OFSC Celebrates Landowners Who Make Snowmobile Trails Possible

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Provincial Landowner Appreciation Week is October 2 – 9, 2023

(Barrie, ON. October 2, 2023): The Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs (OFSC) is launching the 2024 snowmobile season with “Provincial Landowner Appreciation Week”, October 2 to 9, 2023. In grateful recognition of their often unsung contribution to organized snowmobiling, Landowner Appreciation Week celebrates over 18,000 community-minded landowners, who come from all walks of life, including thousands of farmers, and home or cottage owners, as well as private companies, municipalities, conservation authorities and others.

For more than 50 years, these landowners have voluntarily contributed to the well-being of their hometowns and the enjoyment of snowmobilers by donating the use of a portion of their private property for an OFSC Snowmobile Trail during the winter months. These OFSC trails provide safe and legal places for recreational snowmobilers with valid Ontario Snowmobile Trail Permits to ride, while connecting hundreds of rural communities and businesses by snow.

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OFSC 56th Convention and AGM Kicks Off New Snowmobile Season

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Ontario Snowmobile Trail Permit Fees for 2024 Season

(Barrie, ON. September 26, 2023): Recreational snowmobile trails do not just appear by magic each winter. That’s why hundreds of grassroots volunteers from across Ontario recently gathered in Muskoka representing 181 community-based snowmobile clubs who are members of the Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs (OFSC).

“Our volunteers are the backbone of snowmobiling in Ontario, and the 2023 Convention theme celebrated their perseverance, resilience and grit,” said Murray Baker, OFSC President. “Our provincial gathering provides an important opportunity for our volunteers to reconnect with peers, share best practices and appreciate collective accomplishments as trail preparations for the 2024 season move into high gear.”

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Madawaska Rail Bridge Receives Provincial Support

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(Madawaska, ON: January 27, 2023) – The Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs (O.F.S.C.) and the Opeongo Snowbirds Snowmobile Club were joined by Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke M.P.P. John Yakabuski to announce the completion of the Madawaska rail bridge refurbishment project.

“As we build Ontario, our government is making record investments in infrastructure, like the Madawaska rail bridge, to ensure snowmobilers can continue safely enjoying the province’s premier trails for generations to come,” said Caroline Mulroney, Minister of Transportation. “Congratulations to the Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs on re-opening this critical link, which connects the communities of Whitney and Barry’s Bay.”

This infrastructure project is supported by a $208,919 investment from the Government of Ontario. Funding was announced by Minister Mulroney at the O.F.S.C. Annual General Meeting in September 2019.

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OFSC Delivers Important Trail Messages To Snowmobilers For International Snowmobile Safety Week, January 14 – 22

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    1. Only Ride Available Trails 
    2. Stay On The Trail
    3. Ride Responsibly

(Barrie, ON, January 12, 2023) – As the non-profit, volunteer-driven association that oversees organized snowmobile trails in Ontario, the Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs (OFSC) is cautioning snowmobilers that the greater majority of its 30,000 kilometres of OFSC Prescribed Snowmobile Trails are currently identified as being “Unavailable” to ride. Most OFSC trails do not typically become Available to ride before mid-January, and although the recent unseasonal weather has impacted overall trail readiness, snowmobile clubs and their volunteers continue to work hard on making as many OFSC trails as possible Available to ride in the near future.

Only Ride Available Trails: For safety week, the OFSC reminds snowmobilers to only ride Available or Limited Availability OFSC trails and avoid riding Unavailable trails at any time during the winter. Snowmobilers can easily find out where there are Available trails to ride by checking Trail Status 24/7 on the OFSC Interactive Trail Guide (ITG) or on the OFSC Go Snowmobiling App. Trail Status shows on the ITG as:

  • GREEN for Available: The identified route is accessible with the understanding that the trail will likely vary considerably in quality, attributes and terrain over its length.
  • YELLOW for Limited Availability: Access to the identified route is limited with marginal riding opportunities, so snowmobilers enter with the understanding that they should ride with extreme care and reduced speed.
  • RED for Unavailable: The identified route is not available at this time, with access prohibited, and entering any Unavailable trail on private property is trespassing.

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OFSC & OFATV Sign Historic Memorandum of Understanding

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New Era of Cooperation Focused on Protecting Landowners, Combatting Trespassing and
Ensuring Trail Sustainability

(Barrie, ON: November 30, 2022): The Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs (OFSC) and the Ontario Federation of All Terrain Vehicle Clubs (OFATV) announced a historic Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the province’s two largest recreational trail organizations. This first of its kind MOU solidifies a cooperative new approach in organized powersports with the goals to foster the protection, sustainability and growth of motorized recreational trails. The MOU will significantly benefit each Federation, their clubs, volunteers, landowners and trail users, as well as countless trail‐connected communities and tourism businesses across Ontario.

“Through these formal cooperative efforts, we will be able to leverage our collective communities to amplify messaging and strengthen our efforts to combat off‐trail riding, trespassing, and seasonal trail usage” said Ryan Eickmeier, OFSC CEO. “Where shared trails exist, the ability for our respective clubs to work together to build trail and infrastructure is also a definitive win for both organizations”.

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OFSC Driver Training Goes Exclusively Online

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Digital Course Provides Many Benefits For New Snowmobilers

(Barrie, ON: November 10, 2022) – The Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs (OFSC) has announced that effectively immediately, the OFSC Driver Training Program will be offered exclusively online.

Delivered by the OFSC under the authority of the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario (MTO) since 1976, Driver Training has graduated more than 260,000 students aged 12 and older, teaching the rules and behaviours necessary to be a safe and courteous snowmobile operator.

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