as Cochrane
will be less vulnerable to changes in climate and lay claim to the longest snowmobile seasons (>
28 days).55
Camping, Fishing and Hunting
Crown land for camping, fishing and hunting is easily accessible from Cochrane. The old forest
access roads that network the surrounding area provide motorized access to hundreds of lakes,
streams and clearings. No fees are collected for using Crown land in this manner, but Cochrane
services and retail businesses benefit from supplying and outfitting such visitors.
The 2013 closure of Greenwater Provincial Park has had a negative economic impact on some
local businesses. Tourists travelling along Highway 11 had used the park for stopovers, and spent
money at Cochrane establishments while there. The relatively high U.S. exchange rate has
discouraged many American travellers from visiting Northern Ontario on their vacations, and this
has reduced the demand for outfitting and related services in the region.
4.2.8 Utilities
The Town of Cochrane owns two corporations responsible for providing telecommunications and
electricity services to its residents. Cochrane Telecom Services (CTS) oversees the provision of
telecommunications (telephone and Internet). Northern Ontario Wires Inc. owns and operates the
electrical infrastructure in Cochrane, Iroquois Falls and Kapuskasing. Rates provided through the
Northern Ontario Wires division are generally 20% lower than those provided by the regional
hydro utility.56
55
Gilmour, Stephen Hugh (2010). Ontario Snowmobile Tourism: Responses to Climate Variability and Change. Master’s
Thesis, University of Waterloo. Available at https://uwspace.uwaterloo.ca/handle/10012/5051.
56
Cochrane. (2013). Moving to Cochrane. Available at: http://www.town.cochrane.on.ca/content/moving-cochrane
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