Big Pete

I suspect the OFSC staff worked very hard with MTO and other ministries to persuade the govt that snowmobiling not be included with the ski hills. I think they argued that snowmobilers as a group are a responsible lot and would respect the self imposed travel limits. If we don’t, the govt will move to put snowmobiling in the non essential category and we will be forced to close all trails again. We also need to say a prayer that no outbreaks are attributable to snowmobilers travelling outside their home PHU. Would be just another reason to close trails.

Absolutely correct 02. The Occupiers Liability Act provides for a different (lower) standard of care where “no fee has been charged”. It basically eliminates liability for the occupier provided they have not knowingly created a hazard vs the standard in common law requiring the occupier to keep people safe. The question of free permits is very complicated. Has anybody ever read the terms and conditions that accompany the purchase transaction. It’s a complex legal transaction that protects the club/district/OFSC/ and volunteers and landowners. How would you propose to have the permit recipient acknowledge those terms and conditions if the club was providing free permits. The gift card is a method of payment only. The purchaser still has to acknowledge the tac.

1. Permit upgrades are permitted after December 1 in the same season only and allow for credits of amounts paid against the purchase of a higher valued permit in the following circumstances: a. The upgrade by the same registered owner of a Classic permit to a Seasonal permit. b. The upgrade of the most recently purchased multi-day permit to a full season permit by the same registered owner on the same snowmobile to a maximum of the value of the new permit. Contact permits@ofsc.on.ca for the exact process. Note that if you have purchased multiple multi-day passes you only get credit for the most recent purchase. Example, you purchased a 5 day permit on Dec 2nd ($225) and then a 2 day permit on Dec 26th($90). You will only get credit for $90.00 on the purchase on a full season permit.

Some more great news from Upper Canada Snowmobile Region (UCSR D-1). This agreement secures 72kms of Top A Trail for this season which allows the United Counties of Prescott-Russell and VIA Rail to work a new deal. Congrats to the executive and volunteers at Eastern Ontario Snowmobile Club and the UCSR District Office for the countless hours that have gone into this . http://en.prescott-russell.on.ca/news/what_s_new/ucpr_and_via_rail_canada_extend_lease?fbclid=IwAR29-ERU7wz3c-NJ4EcM17SEWVsVzpF1wTfclEGK77KYTNHqSZyoOLoboYI

That’s the way it should go. But you have to actually be able to talk to someone. 4 calls over a number of days, at various times during the day and was on hold for up to 45 minutes each time before I gave up. edit: just saw this on the tdinsurnance.com website. 1-2 hour wait time.

Good luck with TD. I cancelled a sled policy on line on Nov 2nd. Got the email confirmation confirming receipt and stating I would have a follow up confirmation in 2-4 days. No response to date after a second online request on Nov 7 and 4 phone attempts of at least 45 minutes on hold each time. terrible service. Will look to move the other sled at renewal.

I understand that there will be a Lite version (free app) as well as a pro version ($3.99) with enhanced features as ride share, track your group etc.

I think selecting a club is still important as it gives the club some idea of the level of support from the permit buying public. It does not impact the level of funding to the district though. I suppose districts could be funding clubs based on permit sales ( at least partially) but like I said before that creates the potential for a mismatch between what the district is receiving vs what it is placing in club budgets.

Actually clubs don't need too sell any permits anymore. There use to be a requirement for a minimum of 50 permit sales in order to be a member club of the OFSC. That was eliminated at AGM 2 years ago. Further, District Funding (and by extension club funding) is determined by Km of Trails, Hours of Grooming and and Admin Allowance. Permit Sales no longer have any effect on District Funding. If club budgets are based on Permit Sales you run the risk of creating a disconnect between the budget and the funding. Clubs with large networks and relatively small permit bases would be under funded. Clubs with small networks and large permit bases would be over funded. This was the driving force behind the Framework For Change Funding model we use today. Large permit based clubs with small networks and short seasons were accumulating massive surpluses while small permit base clubs with long seasons were starving for funding.

According to the OFSC October Newsletter only District 3 and District 9 are NOT printing District Guides this year.

Check out the HID kits (plug and play) and the Easy Adjust Remote Adjuster for Headlight. https://yamaheater.com/Products.php I have the Easy Adjust on my Viper and it works great.

Call Darin McRae at the D-1 Office. He can provide some insight into the negotiations. IMO there are at least 2 snowmobile friendly councillors at the City who are big supporters of the local clubs. Having said that I believe the city staff "get it" when it comes to winter tourism and recreation. What with the Rideau Canal skate way, Winterlude, and proximity to the Quebec network they the importance of putting a quality product forward to gain a fair share of winter tourism. The 5 clubs involved with the City all had their own agreements and they were all different to a large degree. I think the city also sees benefit in having 1 master agreement for the trails within their jurisdiction.

Asc I understand the plan, orders who within a hot spot can still ride within the hotspot. Trails within the hotspot can be listed as available. What will show as closed are any trails that connect the Stage 2 with any other zone. Its up to the establishments to control access to their busineses.

Upper Canada Snowmobile Region and City of Ottawa Reach Agreement for Use of City Land for Snowmobile Trails...Trails within the City of Ottawa Will be Open Once the Snow Hits the Ground (Ottawa, ON: October 21, 2020) – The Upper Canada Snowmobile Region (UCSR) is pleased to announce that a new License of Occupation Agreement has been reached with the City of Ottawa to allow the five snowmobile clubs [Beautiful Eastern Association of Snowmobile Trails (BEAST), Carleton Regional Snowmobile Club (CRSC), Osgoode Carleton Snowmobile Trails Club (OCSTC), Rideau Snowmobile Club (RSC), and West Carleton Snowmobile Trails Association (WCSTA)] continued seasonal use of City land for the 2020-2021 snowmobile season and through to the spring of 2025. “The city was very collaborative in the development of this new five-year agreement which will see the five snowmobile clubs in and around the city of Ottawa being able to continue using important portions of City land within their trail network,” commented UCSR President Bruce Robinson. “Without the city’s keen attention to this file we could not have organized this agreement in the short time we did.” “The City is pleased to have renewed this partnership to ensure snowmobilers can continue to use designated City lands and spend time outdoors. We recognize its importance in the community and appreciate the hard work by the clubs and the district to maintain the trails. We want to remind everyone to be safe, follow the rules and enjoy these less travelled parts of our City,” explained Derrick Moodie, Director of the City’s Corporate Real Estate Office. “A special acknowledgement and thanks goes out to the small volunteer team representing the 5 clubs, our District Manager, the city staff for their professionalism and interest in snowmobiling, and Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs (OFSC) staff for their excellent support and advice over the summer to reach this milestone agreement,” explained UCSR Vice President Scott Buckley. “Snowmobilers are reminded that a Ministry of Transportation snowmobile trail permit is required on all OFSC trails including those within the city,” said UCSR Trails Director Ian Edwards. “The continued use of the city’s land for snowmobile trails will only be possible if operators follow the Motorized Snow Vehicles Act and the snowmobiler’s code of ethics while being courteous for other users of the Lands including pedestrians, cross-country skiers, snowshoers and other users.” “Snowmobilers within and around the City of Ottawa can rest assured that snowmobile trails this winter will be open for use once the normal safety preparations, signage, and inspections are complete,” explains WCSTA President Paul McDonald. Details on the license of occupation will be made available via club websites and social media platforms. The UCSR and its clubs are committed to delivering the best possible trail riding experiences for snowmobilers around Ottawa and across eastern Ontario. ‐30‐ The Upper Canada Snowmobile Region (UCSR), District 1 of the Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs (OFSC), is a volunteer led, not-for-profit association that provides the voice for organized on-trail snowmobiling in Eastern Ontario. The UCSR consists of 16 snowmobile clubs with over 3000 kms of groomed snowmobile trails managed by over 1,000 dedicated volunteers generating up to $70.8 million in economic activity (18/19 season) in eastern Ontario each year. For questions, please contact Darin McRae, District Manager, at darinmcrae@ucsr.ca or by phone at 613-543-0374. www.ucsr.ca

Completed my transaction at 9:03:04AM on Sept 1. According to my profile my permit number is 000005. Hopefully will see the permit tomorrow.

In OPP jurisdictions file your lost permit report on-line. Email response is generally very quick (less than 24 hrs). Now you have the report in electronic form to send to OFSC.

That has been eliminated this year.

That’s exactly how it works now.

The 50 permit requirement was eliminated last year. With the change to the funding model last year, there is no direct financial advantage to a club/district to selling more permits, other than there is more money in the pot to share. District and clubs are funded based on their km of trails, hours groomed and an Admin allowance which is determined by the BoG. The system is not without its problems but in general it works better than the old matrix. By better, I mean the money tends to follow the snow and does not get hoarded in bank accounts.

Interesting idea for sure. The challenge would be to ensure the permit is linked to the correct sled if a sled is sold or transferred. It might be easier if the permit was linked to the Val tag buts that’s a different discussion.

Permits are red this year.

Blake, the motion you refer to was to take the Classic from 15 years to 20. The way it got worded however, the Classic is frozen at 1999 model years and older indefinitely. It’s too late for this season but it would take a member to move an amendment to the 2022 Permit Recommendation at the AGM , that the qualifier year be set at 20 (or 25) model years or older. The push back has always been that there are too many model year 2000/2001 sleds still in active use and the revenue hit is too big.

Mr French certainly comes with some impressive credentials and I wish him well. If I were advising him I would tell him to focus on 2 areas; Funding and Access. Funding is more than just govt grants or hand outs. To me it’s includes permit pricing and structure. I don’t believe our system is sustainable with its current price levels and structure. This is a complex area as there are a lot of interrelated components and finding the option that maximizes revenue will not be easy. the other issue is access. By that I mean clubs and districts getting reliable access to land for the trail network. Many districts experienced huge difficulty last year obtaining workable land use agreements to the point were large pieces of trails were closed for all or a large part of the season. The role I see for our new CEO is to work with government to remove the barriers to reasonable land use and /or develop strategies to incentivize Land owners. Again a very complex situation that will require a strong vision and a great deal of tenacity as it won’t be easy or quick. Wishing our new CEO all the best.

I have a GMAX S54 snow helmet that has a red led light on the back surface built in. It can be set to a slow flash, fast flash, constant on. It also has a setting that allows the light to link with an optional brake light kit, so the light acts just like your rear brake light. Powered by 2 AAA batteries that I Change about 2 times per season.

Due to the pandemic Coronavirus (COVID-19) and the constantly changing updates and directives from all levels of government, the OFSC is taking proactive measures to support efforts to reduce the spread of this worldwide pandemic. These are unprecedented times and like many other responsible businesses we are taking the necessary steps to ensure the safety of you, your families, our communities and businesses across the province. Yesterday, the OFSC Board of Governors made a formal decision to cease trail operations and grooming effective immediately on any trails which are still available to the public. Effective midnight, Saturday, March 21st all OFSC Prescribed Snowmobile Trails in Ontario will be closed and anyone accessing such trails from that date forward will be trespassing. This advance notification will provide all remaining touring snowmobilers ample time to get home. We’d like to thank all our loyal permit buyers, landowners, club volunteers and partners for their support this season and encourage everyone to do their part and stay healthy and safe as we all work together in overcoming this pandemic. We want to stress that this decision is not based on an economic basis. Although grooming operations are reduced at this time of the season, we still spend substantial monies on our open trails. We want to ensure permit buyers that any savings from funds not spent this permit year will be invested in the next season. We encourage you to stay up to date on the latest COVID-19 information from our government here: Federal: https://www.canada.ca/en.html Provincial: https://www.ontario.ca/page/government-ontario FULL PRESS RELEASE CAN BE FOUND HERE: https://www.ofsc.on.ca/2020/03/19/urgent-message-to-ontario-snowmobilers-re-covid-19/