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Members should attend the WCSTA club meeting on Tuesday September 6th to learn about important changes coming to snowmobiling in Ontario. At this year’s OFSC AGM in September, our club has 2 votes, either in favour of or against these changes. Your understanding of these changes is very important to us and at our next WCSTA meeting on Tuesday, September 6, 2016 we will be discussing how we want our delegates to vote. If you can, please make a special effort to come to our meeting to learn more about MOTS.
Overview:
The future of our club and snowmobiling is at stake.
Our sport, the Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs (OFSC), OFSC District One, and WCSTAI are all under serious financial pressure to maintain trail operations while trying to life cycle the aging provincial groomer fleet. To address these issues, and others, the OFSC has developed More on the Snow (MOTS) – a 5 year strategic initiative.
To summarize, the objectives of the MOTS plan are:
- Increased Participation. By increasing overall participation (through attraction and retention of riders) by 6% to 100,000 permits.
- Improved Organization Effectiveness. By developing a new organizational structure, reducing the number of organizational layers from three (OFSC, District, Club) to two (OFSC and District) with local clubs becoming chapters of the District.
- Developing a groomer fleet asset management program and a groomer fleet operational management program.
- Become Valued Stewards and Partners. By continuing to pursue long term government support programs.
Key points of the plan to highlight:
- The current groomer fleet is too large to financially sustain.
- 70% of the fleet is over 10 years old with more than 5000 hours.
- Groomer Asset Management would allow the OFSC to take a provincial approach to life cycle management (vs the current approach of clubs managing this).
- Grooming Operational Management would be shifted more so to the District to manage (vs the current approach of clubs managing this).
- Reduce # of back-up groomers.
- Remove artificial grooming boundaries between clubs.
- OFSC bought 16 new groomers to kick start the program at a cost of $4M.
- Estimate average cost of a purpose built groomer is now $300K.
- High workload on a small group of volunteers is concerning.
- Impending new not-for-profit legislation is concerning.
- Local and provincial grants and other funding opportunities are not being utilized.
- Reducing in administration costs thru Framework for change was not realized.
- Standardize the size and operations between districts.
- Current organizational structure causes barriers.
- Need to reduce groomer fleet from 360 to 246 by purchasing 101 new groomers and removing 215. Need $4M to $6M annually to achieve plan.
- Hiring of 6 regional positions to support clubs and Districts
- Reduce the number of Districts from 16 to 12. This change will allow all districts to have on average 2700 Km’s of trail with 15+ clubs participating.
- Districts manage all funds. Clubs only coordinate payment of minor expenses.
- New District structure would see District 1 reorganized to Ottawa Region with 17 clubs (including WCSTAI) with a total of 3062 kms of trails (down from ~4000 kms)
- Standardized District bylaws and operating procedures.
- District 1 is targeted to go from 50 groomers to 29.
Please join us at the West Carleton Snowmobile Trails Association September club meeting – to be held on Tuesday September 6th, 7:00pm, in the board room at the Kinburn Community Centre (doors to the left of the main entrance).
Important changes are coming to snowmobiling in Ontario to ensure its sustainability. The first phase of this was the Framework for Change, which has been implemented over the last few years. The next phase, “More on the Snow (MOTS)” is being voted on at the OFSC AGM in September. Your understanding of these changes is very important to us and at our next WCSTA meeting on Tuesday, September 6, 2016 we will be discussing how we want our delegates to vote. If you can, please make a special effort to come to our meeting to learn more about MOTS.
The club is currently looking for volunteer coordinators, people to help with events, brushing, signage and other volunteer positions. Have any special skills that you might be willing to share to help make our club, our trails and our events even better? Please contact us.
Signage and pre-season trail work will also be key topics at this meeting. If you are one of the many people who adopted a section of trail last season, or if you would like to find out how you can help get our trails ready for the upcoming season we encourage you to join us. We hope to see you there!
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Snowmobile Swap Meet in West Carleton!
Mark your calendars! We have just confirmed:
October 15, 2016 @ The Kinburn Community Centre
1st Annual Snowmobile Swap Meet
Admission: $2
12 and younger free
We are in the planning stages. Any Input, suggestions, questions are appreciated.
Indoor Tables. Used Sled Parts. Sled Gear. Trailers. Used Sled Corral. Beer and Bar. BBQ Food. Some Quads? Antique Sleds? Dealer Exhibits. District Sled Raffle. Club Consignment Table.
Clean out your closet and garage! Come out and see our brand new Argo Groomer. Have a Beer and Burger! Meet your buds and your hard working executive/volunteers for West Carleton. Get your season started!
Contact: swapmeet@wcstai.com
or:
Douglas VanderVelde
phone: 613-316-6199
Please join us at the West Carleton Snowmobile Trails Association Annual General Meeting – to be held on Tuesday May 3rd, 7:00pm, at the Kinburn Community Centre.
Board of directors will be nominated and elected by our members at this meeting, and we encourage all current permit holders to join us and participate in setting the course for snowmobiling in West Carleton, and representation of our club within the OFSC for next season.
Come out to see what is going on with your local club. We have a new clubhouse and will be doing many more fun and exciting things next year. Come out and join our dynamic team of fellow snowmobilers. Here is a list of some things we are doing now along with some new ideas brought forward by current volunteers and board members.
Poker run in support of the Snowsuit Fund
Landowners appreciation dinner
Trail side BBQ
Swap meet (new for 2016/17 season)
Fund raising (selling raffle tickets, trail map advertising)
Family free weekend
Day and night group rides
Immediately following the AGM the newly appointed Board will commence with the election of President, Vice President and other Officers for the 2016-2017 season.
We hope to see you there!
Hello everyone,
WCSTA will be taking nominations for the following end of year awards. If you have someone you would like to nominate, please email contact@wcstai.com with a description of the wonderful things they did to help the club
Your board of directors will be voting on this in one weeks time, so get them in please. There will be some prizes awarded……
1. WC Volunteer of the Year
2. WC Family of the Year
3. WC Safe Snowmobiling Ambassador
4. WC Outstanding Snowmobile Promotion
5. WC Rookie Volunteer of the Year
6. WC Trail Patroller of the Year
Thanks and Happy Easter Weekend!
To all WCSTA Landowners and Snowmobilers;
You are cordially invited to join us for a Landowners Appreciation Dinner on Saturday April 2, 2016 at 6:00pm in the Kinburn Community Centre. All West Carleton and Mississippi Mills Landowners who graciously allow us to use their land for our local trails are welcome. Without your generosity the West Carleton Snowmobile Club would not have trails.
RSVP to landowners@wcstai.com, or by phone (613) 852-7271
Food: Spaghetti dinner including dessert, served up by Sammy’s Pizzeria Restaurant of Dunrobin. All non alcholic drinks are included. Cash bar is available.
Please let us know if you have any food allergies.
This dinner is sponsered by the local WC Snowmobile Club and Eli El-Chantiry, Councillor for West Carleton-March.
All WC Snowmobilers are invited to come and enjoy dinner with our landowners. We will be charging snowmobilers a small fee for dinner to help offset the costs. Please come out and help show our gratitude!
Thank you to the Landowners of Mississippi Mills and West Carleton!
As advised by the OFSC, the West Carleton Snowmobile Trails Association has no intentions of pursuing easements.
Should any folks have concerns or questions, below is the link to the OFSC Website Statement regarding the current Land Use Agreements and Bill 100.
On a related note, as Bill 100 has now progressed to the consultation process, the OFSC is on record of supporting any revisions to the Bill which would address landowners concerns.
We continue to promote our message that the OFSC and our member organizations respect the rights of landowners and we do not have any intention of utilizing easements. The OFSC prefers to use the traditional time tested land use agreement process which has, and continues to serve landowners and clubs well.
Please refer to this link of more information on Bill 100 pertaining to Snowmobile Clubs.
http://www.ofsc.on.ca/content/landowner-concerns-respect-access-snowmobile-trails
Thanks
Trails are now closed. Thanks to our landowners and permit buyers
Snowmobilers are being warned to stay off of area OFSC Prescribed snowmobile trails effective immediately as the snowmobile season has come to an end. These trails are now reported as “Unavailable” (Red) on the OFSC Interactive Trail Guide at www.ofsc.on.ca, because area clubs have stopped regular grooming operations, and signs and stakes are being removed and gates and fences closed. Snowmobilers are also advised that rapidly deteriorating snow and ice conditions due to spring thaw make snowmobiling extremely hazardous anywhere. Roads and road crossings are now generally bare and the ice on all waterways is melted, melting or unstable, and now the only safe and sensible course of action for snowmobilers is to put away their sleds until next winter. The risks of trying that ‘one last ride’ are simply too high now that spring thaw has commenced.
The public is also reminded that an OFSC snowmobile trail on private land reported as “Unavailable” means that access to that trail is also prohibited for any other users or persons for all other seasons, without the specific prior permission of the landowner. On behalf of our clubs and volunteers, we want to thank all of the landowners who have generously allowed the use of their property for an OFSC snowmobile trail this winter. We also appreciate the support of the many snowmobilers who bought trail permits to help pay their share of the cost of trail operations for the past season.
A very special thanks is also extended to all of the club volunteers who donated their services to assist local clubs in providing a successful season of snowmobiling. Although the winter is over, snowmobiling has become a year round business, so many volunteers will start immediately to plan and prepare for next winter.
We are actively looking to fill a number of roles within the West Carleton club, as well as looking for individuals, groups or families to ‘adopt’ sections of trail and help with signing and maintenance of them. If you are interested in helping out, please let us know.
See Next Years’ Sleds Now
Be the first to see the 2017 snowmobiles from Polaris, Ski-Doo and Yamaha March 21-22 in Kanata, or a location near you! Make plans now to attend the 2017 Manufacturers’ Sneak Peek and see next year’s sleds now… before anyone else! Free admission, being held at the Bell Sensplex, 1565 Maple Grove Road, Kanata.
Monday March 21, 4 pm- 9 pm
Tuesday March 22, 11 am- 9 pm
Show your buddies the taillight they’ll be chasing next season – only at the Sneak Peek. Don’t miss it!