According to experts at the Fédération des Clubs de Motoneigistes du Québec, the current trail system could well disappear if administrative complications continue to deter the club’s volunteers.
“It is certain that the exhaustion of our volunteers, with all the regulations surrounding them, could well affect their motivation,” explained the Director General of the Federation, Stéphane Desroches.
“At the federal level we try to make the most of the information we have, but compared to our partners, the ministries, we are often surprised very quickly. I believe that they themselves did not have time to complete their analysis at the level of the law. »
Each season, snowmobilers ride on trails built and maintained by volunteer teams from Quebec’s 197 clubs. Photo provided by Julien Cabana
The association is currently working on changes to the Parks and Forests Act.
“We have the opportunity to clarify this law and, above all, to put it in the context of the Ministry of Transport’s VHR law, which regulates the operation of off-road vehicles. We are not sure which of the two laws takes precedence over the other regarding the use of public lands.
“A good example of this is what happened with a ZEC. On public lands where the ZECs are located, trails will be paved where snowmobilers who have the right of way should ride free of charge. On the other hand, according to the law, the ZECs have veto rights over traffic.
“Our hiking trails are subject to the ORV law. We have legal obligations that clubs must adhere to when creating safe and well-marked trails. »
No right to access
Even though snowmobile clubs must comply with the standards of the ORV law, they encounter traffic problems due to the Forestry Law.
“Although our clubs have to comply with all standards of the ORV law in accordance with the Parks and Forests Act, anyone can walk on the paths. According to VHR law, widths, weights and more must be taken into account. From one day to the next we are faced with vehicles whose tracks are not recognized according to the standards of the Snowmobile Safety and Certification Committee (SSCC),” adds Stéphane Desroches.
“To give an example, the new Widescape is now registered by the SAAQ without checking whether the vehicle is certified, while the snowmobile must be certified to drive on trails. The police can report us violations if our snowmobile is not SSCC certified. There was no consultation with the two associations, ours and that of the Quad, while we were developing the expertise for the trails.
“For these reasons, I believe that the creation of Quebec’s snowmobile trail network in its current form is in jeopardy. »
Silo operation
With all the standards they now have to meet, volunteers who want to build a bridge that once cost $35,000 now have to pay $250,000 for the same infrastructure.
“For me it is very easy to summarize the situation. The various ministries work in isolation in the legislative area. They don’t talk to each other, says the president of the federation, Réal Camiré. We have the VHR law that we have to follow to the letter and move from one ministry to another.
“Each of them has their own law, and since they do not communicate with each other, we are in turmoil. It is the clubs and their volunteers who pay the high price for the effort that has to be invested in creating the paths. They are volunteers. Very often we receive messages from the government which we pass on to the clubs but which they do not understand, as we sometimes do. »
For the upcoming season, the clubs have managed to solve the problems and offer snowmobilers a network of interesting routes.
♦ The sale of access rights at a reduced price runs until December 9th. You can save $90. Sales take place exclusively online on the Federation website at the address: www.fcmq.qc.ca.
