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CottageCountryNow Article: Deaf camp hearing set for March
Discord between residents and a local camp for deaf children in Seguin Township has taken to the courts.
In 2010, residents hired a lawyer, Eric Gillespie, to charge the Ontario Mission for the Deaf - which operates the Ontario Camp of the Deaf (OCD), a summer camp that hosts motocross events - for allegedly exceeding provincial noise regulations during a motocross on September 19.
The charge, a first for the OCD, follows a summer of scrutiny from residents living around the camp who are disturbed by the motocross activity.
The hearings initially began in late October in Toronto, but were transferred to Parry Sound near the location of many of the witnesses, who consist of residents, cottagers and camp personnel.
“It looked like it was going to be more convenient for everyone,” said Eric Gillespie.
After a request for additional information by the legal representation of the defendant, Derek Rumball, the camp’s director, a new hearing was scheduled for 10 a.m. on March 8 at the Parry Sound Courthouse to allow the prosecution more time to gather “disclosure,” all the relevant information related to the charge, explained Gillespe.
“That process is ongoing,” he said.
Defendant Derek Rumball was unavailable for comment.
If proven, the charge could carry a minimum fine of $25,000 with much larger fines possible on a first conviction, according to Gillespie.
A memorandum of understanding that Seguin Township council passed in June has allowed the camp to continue hosting racing events without a proper zoning amendment, a move that spurred criticism from Councillor Alex Chidley of Ward 1, where the OCD is located.
In October, Chidley said the ultimate objective of the residents and cottagers in Ward 1 is to make the amount of racing noise reasonable.
“The issue is simply the sound levels generated at the facility,” Gillespie said.
Discord between residents and a local camp for deaf children in Seguin Township has taken to the courts.
In 2010, residents hired a lawyer, Eric Gillespie, to charge the Ontario Mission for the Deaf - which operates the Ontario Camp of the Deaf (OCD), a summer camp that hosts motocross events - for allegedly exceeding provincial noise regulations during a motocross on September 19.
The charge, a first for the OCD, follows a summer of scrutiny from residents living around the camp who are disturbed by the motocross activity.
The hearings initially began in late October in Toronto, but were transferred to Parry Sound near the location of many of the witnesses, who consist of residents, cottagers and camp personnel.
“It looked like it was going to be more convenient for everyone,” said Eric Gillespie.
After a request for additional information by the legal representation of the defendant, Derek Rumball, the camp’s director, a new hearing was scheduled for 10 a.m. on March 8 at the Parry Sound Courthouse to allow the prosecution more time to gather “disclosure,” all the relevant information related to the charge, explained Gillespe.
“That process is ongoing,” he said.
Defendant Derek Rumball was unavailable for comment.
If proven, the charge could carry a minimum fine of $25,000 with much larger fines possible on a first conviction, according to Gillespie.
A memorandum of understanding that Seguin Township council passed in June has allowed the camp to continue hosting racing events without a proper zoning amendment, a move that spurred criticism from Councillor Alex Chidley of Ward 1, where the OCD is located.
In October, Chidley said the ultimate objective of the residents and cottagers in Ward 1 is to make the amount of racing noise reasonable.
“The issue is simply the sound levels generated at the facility,” Gillespie said.