NBFSC Annual Report

To: 40th International Snowmobile Congress Delegates
Re: NBFSC Annual Report to the International Snowmobile Council and North East Chapter

The New Brunswick Federation of Snowmobile Clubs (NBFSC), A Volunteer Organization experienced a second year of positive growth on many measurements in the 2007-2008 Winter Tourism season. This report will highlight some of those areas that have had the most positive impacts to our membership, our Province and the volunteer Board of Directors feels, our long term sustainability and financial self-sufficiency.

New Trail Permits:
Possibly it is unfair to keep calling the four Trail Permits introduced and adopted by the NBFSC in the spring of 2006 as new, however they continue to propel not only our finances but also the participation of snowmobilers who had left our fraternity for various reasons. The Classic (10 years or older) Trail Permit in just its second year is 40% of our total sales volume and 17% of our revenues. Dealerships are experiencing first, people looking for 10-year old used sleds and second many of the older sleds now being traded up for newer models. All we had to do was to get them to snowmobile again.

Go Snowmobiling - Take a Friend:
Speaking of getting old snowmobilers snowmobiling again, the NBFSC was pleased to partner with SANS (Nova Scotia) and the PEISA (Prince Edward Island) and Ed Klim of ISMA and our four District Sales Managers to host ‘Go Snowmobiling’ Rides in all three Provinces in February. In Bathurst NB – who had plus 500 centimeters or 18 feet of snow this winter – we hosted the Mayor of Bathurst, MLA and snowmobile Champion Brian Kenny, Chair of the Liberal (Democrat) Caucus, Rick Miles and Provincial Minister of Environment, Hon. Roland Hache. We plan to host more rides in 2009.

Dedicated Trail Enforcement:
For New Brunswick the commitment to dedicate resources to trail enforcement has been a forty-year journey. No Government would take the responsibility of providing trail enforcement for ORVs until our current Government announced in March of 2007 that NB would have a year round ORV police force. In March of 2008 after extensive training the ORV officers launched their efforts on to the 7100 kilometers (4200 miles) of snowmobile trails and in six weeks accomplished more than we could have hoped for. We have an extremely positive working relationship with this branch of our Ministry of Public Safety and are working to enhance all aspects of their efforts.
New Trail Manager:
Our volunteers have been stretched to the limit to provide adequate trail signage, required grooming and trail mapping with all of the financial impacts to have recently overcome. We are pleased to announce that we will be hiring a new full time Trail Manager beginning in July 2008 whose primary responsibilities will be to assist our clubs (volunteers) and improve our trails. All aspects of Trail Signage, Trail Grooming and Trail Mapping will form the criteria and objectives of this new position.

Rides & progress with Premier Shawn Graham:
The NBFSC was extremely pleased to have been with Premier Shawn Graham on three separate occasions this past winter. Premier Graham attended the 26th annual Snowarama in February with our partners at Easter Seals NB and then joined us on two private rides in later March, two weeks apart. His Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Hon. T.J. Burke, Chair of the Liberal Caucus, Rick Miles, MLA for Bathurst, Brian Kenny and Executive Director of the NB Liberal Party accompanied Premier Graham. Our President, Leon Bourque and Vie President, Reg MacDonald held private discussions about the sustainability of snowmobiling and self-sufficiency of Winter Tourism. We are pleased and fortunate to have a Premier who has dedicated himself to working so closely with the NBFSC.

Organized snowmobiling is alive and, well and reinvigorated in New Brunswick and our White Gold is back.

Respectfully submitted,

Ross Antworth, General Manager, NBFSC, A Volunteer Organization