Grey County will not resume snow clearing at a Markdale parking lot previously well-used by snowmobilers.
At its meeting on March 13, Grey County council rejected a recommendation from staff to talk about resuming snow clearing at a county-owned parking lot in Markdale next to the CP Rail Trail during the 2026 budget conversations.
Although council rejected plowing the parking lot, it later passed a resolution asking staff for a report about bringing a paid parking model to county parking lots.
The snow plowing issue has been percolating at the county over the past number of weeks. The heavy snowfall in early 2025 resulted in the CP Rail Trail being a popular destination for snowmobilers visiting the local area.
The county-owned parking lot in Markdale is used by snowmobilers as a staging area. The county had previously hired a contractor to clear the parking lot, but that service ceased for the winter of 2024-2025 due to budget cuts.
In January, a local snowmobile club appealed to Grey Highlands council to have snow clearing at the parking lot resumed. Grey Highlands Mayor Paul McQueen subsequently brought the issue to county council for consideration.
In a report, county staffer Sarah Johnson recommended that consideration for resuming snow clearing at the parking lot be forwarded to the 2026 budget deliberations. The report noted that should council choose to resume snow clearing immediately, then the county’s trail reserve fund could pay for the costs for the remainder of 2025.
Johnson said if the county had been providing snow clearing during the early months of 2025 the cost would have been more than $13,000 plus tax. She did note that it was an “unusual” year in that regard.
“We’ve had a lot of snow,” she said.
The report noted that staff could also look into options like paid parking for the lot or finding sponsorships from local snowmobile clubs that could help offset the cost of snow clearing. Those ideas would have to be researched more before a formal recommendation could be made.
Members of county council were not interested in resuming snow clearing at the lot. The resolution to send the idea to the 2026 budget deliberations was defeated handily.
“There are other parking opportunities along the rail trail,” said Chatsworth Mayor Scott Mackey. “This is money we don’t have to spend.”
McQueen argued in favour of resuming snow clearing at the parking lot. He referenced the “huge impact” visiting snowmobilers had on the economy across Grey County.
“Anything that will help small business is a positive thing,” he said.
A tense moment arose when Owen Sound Deputy Mayor Scott Greig had pointed words for McQueen. Greig said McQueen was advocating for spending money for the snow clearing, but during budget deliberations argued in favour of lower taxes and reduced spending.
“You were the individual wanting the lowest tax increase that we could provide for the residents. I remember that vividly,” said Greig. “It’s been hard for me to see where you are dedicated in helping council find areas to remove or reduce the increase to the budget.”
McQueen objected to Greig’s comments and raised a point of order and said Greig was “pencilling me out specifically.”
“There are a lot of discussions you can have during a budget process,” McQueen said.
The exchange between Greig and McQueen led to Warden Andrea Matrosovs issuing a warning.
“I am going to remind members of council if we could just please stick to the topic that is here,” said Matrosovs. “All comments should be directed specifically to the particular topic that is engaged, which is the rail trail parking options.”
The resolution to send the possibility of resuming snow clearing at the parking lot was easily defeated. Council subsequently passed a resolution asking for a report about paid parking options.