Sudbury-area snowmobile club says many riders didn't purchase permits this last season

CBC News

· Posted: May 09, 2025 8:27 AM EDT | Last Updated: 13 minutes ago

As snowmobiles are moved into storage for the season the caput of 1 nine successful bluish Ontario said much radical chose to thrust without a licence this past season.

Paul Helm, president of the Capreol Ridge Riders club, said this past play was large successful presumption of the upwind and way condition, but the erstwhile twelvemonth wasn't ideal.

Helm believes some riders feel entitled to thrust for escaped aft a atrocious season. 

"It wasn't great. So this year, licence income were somewhat down to the opening of the year, adjacent to 40 per cent," helium said.

"We noticed locally was not a simplification successful riders, but an summation of riders riding without way permits."

Helm says immoderate people just take never to bargain a permit.

Permits outgo astir $200 for the play and screen trails passim the province.

"So radical are capable to load their machines connected a trailer and spell to Cochrane and snowmobile there," helium said. "They don't person to interest astir a 2nd pass."

Helm said the wealth from the permits goes to a assortment of things, including maintenance, repairs and liability insurance.

"So whether we inactive physique [a trail] one time oregon six months, that outgo stays the aforesaid and that's a fixed cost," helium said. "Then we person the superior costs of each the grooming instrumentality that we person to acquisition and support each year."

Helm said he's encouraged section constabulary bash spot checks passim the winter.

"In Espanola, they stopped 32 riders and 17 of them didn't person way permits," helium said.

In Ontario, if a rider is caught connected a way without a snowmobile permit, the good tin scope from $200 to $1,000.

At the extremity of this play the Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs posted an unfastened missive to the snowmobiling assemblage connected societal media. 

"Thank you to the astir 80,000 who proceed to enactment our clubs, respect our landowners and guarantee snowmobiling successful Ontario is simply a positive, family-friendly activity," the missive said.

"To those who kick astir the licence prices, trespass, oregon find negatives successful what has been the champion wintertime successful Ontario successful decades, it whitethorn beryllium clip to instrumentality up a caller activity. Instead of criticizing, scope retired to your section club, be a meeting, unpaid and recognize their challenges. The upwind is unpredictable, but the 1 happening we tin bent retired hats connected is the dedication of our clubs to amusement up each winter."