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Mono halts effort toward firearm discharge bylaw

March 5, 2026   ·   0 Comments

By JAMES MATTHEWS

Mono council voted to abandon its proposed firearms discharge bylaw.

Council made the decision during its Feb. 24 meeting to recognize that existing federal and provincial legislation is adequate to regulate firearm use in Mono.

Residents were surveyed last year on their feelings about the proposed bylaw. It generated feedback from 753 respondents. Given survey results, the draft bylaw was sent back to municipal staff for possible revisions.

Of those, 383 participants were Mono residents while 309 were non-residents. Sixty-one responses were discarded because they were either duplicates or ineligible.

Fifty-two per cent of respondents disagreed or strongly disagreed that the bylaw prioritizes the safety, well-being, and security of individuals and the broader community.

Fifty-eight per cent disagreed or strongly disagreed that the bylaw respects the rights of firearm and bow owners.

Fifty-five per cent of residents who provided an opinion by way of the survey were opposed to any form of municipal regulation.

Fifty-three per cent indicated that the discharge of firearms or bows should be allowed in hamlets and settlement areas.

Thirty-six per cent felt there should be no minimum lot size, and the proposed bylaw suggests a minimum lot size of two hectares.

Respondents who opposed regulations were asked to indicate which specific prohibitions they opposed.

Of 209 residents who were opposed to the bylaw, 51 per cent opposed a 150-metre setback from parks, educational facilities, or religious institutions; 66 per cent opposed a 100-metre setback from a building or structure without the owner’s permission; 62 per cent opposed a 50-metre setback from a highway or recreational trail; and 92 per cent opposed a 50-metre setback from an adjoining property.

Eighty-seven per cent were against a setback from parks, educational facilities, or religious institutions; 62 per cent said no setback from a building or structure; 46 per cent said no setback from a highway or recreational trail; and 72 per cent were against a setback from an adjoining property.

Sixty-three per cent of residents agreed with the exemptions, including normal farm practices, a bona fide gun club, educational institution teaching proper use of firearms, and the use of blank rounds for specified reasons.

Twenty-four per cent of respondents did not own a firearm or bow. The remainder did not or preferred not to answer the question about ownership.

Of those who own a firearm or bow, 30 per cent were hunters and 21 per cent use them for protection. The remainder indicated “Other Uses” or preferred not to say.

Mono resident Paul Briggs voiced his opposition to the proposed bylaw during the February meeting. He said there was a reference made to the need for the bylaw because some residents had experienced close calls with bullets while on their homes’ back decks.

“Close calls of bullets is a criminal offence,” he said. “There have been no charges ever laid with respect to close calls of bullets (in Mono). This is not the Wild West. That never happened.”

That would mean the bylaw is built upon a false premise, Briggs said.

“There were no bullets flying,” Briggs said.

Deputy Mayor Fred Nix disputed that claim.

“We did have a woman who lives on the Fourth Line come and report to us that there was a bullet that flew into her deck and broke the Plexiglass or whatever screen she had there,” Nix said.

Nix said the woman should have reported the incident to the OPP, but she didn’t.

“How do you know it was a bullet, sir?” Briggs said. “How did she know it was a bullet?

“I didn’t personally see it,” Nix said.

“Right,” Briggs said. “That’s the point. There were no charges laid.”

Briggs said somebody who lived in a house struck by a bullet would call the police.

“It’s pretty hard to believe this woman’s house was hit by a bullet and she didn’t call the police,” Briggs said.

“I know the woman,” Nix said. “I know she was telling the truth. Her house was hit by a bullet, OK?”

Briggs maintained his position that no bullet hit the woman’s home and suggested that Nix and Councillor Elaine Capes should resign their council seats.

“Because they sponsored a bill they knew was false,” he said.

Capes said she didn’t appreciate Briggs’ accusation.

Meanwhile, Mayor John Creelman provided further context on why the bylaw was originally brought forward.

“This process was not triggered by one incident, whether it was legitimate or not,” Creelman said. “The whole issue of discharge of firearms has been a hot topic not only in this municipality, but other municipalities in Ontario.”

Creelman said he wanted to hear Mono residents’ thoughts about the proposed bylaw.

He called on Joe Wilson, whom the mayor knew was a resident.

Wilson said he has used a .22 calibre rifle on his property to control animals such as skunks and, in one case, a rabid fox. A two-hectare restriction for discharging a firearm is too large, Wilson said.

“This bylaw seems to be based on two or three complaints,” he said, and added that he hasn’t heard about injuries or fatalities in the 52 years he’s lived in the municipality.

Wilson suggested that any buffer should be an acre and should be based on a firearm’s calibre. It’s also important to remove crossbows, bows, and air guns from the definition of firearms.

“It’s much too restrictive,” he said.

Wilson said Capes may not like accusations cast her way, but he was at a September council meeting when she favoured the bylaw’s adoption as it was then written.

“You (Capes) were asking for second reading at that meeting with no regard for the survey,” Wilson said.

Christina Schlecht, a Mono resident, said firearms and their use are regulated at the federal and provincial levels. Municipalities should have no role.

Coun. Ralph Manktelow acknowledged that council heard a lot of feedback.

“I’m not quite sure whether we should be having this bylaw or not,” he said and added that, if council favours a bylaw, mention of bows should be removed.

Nix suggested council refrain from adopting the bylaw, and he said he was never in favour of it.

“Originally, I thought the intention was good and I could go for it,” Nix said.

The size of his property would preclude him from using a firearm due to the proposed bylaw restrictions. And he owns a firearm.

“The bylaw as it now stands is simply unenforceable,” Nix said.

Capes said a Mono firearm discharge bylaw would be better for residents.

“The general public would probably find it more easy to refer to a Mono bylaw than to go look through the federal and provincial bylaws,” she said.

Capes said there have been 10 complaints about firearm use over five years, with no criminal charges laid.

“I would like to continue the debate,” Capes said. “I see there are some solvable components of this bylaw that we could implement that we would then have our own Mono bylaw that every citizen that is in Mono can look at, see it, and not have to understand the federal and provincial regulations.”

Capes was the only councillor who voted against abandoning the town’s draft bylaw.

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