In the late nineteenth century, surveyors of Crown land in many parts of Ontario laid out a 66-foot strip of land for commercial road allowances along the banks of lakes and rivers. These surveyors measured distances using a series of linked metal rods known as a “chain.” And one chain equals 66 feet.

For several decades after 1880, these roads were used for logging and transporting goods. Although they generally lack a commercial purpose now, they are critical issues in cottage real estate transactions. The shore road allowance lies between the cottage property and lake or the river it faces. If this road allowance exists – even if only on paper – as a cottager you will not own to the water’s edge of the property unless title to the roadway has been purchased.