Hawkesbury looks for ways to discourage biker gang

The mayor of Hawkesbury, Ont., is vowing to make sure biker gangs don't feel welcome in his town.

Earlier this week, Jean François Emard, a former lieutenant of the Rock Machine from the 1990s, told La Presse he's based in Hawkesbury and trying to revive the group.

Rock Machine members were involved in a bloody decade-long war against the Hells Angels in Quebec resulting in more than 160 deaths.

Hawkesbury mayor Rene Berthiaume says he doesn't want that in his backyard.

"We oppose firmly the presence of criminalized groups on our territory this is why we will announce next week dissuasive measures to prevent the establishment of groups of criminalized motorcyclists on our territory, with the cooperation of the police force," he wrote in a letter published on the city's website.

"We have decided...following discussions with residents, we're not going to tolerate this," Berthiaume told Ottawa Morning Friday.

Berthiaume said he doesn't have particular by-laws or other municipal measures in mind to dissaude the group from making his community a home base, but said he's working this weekend with the Ontario Provincial police to come up with ideas.

CBC reporter Julian Sher, the author of The Road to Hell, a book about the biker gangs in Canada, said Quebec towns have been effective using bylaws to discourage bikers.

"There are towns that have passed very strict anti-bunker laws, there are towns that passed anti-patch laws where you can't wear your colours or your jackets of any gang, in downtown bars. There are different measures you can take that aren't going to stop the criminals but just harass them and just show them they're not welcome," said Sher.

Berthiaume said he hopes to propose ideas to discourage the gang at a Sept. 29 council meeting.