History of the Access Committee and the Alpine Club Toronto Section
Why an Access Committee?
The Access Committee of the Toronto Section of the Alpine Club of Canada was formed by concerned climbers who found themselves collaborating with provincial parks, the Niagara Escarpment Commission, regional conservation authorities, and the Ministry of Natural Resources, in solving complex access issues. The Access Committee provides a common voice for climbers to address these issues. The Access Committee, working with the Toronto Section of The Alpine Club of Canada, is charged with representing the climbing community in negotiations with land owners, conservation authorities and provincial bodies concerning continued access to climbing locations in Southern Ontario.
The Access Committee has representation from the Alpine Club of Canada (ACC), the Ontario Rock Climbing Association (ORCA), and The Toronto Caving Group (TCG).
The skills held by the more experienced members of the climbing community are important for the community. The ACC has been involved with the Peregrine Falcon Release Program at Bon Echo and Killarney Park. The ACC has helped with a survey of native rock pictographs at Bon Echo, has trained fire and rescue personnel within the Halton Region Conservation Authority (HRCA) area and elsewhere and recently, we have been using our skills in clean-up days to remove decades of garbage from the base of the HRCA cliffs. The researchers involved with the Bon Echo Cliff Face Study and the University of Guelph Cliff Face Ecology Group are trained climbers.
The Access Committee believes that regulations affecting climbing resources or practices are acceptable only if they follow from discussions and agreement between climbers and land managers. Alternatives to regulation, such as voluntary self regulation, should be fully explored as preferable to formal regulation. In the latter case, however, the Access Committee believes that the negotiation of a climbing management plan with a land manager is preferable to losing a climbing resource in Southern Ontario.
The Access Committee believes that success depends on cooperation. Discussion between climbers and land managers will result in climbing management plans based on mutual agreement. Such policies will ensure effective compliance and enforcement. The Access Committee urges all climbers to recognize and to limit the impacts of their climbing practices on the environment, other climbers, land managers, and other users.
It is important for climbers to understand their own responsibility for their own acceptance of risk. The Ontario Occupier's Liability Act states that "The duty of care... does not apply in respect of risks willingly assumed by the person who enters the premises". The act considers that the signing of a liability waiver signifies that the Occupier has taken "reasonable steps" to bring this limitation to the attention of the entrant. Many land managers are now requiring climbers to sign waivers and the Access Committee supports this if it maintains access to a climbing resource. It is the position of the Access Committee that climbers have an ethical and legal responsibility to assume the risk for their own activities.
The Access Committee of the Toronto Section of the Alpine Club of Canada has been very successful in negotiating climbing management plans and agreements with a number of jurisdictions. A memorandum of Agreement is in place with Bon Echo Provincial Park to allow climbing to take place under strict guidelines. The cliff at Bon Echo is in a Nature Preserve Zone, while climbing is a banned activity in Provincial Nature Preserve Zones, the committee has been able to conclusively demonstrate through research (c.f. "Life Science Inventory of the Mazinaw Rock Cliff face at Bon Echo Provincial Park", Duggan & Associates) that climbing has negligible impact on the environmental resource at Bon Echo.
An agreement is in place with the Grey Sauble Region to allow climbing to take place at Old Baldy (it had been previously banned). The agreement requires climber to purchase an annual climbing permit and abide by strict methodologies adopted to minimize environmental impact. An interpretive sign has been placed at Old Baldy, by the Access Committee, informing climbers of the rules and the environmental concerns. More recently, and driven by concerns for the escarpment cedar population ("The Impact of Recreational Rock Climbing on Populations of Eastern White Cedar on cliffs of the Niagara Escarpment", Peter Kelly, University of Guelph Cliff Face Ecology Group), a meeting between the Niagara Escarpment Commission and the Access Committee concluded that climbing is an approved recreational activity for lands under NEC jurisdiction. The NEC was convinced that there is minimal environmental impact due to climbing and that issues arising in the Halton Region Conservation area are unique due to the proximity of a huge population base and the historical development of the area for intensive recreational use.
The Access Committee came to an agreement with the Niagara Glen Parks on allowing climbing to take place in the boulder slopes rising from the Niagara River (it had previously been banned). Climbing on the Niagara Glen headwall is still closed by mutual agreement as the rock is friable and a danger to both climbers and hikers alike.
The climbing community provincially, nationally, and internationally have worked very hard to cooperate with landowners in managing climbing activities. There is an established history of mutual understanding of environmental and liability issues. Multinational publications inform climbers of current access issues; locally, a strong program of information distribution is keeping climbers informed of the concerns expressed by landowners and managers that must be and will be respected.
Position Statement and Specific Policies
The Access Committee urges all climbers to recognize and to limit the impacts of their climbing practices on the environment, other climbers, land managers, and other users.
Specific Policy: Don’t use Trees as Anchors
On the Niagara Escarpment and at Bon Echo, there are cliff-face cedars that may be many hundreds of years old. These cliff-face "old growth forests", along with other rare plants and lichens, have made environmentalists particularly concerned with the impact that climbers may have. The Access Committee recommends that climbers refrain from using trees in any way except in the case of an emergency. Climbers should avoid slinging trees for top anchors, belay stations, or for running protection. Learn alternatives to using trees for anchors.
Climbing may involve the use of fixed anchors, including bolts and pitons, and their use is legitimate for safety and for reducing impact on environmental resources. Only climbers have the knowledge to place, replace, or remove fixed anchors in accordance with any site specific regulations.
Specific Policy: Bolts and other Fixed Anchors
Fixed anchors should be camouflaged, in accordance with local practice, and should not be placed where removable protection is feasible and safe. Fixed anchors are recommended in situations where their use will replace the use of a tree or reduce environmental impact (such as using bolted top anchors to reduce cliff top erosion). The "chopping" or removal of bolts results in damage to the resource and should not occur unless a consensus has been reached amongst all parties.
Specific Policy: Chipping and Gluing
The chipping or gluing of holds, and the excessive cleaning of loose rock, lichen or other plant life from a cliff face is absolutely unacceptable.
Specific Policy: Respect Closures
Climbers must respect closures on public land and must never trespass upon private land.
The Access Committee believes that regulations affecting climbing resources or practices are acceptable only if they follow from discussions and agreement between climbers and land managers. Alternatives to regulation, such as voluntary self-regulation, should be fully explored as preferable to formal regulation. In the latter case, however, the Access Committee believes that the negotiation of a climbing management plan with a land manager is preferable to losing a climbing resource in Southern Ontario.
Climbers must abide by the agreements that have been negotiated with land owners and managers; however, climbers should report questionable closures, unreasonable regulations and newly-arising access issues to the Access Committee.
The Access Committee believes that success depends on cooperation. Discussion between climbers and land managers will result in climbing management plans based on mutual agreement. Such policies will ensure effective compliance and enforcement.
It is the individual climber's responsibility to improve his or her level of expertise, knowledge, and safety through education and practice. Join the Alpine Club of Canada, the Ontario Rock Climbing Association, or the Toronto Caving Group. Your membership will help with your development as a climber and support the Access Committee as well. Get involved.
Rules for Specific Areas
Each climbing area or region in Southern Ontario may, and usually does, have area-specific rules that must be followed.
It is the individual climber's responsibility to apprise himself or herself of any legislation, regulations or rules applied to a climbing area. This information can be obtained from the Access Committee, or from a specific land-owner or manager.
Showing respect for closures and area-specific rules is a necessity if access is to continue; violations will affect the entire climbing community and possibly all recreational land users. Regulations have been imposed throughout Ontario to protect areas of historical, archaeological, and environmental interest.
Examples of such area-specific rules are the route closures at Bon Echo to protect the peregrine falcons and the native rock pictographs, the permission forms required for climbing at Old Baldy, and the private land owner's permission required for climbing at Bancroft's Eagle's Nest. If you are not aware of the rules for a particular area, don't climb there until you get the necessary information.
Land Owners’ Liability
Many land owners have concerns about their liability in the case of an accident. After environmental concerns, this is the biggest issue facing climbers in the struggle for access. The best defence is to avoid accidents. Climb safely. In addition to the obvious consequences, an accident or injury to a climber may be the impetus for a land owner or manager to close access to a climbing area. In the interest of cooperation, it is essential that all accidents, injuries and rescues are reported to the appropriate authorities.
It is important for climbers to understand their own responsibility for their own acceptance of risk. The Ontario Occupier's Liability Act states that "The duty of care... does not apply in respect of risks willingly assumed by the person who enters the premises". The act considers that the signing of a liability waiver signifies that the occupier has taken "reasonable steps" to bring this limitation to the attention of the entrant. Many land managers are now requiring climbers to sign waivers and the Access Committee supports this if it maintains access to a climbing resource.
It is the position of the Access Committee that climbers have an ethical and legal responsibility to assume the risk for their own activities.
