News for Ontario Snowmobiling!
OFSC snowmobile clubs made a historic culture shift this morning at their 2016 Annual General Meeting. Their decision to approve the implementation of an ambitious and innovative new plan called "More On The Snow" over the next two or three years helps secure a successful future for organized trail riding in Ontario. It also sets a bold new direction for delivering great trails that will be the envy of many other snowmobile organizations in North America and a template many will emulate in years to come. A multi-layered and integrated plan, More On The Snow will maximize effective and efficient use of permit dollars and improve rider experience by moving management of grooming operations from clubs to OFSC districts (reduced in number from the current 16 to 12), with clubs working collaboratively to plan and deliver grooming for their entire region rather than independently within individual club boundaries as is now the case. This new coordinated approach will streamline grooming as shared equipment goes wherever needed in each region, making for more seamlessly smooth trails and helping to assure more regular grooming even when a machine breaks down.
More On The Snow will also use permit dollars more effectively, saving money by moving management of groomer fleet operations to the provincial level where the ongoing purchase, replacement and allocation of these $250,000 + machines will be planned and delivered centrally (rather than piecemeal by individual clubs) thereby assuring that the entire fleet is being continually evaluated, monitored and updated with new equipment. This will improve rider experience with better and more consistent grooming capability (with fewer breakdowns) everywhere. Central fleet management will reduce costs by taking maximum advantage of bulk buying opportunities and new options such as short term rentals, leasing and equipment sharing, and by reducing costly repairs on aging machines.
Finally, More On The Snow improves rider experience by building stronger clubs and reducing volunteer workload in club administration and paperwork, enabling volunteers to focus more on delivering great trails and club social activities. Two years in the planning, More On The Snow builds on an OFSC permit revenue redistribution decision several years ago that among other things now allocates more grooming dollars each season to regions with more snow. The many rider benefits of More On The Snow will not be seen overnight, but over the next several years should make Ontario an even better trail riding destination. Congratulations to OFSC clubs for having the vision and commitment to approve More On The Snow! #ontariosnowtrails #gosnowmobilingontario
Yesterday at 3:45pm · Public · in Timeline Photos
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Megan Dijkema and 87 others like this.
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Patrick Crickard
I really don't know how this is going to work for deciding from the district level where to groom, and how often. Our district office location has a very different season then where our club is located. We get a hell of a lot more snow and traffic up north verses where our district office is. I really hope they don't paint is with the same brush as far as grooming. Also I really hope they do not give us any tractors. Keep the tractors where they were meant to be....in farm fields. Am also a volunteer and a club executive, that works hard to keep the trails open for future years to come for my children. I really hope they looked at this well, because we are in dire need of change up north where we get all the snow and have the most aging fleet, and run a pile of miles, and hours.
1 · Yesterday at 10:36pm
The Intrepid Snowmobiler
Valid concerns, Patrick and that's why the northern districts voted for the new plan.
Graham Duke
Love all the anti tractor groomer comments where the hell does OFSC think buying $300,000 ski hill groomer money will come from if they keep selling $180 permits. Big dreams. 3 tractor purchases for every 2 Prinoth or Piston Bulley. Think about it.
2 · Yesterday at 11:42pm
The Intrepid Snowmobiler
The clubs in each district will decide on a district grooming plan, so if local trails... More
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Tyler Hoy
Not happy about mots going through too much shit needs to be addressed before it's going to work
They screwed up on framework for change and only have a two year plan for mots yet and when you ask them anything about year three yet and they don't have an answer on how things are going to work isn't good
Permit prices need to go up there is no ifs ands or buts about it
There better be a significant increase for next year or we can't sustain ourselves
We went down the wrong path with these 187.50 permits
1 · Yesterday at 11:57pm
The Intrepid Snowmobiler
Snow certainly helped, but permit sales at the higher fees had been dropping off for many... More
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Pat Murray
After years of being heavily involved in my local club I call total bullshit.
Clubs that have been successful for all these years are now being forced to turn over assets and management our there clubs.
The so called monies they r trying to save will be spent on 12 new groomer managers that will do nothing but piss off the volunteers and drivers in the clubs.
After spending two years negotiating our club out of a dominating control district there is no way I want any more of that grey hair making BS
Good luck to you all!
I'll be out riding GBay with the Cowboys!
3 · Today at 1:40am
The Intrepid Snowmobiler
Change is never easy, Pat.
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Pat Murray
Would of been a lot easier to reduce the amount of trails in areas that do not have the permit sales.
1 · 5 hours ago
The Intrepid Snowmobiler
Most of those areas don't have the population base to sell lots of permits, but do have... More
Pat Murray
Garranty 12 new groomer coordinators will suck the rest of the money and life out of the clubs.
3 · 5 hours ago
The Intrepid Snowmobiler
Don't know where you're getting that 12 number from - first I've heard of it. At... More
Ron Bates
Our club was doing great and I think this spells the end of local clubs and volunteer ism. That has to be what the ofsc wants, complete district control. With no volunteers and pride, the trails will suffer. How could 70% vote for such a flawed groomer strategy ?
2 · 4 hours ago
The Intrepid Snowmobiler
Because it isn't flawed and those clubs realize that the old way of doing business isn't... More
Bonnie Taylor
What about the smaller trails that people who live in remote areas off of the c trail use. Will these still be serviced. Like others in Tiny I may be on the bay with no permit.
1 · 4 hours ago
The Intrepid Snowmobiler
Hi Bonnie, it's up to all the clubs in a district to make a grooming plan that's best for... More
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Pat Murray
Of coarse you haven't heard because it is still unknown.
12 districts
All districts with approx 20 groomers to look after, there in not a volunteer that is going to look after this size of fleet.
Talk to me in two years time and we will discuss how much this program is really saving.
I do wish continued success to the OFSC, but this cat is going off the grid.
1 · 3 hours ago
The Intrepid Snowmobiler
Too bad, you're going to miss being part of a great success!
Gord Jones
I'm afraid we may see great volunteers walking away from clubs who have been running and grooming very efficiently based on snow, weather conditions, etc, all while working around volunteers"real life schedules" if they are going to be told how and when to volunteer their time properly.
It may be a great business model but then it will have to be run as a business, not a volunteer organization. We'll see.
Just now