Eastern Ontario Snowmobilers Celebrate $3.9M for Trails Reopening

URGENT UPDATE: Eastern Ontario snowmobilers are celebrating a vital funding announcement from the province, promising $3.9 million to reopen 4,500 kilometres of snowmobile trails this winter. The Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs (OFSC) confirmed the funding just last week, marking a significant shift in the region’s winter sports landscape.

The funding comes as a response to rising operational costs that threatened to severely reduce the trail network. John Van Lane, governor of the Upper Canada Snowmobile Region, explained that grooming trails has become increasingly expensive over the past five years, leading to planned cuts. “The reduction of trails [was] hurting a lot of our points of interest, including gas stations, restaurants, hotels. It would have trickled down,” he stated during an interview with CBC Radio’s Ottawa Morning.

As of November 5, 2023, the Ontario government’s funding is seen as a lifeline for the snowmobiling community. Many local businesses were on the brink of losses due to the anticipated closures. Chris Angell, president of the Beautiful Eastern Association of Snowmobile Trails club, noted that his club had already closed approximately 80 kilometres of trail around Carleton Place and Smiths Falls. He expressed optimism, stating, “Our plan is to open up as much as we can for this season. But the truth of the matter is we’re not going to hit everything, and it’ll likely be next season before we’re able to be in the 80-to-100 percent range that we were previously.”

The OFSC highlighted that this new funding adds to a previous $1 million infrastructure investment aimed at maintaining Ontario’s extensive trail network. The organization stated, “Looking beyond this season, this investment represents the first step in plans that will ensure the long-term sustainability of a trail network of this size in Ontario.”

As the snowmobiling season approaches, the immediate impact of this funding is felt across local communities. Snowmobilers are eager to hit the trails, and businesses reliant on winter tourism are breathing a sigh of relief. The urgency to reopen the trails has never been more critical, and stakeholders are hopeful that the funding will help them achieve a full network restoration.

Moving forward, the focus will be on mobilizing resources quickly to open as many trails as possible in time for the peak snowmobiling season. Snowmobilers and local business owners alike are watching closely, anticipating the reopening that could revive their winter economy.

Stay tuned as developments unfold in this vital initiative for Eastern Ontario’s snowmobiling community.