Dear sir:
When I see the snow falling, I get into a serious snowmobiling mode. This mode, though, has been severely dampened by many items that are not under my control.
First of all, we snowmobilers are buying fuel that has a high road tax in the price.
Second, the Ontario [Federation of Snowmobile Clubs] is imposing upon us very high trail permit fees as compared to our southern neighbours. It seems to me they are taking advantage of all the volunteer labour that so many dedicated people donate.
Thirdly, we, the owners of the sleds, also are paying premium prices for insurance, not to mention the high cost of purchasing a snowmobile.
Could the answer for the high—and maybe even higher—price of trail permits lie with the industry itself? It would be in the best interest of the retailer and manufacturer to pay a percentage of this permit cost, as well as any spin-off business that benefits from the traffic on these groomed trails.
That would leave less than $100 for us snowmobilers to pay and that certainly would put me in that exciting snowmobiling mode again.
Signed,
Jake Krikke
Over-taxed snowmobiler
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
