SCUGOG - This week's temperatures may have been well above the seasonal norm but folks at the Port Perry Snowmobile Club are already dreaming about winter.
Believe it or not, this is actually the club's busiest time, when members start preparing trails by cutting brush and clearing dead trees.
President Charlie Harper says he expects it to be a good year even though the sport is in for some changes this season as dictated by Bill 101, the Motorized Snow Vehicles Amendment Act.
"I think it's probably a good thing. It takes the carelessness out of it and makes people responsible," he says, of the stiffer fines and requirements being introduced.
Durham Regional Police say the new legislation, which was passed in May, gives the Motorized Snow Vehicles Act "a little more bite." Written in the early 1970s without much revision since, the act had become outdated, says Constable Douglas Morse, coordinator of Durham's Snowmobile Trail Officer Program.
Now riders caught snowmobiling without a valid trail permit will face fines from $200 to $1,000. While trail permits have always been mandatory, there was always a few in the sport, who "ducked around it," says Const. Morse. In the past, his special constables could only lay a trespassing charge in those cases, he says.
"The sale of trail permits helps support the sport by putting money into trail maintenance. If people don't buy those permits, that money isn't going in," Const. Morse explains.
Other significant changes include stiffer penalties for those fleeing from police. Those riders used to risk a $110 failing-to-stop fine but now they could pay anywhere between $1,000 and $25,000 for such an offence. Should their actions cause injury or death, they could even have their licence suspended for 10 years to life.
At the same time, riders caught on the trails without a licence could face a $1,000 to $2,000 fine. In the past, those snowmobilers would receive a $110 without-a-licence ticket and a rider's driving record wouldn't be affected. That's all changing now, says Const. Morse.
Both he and Mr. Harper agree it's a slim minority of snowmobilers who actually try to bend the rules on the trail. The amending act has been three years in the making, with the Ontario Ministry of Transportation gathering input from a number of sources, including STOP. It received unanimous approval from clubs across the Province at the Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs annual conference last month in Timmins.
"We still feel some adjustments need to be made," says Mr. Harper, adding there will be some opportunity for clubs to make suggestions at the end of the season.
But most of his 1,650 members won't see much of a change because there is "high complacency" among the Port Perry club in terms of regulations and purchasing permits, he says.
The OFSC is still reviewing its permit fees and the price may go up this year due to the organization's rising insurance costs. Last year, permits were $120 if purchased before Dec. 1 and $150 after that date, says Mr. Harper.