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OFSC AGM Fri and Sat


Farmer Brown

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I'll be there.

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I apologize for the ignorance, but where is the OFSC AGM being held ?

 

cheers

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Not a lot of earth shattering news.  22 new groomers.

The IAFG is being updated and rewritten.  I hope that doesn't mean another 2 years of growing pains while they get it right.  I sounds promising, with better trip planning (start and end points and it does the routing),  future grooming information, full mobile access natively.

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36 minutes ago, bbakernbay said:

Thank you Yukon.

 

used to be $3,000,000!

That is sad, with all of the spin off revenue we put back into enconomy. Should be 4.5 million today not 1. 

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6 hours ago, Viperules700 said:

That is sad, with all of the spin off revenue we put back into enconomy. Should be 4.5 million today not 1. 

Don't interest people in the GTA, don't get any money. OFSC marketers should move on that.....where's the flying pig emoticon again.....

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Permit prices are waiting for MTO approval.  If approved, will increase by $10 plus the $7.50 fulfillment fee from pre Nov 1 permits will also apply to all online sales.

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17 minutes ago, signfan said:

Yeah maybe the OFSC should put a big floating snowmobile in the harbour.  Lol.  Equal in size to the stupid duck.  

Hey don't pick on the duck, the duck hunters may have liked it !!

LOL

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20 minutes ago, soupkids said:

Hey don't pick on the duck, the duck hunters may have liked it !!

LOL

 

We duck hunters are people too ... that don't like seeing money wasted any more than anyone else....

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4 hours ago, sledjunk said:

Permit prices are waiting for MTO approval.  If approved, will increase by $10 plus the $7.50 fulfillment fee from pre Nov 1 permits will also apply to all online sales.

Sledjunk, how did you interpret Paul S's comment about what happens on Oct 1 if the new price regime is not approved. I took it to mean that there would be no permits sold at all. Not even at last years price. 

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1 hour ago, Big Pete said:

Sledjunk, how did you interpret Paul S's comment about what happens on Oct 1 if the new price regime is not approved. I took it to mean that there would be no permits sold at all. Not even at last years price. 

Interesting that Big Pete mentions Paul S.

 

I was just going to ask what people thought of the performance by Paul's replacement at the AGM.

 

For various reasons, I really wonder whether it is wise to retain the former Executive Director in a senior position within the OFSC executive after his replacement has been hired.

 

Interested in hearing other opinions on that.

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5 hours ago, bbakernbay said:

Interesting that Big Pete mentions Paul S.

 

I was just going to ask what people thought of the performance by Paul's replacement at the AGM.

 

For various reasons, I really wonder whether it is wise to retain the former Executive Director in a senior position within the OFSC executive after his replacement has been hired.

 

Interested in hearing other opinions on that.

Based on the dealings I've had with Paul the OFSC would be foolish to let him out of their grip.  Always very professional and the man knows his stuff (political, legal, gov't, etc.).  His replacement has big shoes to fill.  The move he made is no different that what Ron Purchase did years ago.  The OFSC needs a strong voice in Queen's Park and Paul will be that.

 

Big question is what is the replacement going to do?  Can he fill the shoes?

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1 hour ago, signfan said:

Based on the dealings I've had with Paul the OFSC would be foolish to let him out of their grip.  Always very professional and the man knows his stuff (political, legal, gov't, etc.).  His replacement has big shoes to fill.  The move he made is no different that what Ron Purchase did years ago.  The OFSC needs a strong voice in Queen's Park and Paul will be that.

 

Big question is what is the replacement going to do?  Can he fill the shoes?

Glad to hear your opinion.  I have always had great dealings with Paul but I have trouble accepting a semi-retirement function, particularly with a focus on governmental relations.

 

I don't think our relationship with the Provincial government is very good and seems to be deteriorating for various reasons.

 

I really don't think either Ron or Paul have really advanced our position over the past 10 years and question the value added.

 

I appreciate hearing other thoughts.

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Big Pete, that is what I understood as well, which I must say surprised me.  I expected that the price would simply stay the same.  However, I read into that the expectation that the approval would be imminent.

 

I am expecting that the pre November price will go up by $10, but the other prices will actually increase by $17.50 ($10 + $7.50 fulfillment).  On a side note, that $7.50 (or some amount) was absorbed from the $210 and $260 last year.  Where will that extra $7.50 X 90 thousand or so permits be allocated?

 

As for Paul, he always has answers to questions and can express them with enough certainty to be believable.

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19 hours ago, Big Pete said:

Sledjunk, how did you interpret Paul S's comment about what happens on Oct 1 if the new price regime is not approved. I took it to mean that there would be no permits sold at all. Not even at last years price. 

That was my take on it as well, however the approval from MTO  sounded almost like a formality

 

The one thing I forgot to check, What is the date for the "Free Weekend"? I understood it was changed to coincide with Quebec's

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10 hours ago, bbakernbay said:

Glad to hear your opinion.  I have always had great dealings with Paul but I have trouble accepting a semi-retirement function, particularly with a focus on governmental relations.

 

I don't think our relationship with the Provincial government is very good and seems to be deteriorating for various reasons.

 

I really don't think either Ron or Paul have really advanced our position over the past 10 years and question the value added.

 

I appreciate hearing other thoughts.

 

I don't think we have any presence or influence at Queens Park. The govt politely acknowledges us, thanks us for the visit (and probably lunch) and then carries on doing whatever they they were doing. 3 items outline this.

 

First, Bill 100 which has significantly impacted our access to private land for trails. How could a govt contemplate a trail bill without consulting fully with the largest trail operation in the province? Yes, they did consult on the Tresspas portions of the bill but we were not consulted on the most contentious issue, the easement section of the bill.

 

Second, when we were first discussing Frame Work For Change, one of the key planks to the strategy was "Sustainable Funding". The OFSC hung their hat on getting significant funding from a significantly increased Val tag registration fee. That idea has been part of each permit recommendation for the last 4 years with no results. But they say it's important to keep it in front of the minister. They make it sound like the initiative has some realistic chance of succeeding. But it's funny. We were looking for some nostalgia items for the 50th Celebration when we came across an OSM magazine from Aug 1993. In it was an article with the OFSC president of the day and they were talking about getting Val tag revenue back then. So 24 years later we are still flogging that option and we are no further ahead today than we were back then. Obviously the govt has a deaf ear when it comes to helping the sport grow and develop in Ontario.  They are quite content to throw us a bone by way of some TDF funding. It will be $1,000,000 this year but as someone pointed out earlier it use to be $3,000,000.  So so maybe it's time the leadership looks for a new strategy for the "Sustainable Funding" plank. 

 

And finally, the demise of the STOP program is another example of lack of influence at the provincial level.  Again in the FFC strategy, embforcement was a key plank. We even made some progress in the first year with an increased cohort of new trainees to bolster the on trail enforcement. But for whatever reason, the program got off the rails between the OFSC and the OPP. We can argue the causes but the fact remains the program was cancelled with no viable means of replacing the ontrail enforcement capabilities. What an opportunity to go to the province and seek their assistance in resolving the issues and ensure the program continued. Don't know for sure if we asked. If we did, the answer was clearly we are not getting involved which supports the lack of effectiveness of our lobbying. If we didn't ask, then shame on the leadership.

 

 

 

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1 hour ago, Big Pete said:

 

I don't think we have any presence or influence at Queens Park. The govt politely acknowledges us, thanks us for the visit (and probably lunch) and then carries on doing whatever they they were doing. 3 items outline this.

 

First, Bill 100 which has significantly impacted our access to private land for trails. How could a govt contemplate a trail bill without consulting fully with the largest trail operation in the province? Yes, they did consult on the Tresspas portions of the bill but we were not consulted on the most contentious issue, the easement section of the bill.

 

Second, when we were first discussing Frame Work For Change, one of the key planks to the strategy was "Sustainable Funding". The OFSC hung their hat on getting significant funding from a significantly increased Val tag registration fee. That idea has been part of each permit recommendation for the last 4 years with no results. But they say it's important to keep it in front of the minister. They make it sound like the initiative has some realistic chance of succeeding. But it's funny. We were looking for some nostalgia items for the 50th Celebration when we came across an OSM magazine from Aug 1993. In it was an article with the OFSC president of the day and they were talking about getting Val tag revenue back then. So 24 years later we are still flogging that option and we are no further ahead today than we were back then. Obviously the govt has a deaf ear when it comes to helping the sport grow and develop in Ontario.  They are quite content to throw us a bone by way of some TDF funding. It will be $1,000,000 this year but as someone pointed out earlier it use to be $3,000,000.  So so maybe it's time the leadership looks for a new strategy for the "Sustainable Funding" plank. 

 

And finally, the demise of the STOP program is another example of lack of influence at the provincial level.  Again in the FFC strategy, embforcement was a key plank. We even made some progress in the first year with an increased cohort of new trainees to bolster the on trail enforcement. But for whatever reason, the program got off the rails between the OFSC and the OPP. We can argue the causes but the fact remains the program was cancelled with no viable means of replacing the ontrail enforcement capabilities. What an opportunity to go to the province and seek their assistance in resolving the issues and ensure the program continued. Don't know for sure if we asked. If we did, the answer was clearly we are not getting involved which supports the lack of effectiveness of our lobbying. If we didn't ask, then shame on the leadership.

 

 

 

Perfectly said Big Pete.

 

The absolute truth.

 

Key needs consistently receiving a deaf ear at Queens Park.

 

Obviously Zero Voice at the Federal level even though the Feds continue to shovel big $$$ to Quebec Clubs and their massive tourism snowmobile advertising.

 

Time for a new approach, "the Nice Guys, throw us a Bone to keep us quiet" approach has failed miserably.

 

We need Trail Warden enforcement that is widely prevalent in Quebec that is supported by their government and QPP.

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