2024-10-22 04:00:00
For years, snowmobile stakeholders, and even the government, have boasted that Quebec has the largest network of interconnected trails in the world, with 33,000 kilometers. It could very well be that as of this winter, this title will no longer be true.
For months, snowmobilers have been held hostage in conflicts in which they are not directly involved. In fact, they are the scapegoats because they have a very vulnerable side: rights of way.
For 50 years, the concept of rights of way, granted to snowmobile clubs to build their trails, has always been an exchange in good faith between the different groups who grant them. But today, several pitfalls are completely undoing this concept which nevertheless worked so well. If we had to pay for all these rights, that would be the end because the costs of the annual access fee for snowmobilers would explode.
Here are examples of what is happening that could endanger the network in its current form.
Currently, people in the lumber industry have demands on the government. They threaten to no longer grant rights of way to snowmobilers on the territories they occupy. Several clubs use forest roads closed in winter to build their trails. Some claimed that in the spring, because of the trails, the snow melted more slowly. However, in many cases, clubs use machinery to quickly open these forest roads and make them accessible to vehicles.
Hostages of a conflict
In the Portneuf region, the Saint-Raymond club is grappling with a dispute concerning the path which passes over the Batiscan-Neilson ZEC. We are asking for financial compensation so that snowmobilers can use the trail. ZEC officials are asking for the same amount that they obtain from the Fédération québécoise des clubs quad, around $165 per kilometer. If there is no agreement, they will charge snowmobilers who pass through their territory. Snowmobilers become hostages in a conflict between third parties.
The same type of situation is being experienced across Quebec. Almost everywhere, people who want to win a case threaten to cut off the passage of snowmobilers. The ZECs are asking for money to continue to let snowmobilers pass on the trails that cross their territories. If this way of doing things, namely paying for a right of way throughout Quebec, ever becomes a reality, it would be the end of the network of snowmobile trails as we know them in Quebec.
A difficult reality
While many people denigrate the snowmobile world, they should better inform themselves about what is really going on.
“Since 2006, manufacturers have been obliged to follow very strict rules in terms of pollution and engine emissions. They have created a range of snowmobiles that are much more efficient in these areas, explains Michel Garneau, editor-in-chief of the magazine. Snowmobile Quebec. Certainly, there cannot be a zero point, because these are motor vehicles. Many of these people who say they are protecting the planet travel by plane, the means of transport considered to be one of the most polluting. »
Some offenders directly contribute to creating this bad reputation, by acting without discernment, whether by vagrancy or by going off-piste without respecting nature and private land.
In society, the practice of several activities can sometimes disturb certain people. Very often people forget the saying “live and let live”.
“According to a study conducted in 2010 by the National Trail Coalition, 42.1% of all developed recreational trails in Quebec are primarily managed by snowmobile clubs,” says the expert. Once winter is over, many of these trails benefit walkers, hikers, bike enthusiasts and more.
“Across Canada, 66.4% of the country’s recreational trails are managed by motorized leisure communities,” he adds.
Economic impact
We must also consider the economic impact of snowmobiling in several regions of Quebec, in winter, when many other leisure activities are at a standstill. Governments (taxes), service providers, dealers and others all benefit from snowmobiling.
Snowmobilers operate on a user-pays basis. With the clubs, they also help to ensure the availability of several infrastructures in the forest. Bridges, culverts and footbridges are built and paid for by snowmobilers and used by many people who enjoy other outdoor activities.
Snowmobiling will always be criticized by many people who are not aware of the issue. Beyond all these prejudices, we must understand that we live in a society where people have the right to practice the leisure activities they want.
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