2026 OFSC PERMITS

[Strong Farmer]

On 11/6/2025 at 1:13 PM, Yamatario said:

I only have 2 sleds and both permits will be purchase at full price.

I did that once bought a two day pass then full permit next weekend. Only issue was ofsc took over 3 weeks to mail it out. In this case if you got stopped would they get to hit you with 90 dollar fine, for failure to display permit. I am going to order one this month and other sled in January. Hopefully we can get out of deficit 👌

[04nightfire]

2 hours ago, Strong Farmer said:

I did that once bought a two day pass then full permit next weekend. Only issue was ofsc took over 3 weeks to mail it out. In this case if you got stopped would they get to hit you with 90 dollar fine, for failure to display permit. I am going to order one this month and other sled in January. Hopefully we can get out of deficit 👌

If you can prove you bought it, you won't get fined.  Had that happen to one of the guys in our group last year.  Cop just wanted to see the email that he had purchased it.

[stoney]

Should be no different than when you buy a 3 or 7 day permit - show proof and GTG.

Plus, is there not a process that was or is normally communicated that if you ordered a seasonal pass and it does not arrive in time, do xyz so you can ride before it arrives.......I recall a few, or maybe many years ago when lots of permits were not showing up late this was a hot topic.

[Zertrider]

Has anyone ever found out how many permits that the OFSC sell per season total? I found something that said this season they set an early season permit record with 41,500 permits sold. Now, what has me wondering is some math. At our club meeting, it was stated that the club had a $5mil funding shortfall for this coming season. Well, if they sold 41,000 permits at $180ea, that is $7.38mil. If they were that short of money, how in the heck did they get that far below the line of sustainability?

[PISTON LAKE CRUISER]

14 minutes ago, Zertrider said:

Has anyone ever found out how many permits that the OFSC sell per season total? I found something that said this season they set an early season permit record with 41,500 permits sold. Now, what has me wondering is some math. At our club meeting, it was stated that the club had a $5mil funding shortfall for this coming season. Well, if they sold 41,000 permits at $180ea, that is $7.38mil. If they were that short of money, how in the heck did they get that far below the line of sustainability?

I believe the  5 mil shortfall was from last season and this season's permit sales were not included in the shortfall figure. The OFSC needs this early sale income for startup expenses for the upcoming season.  District 5 which I think you are located in had early permit sales for this year that were a lot more than last year's early sales. I don't know the exact numbers.

[Spiderman]

21 minutes ago, Zertrider said:

Has anyone ever found out how many permits that the OFSC sell per season total? I found something that said this season they set an early season permit record with 41,500 permits sold. Now, what has me wondering is some math. At our club meeting, it was stated that the club had a $5mil funding shortfall for this coming season. Well, if they sold 41,000 permits at $180ea, that is $7.38mil. If they were that short of money, how in the heck did they get that far below the line of sustainability?

 

Just imagine if they sold 41,500 @ $294.00 = $12,201,000.00

[yamadan700]

1 hour ago, Zertrider said:

Has anyone ever found out how many permits that the OFSC sell per season total? 

 

Believe it was around 80000. Significantly less than many previous years. Pre-covid was 6 digits.

[Zertrider]

1 hour ago, PISTON LAKE CRUISER said:

I believe the  5 mil shortfall was from last season and this season's permit sales were not included in the shortfall figure. The OFSC needs this early sale income for startup expenses for the upcoming season.  District 5 which I think you are located in had early permit sales for this year that were a lot more than last year's early sales. I don't know the exact numbers.

The head office also will not let clubs know how many people selected each club as their spot for their permit, as they have done in the past. 

 

[yamadan700]

9 minutes ago, Zertrider said:

The head office also will not let clubs know how many people selected each club as their spot for their permit, as they have done in the past. 

 

Yes they do. 

[Zertrider]

7 minutes ago, yamadan700 said:

Yes they do. 

Our club couldnt get that info this year

[stoney]

1 hour ago, PISTON LAKE CRUISER said:

I believe the  5 mil shortfall was from last season and this season's permit sales were not included in the shortfall figure. The OFSC needs this early sale income for startup expenses for the upcoming season.  District 5 which I think you are located in had early permit sales for this year that were a lot more than last year's early sales. I don't know the exact numbers.

 

It was mentioned in a earlier post the shortfall from last year was to be partially or wholly made up by that proposed 7% permit increase that was denied by the MTO....

 

1 hour ago, Spiderman said:

 

Just imagine if they sold 41,500 @ $294.00 = $12,201,000.00

 

LOL, I was going to state that as well, but figured no point beating a dead horse.....

 

I asked the question earlier in one of these threads if based on the MTO not approving the increase, could the OFSC have the power on their own to change the discount of the early season permit to try and help offset that shortfall.

[yamadan700]

7 minutes ago, Zertrider said:

Our club couldnt get that info this year

Talk to your District Administrator. They should have the numbers.

[Strong Farmer]

2 hours ago, stoney said:

Should be no different than when you buy a 3 or 7 day permit - show proof and GTG.

Plus, is there not a process that was or is normally communicated that if you ordered a seasonal pass and it does not arrive in time, do xyz so you can ride before it arrives.......I recall a few, or maybe many years ago when lots of permits were not showing up late this was a hot topic.

Full season you don't get a printable version. Multi day pass you can print pass off and tape it to windshield or carry it with you. I guess they don't want people counterfeiting full season permit using photo shop like multi days 😂. 

[Spiderman]

21 minutes ago, Strong Farmer said:

Full season you don't get a printable version. Multi day pass you can print pass off and tape it to windshield or carry it with you. I guess they don't want people counterfeiting full season permit using photo shop like multi days 😂. 

Yeah, but you get a receipt and can carry that with you until it arrives.

[Nutter]

41 minutes ago, Strong Farmer said:

Full season you don't get a printable version. Multi day pass you can print pass off and tape it to windshield or carry it with you. I guess they don't want people counterfeiting full season permit using photo shop like multi days 😂. 

 

 

Yes you do when you upgrade, always have.  

[PISTON LAKE CRUISER]

3 hours ago, Zertrider said:

The head office also will not let clubs know how many people selected each club as their spot for their permit, as they have done in the past. 

From what I was told a couple of years ago by a reliable source, permit buyers selecting your club doesn't mean much in terms of dollars going directly to your club any more. Your District office pays for all legitimate trail and grooming expenses now so a club only needs raise funds for direct club expenses.

[Strong Farmer]

1 hour ago, PISTON LAKE CRUISER said:

From what I was told a couple of years ago by a reliable source, permit buyers selecting your club doesn't mean much in terms of dollars going directly to your club any more. Your District office pays for all legitimate trail and grooming expenses now so a club only needs raise funds for direct club expenses.

It's still tracked though so mothership is still keeping an eye on where riders are buying permits. Who knows what they do with that data, in future. It's like a vote where you ride. I say it still matters to help keep your local ride area, by buying permits where you plan to ride most 👌

[Zertrider]

7 hours ago, Strong Farmer said:

It's still tracked though so mothership is still keeping an eye on where riders are buying permits. Who knows what they do with that data, in future. It's like a vote where you ride. I say it still matters to help keep your local ride area, by buying permits where you plan to ride most 👌

Between that and using the app anytime you ride locally is the only way we are going to keep trails down here open. Head office apparently was going to choose which trails to close strictly by looking at the heat map (app tracking), and selecting the least used trails. Problem with that is local riders never use the App. They know where they are going. I have literally never turned on the app when riding from home, only when touring up north.

[Strong Farmer]

25 minutes ago, Zertrider said:

Between that and using the app anytime you ride locally is the only way we are going to keep trails down here open. Head office apparently was going to choose which trails to close strictly by looking at the heat map (app tracking), and selecting the least used trails. Problem with that is local riders never use the App. They know where they are going. I have literally never turned on the app when riding from home, only when touring up north.

I never knew they even tracked where I was going with app, until this came up here this year. I have to start riding with app open on my phone I suppose. 

[PISTON LAKE CRUISER]

8 hours ago, Strong Farmer said:

It's still tracked though so mothership is still keeping an eye on where riders are buying permits.

There is no guessing about that. The big permit sale numbers come from high population areas that have trails relatively close by. That is why the OFSC decided after discussion years ago that they couldn't close trails in southern Ontario because that was where the big permit numbers came from.  

[Spiderman]

14 hours ago, yamadan700 said:

 

Believe it was around 80000. Significantly less than many previous years. Pre-covid was 6 digits.

Attrition is one of many factors, but a big one imo.

There is very limited #'s of "new" to the activity people coming into it - and it would be less and less every year.

 

Until winters and economies stabilize, and overall cost of the sleds come down or back to planet earth, it will get worse before it gets better.

 

The # of people willing to drop 15-25 k on a sled to sit in the garage is few and far between.

[Strong Farmer]

1 hour ago, PISTON LAKE CRUISER said:

There is no guessing about that. The big permit sale numbers come from high population areas that have trails relatively close by. That is why the OFSC decided after discussion years ago that they couldn't close trails in southern Ontario because that was where the big permit numbers came from.  

In past I bought one permit in northern Ontario so club could hit 50 permits to stay active in ofsc. Dubrevuille was one club I bought permits from years ago, when they were pleading for help to hit minium numbers. Now I buy them local to save southern trails were I like to ride . 

[04nightfire]

44 minutes ago, Spiderman said:

Attrition is one of many factors, but a big one imo.

There is very limited #'s of "new" to the activity people coming into it - and it would be less and less every year.

 

Until winters and economies stabilize, and overall cost of the sleds come down or back to planet earth, it will get worse before it gets better.

 

The # of people willing to drop 15-25 k on a sled to sit in the garage is few and far between.

A lot more are willing to drop that into a couple of atv's or SxS now.  I sold my new sled, bought a new 4 seater for all of us to ride in together and picked up a used sled.  Don't ever see myself buying a new sled anymore.

[Strong Farmer]

8 minutes ago, 04nightfire said:

A lot more are willing to drop that into a couple of atv's or SxS now.  I sold my new sled, bought a new 4 seater for all of us to ride in together and picked up a used sled.  Don't ever see myself buying a new sled anymore.

Snowmobile puts a bigger smile on your face then all terrain vehicles do. My son already talking about going snowmobiling, he could care less about atv now. 
I bought a used snowmobile too.  Lots of then out there with low miles and at good price.  

[stoney]

Ya, ride the same trail in the summer and then the winter - the winter just feels and looks better, you cannot explain it, you need to experience it to get that feeling......but dollars to cents, you need to really love that winter feeling to stay in the game in this day and age .