A post was made Monday morning on social media by the Central Region OPP asking residents to stay away from the property in Gravenhurst that formally housed the Muskoka Regional Centre.
Jason Nickle, Bracebridge OPP Detachment Commander, says above all else, it’s against the law to trespass on private property for any reason. “If a person was to go into a place like that, despite the cautionary tales of the potential for being charged, there are unsafe floors, there are unsafe ceilings, and one of the bigger issues is there’s asbestos in the building,” he says about the safety issues.
The centre was closed in 1994 and has sat unused since.
The Town of Gravenhurst’s website says the site has been deemed unsafe and asks everyone to stay away.
Nickle says it’s not worth going in for a picture, adding other people who have trespassed have taken plenty of them along with videos which he asks people to look up instead of trying to take their own. “If it’s a matter of satisfying curiosity, please do yourself a favour and stay off the property and jump online and see if you can find the information there,” Nickle says.
If you’re caught on the property, Nickle says you will likely be ticketed. However, he adds he knows of past incidents were items were stolen. In that case, he explains, it would be a criminal charge.
Since the uptick in calls from concerned residents began a few weeks ago, Nickle says the detachment has upped patrols in the area around the centre.
Nickle asks, whether it’s the regional centre or any other property in Muskoka, to stay away if it’s private property.
“Private property is just that: it’s private property,” he says.