The Caribou-Conscrits Snowmobile Club is threatening to cease operations in the Valin Mountains, north of Saguenay, if the Martin-Valin ZEC continues to charge fees to snowmobilers who ride there.
Snowmobile clubs have been awaiting a change in the law for three years, while Quebec says it is working on legislative and regulatory amendments.
The same approach is being taken by the Saguenay Club and the Saint-Raymond Club in Portneuf.
The three presidents have signed a joint letter, a copy of which Radio-Canada has obtained.
Currently, the Act respecting the conservation and enhancement of wildlife (LCMVF) requires ZECs to agree with associations on an annual flat fee for trail maintenance.
According to this law, enforced by the Ministry of the Environment, Climate Change, Wildlife, and Parks (MELCCFP), the amount must be reasonable, thus allowing the parties to negotiate the specific amount among themselves.
Denis Legendre, president of the Caribou-Conscrits Club, states that the situation, which has persisted since the winter of 2022–2023, cannot continue.
The Martin-Valin ZEC accounts for 30% of my territory, and I spend 45% of my budget on that territory because there’s a lot of traffic and a lot of snow.
So why should we have to pay yet another tax to travel on that territory when the ZEC does nothing for the snowmobile club?
“It’s illogical, in our view,” Denis Legendre, president of the Caribou-Conscrits club, reiterated in an interview on Tuesday.
A Requirement According to the Martin-Valin ZEC
The Martin-Valin ZEC is one of the few to enforce the ministry’s measure.
For his part, Alexandre Mathieu, the general manager of the controlled operating zone, defends his position by stating that he is merely enforcing the law imposed by Quebec.
The difference here is that last winter, the Ministry of the Environment, Climate Change, Wildlife, and Parks asked us to enforce what the law requires of us.
So, we manage the territory on behalf of the ministry, and they ask us to enforce the regulations that govern us, which stipulate that a reasonable flat fee must be set,” stated Alexandre Mathieu in response to the snowmobile club’s statement.
Upcoming Consultations
In March 2023, Andrée Laforest, who was then Minister of Municipal Affairs and responsible for the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region, had called for a moratorium on the fees imposed on snowmobilers.
Roundtable discussions were even formed (one in Saguenay and one at the provincial level) to discuss this issue and that of multi-use trails on public land, at the request of former Minister Andrée Laforest.
After more than three years, no progress has been made on this front, the presidents of the three clubs wrote in their letter.
In a written response to Radio-Canada, the MELCCFP outlined the next steps.
Steps have already been taken with the Quebec Federation of ZEC Managers (FQGZ) and the Quebec Federation of Snowmobile Clubs (FCMQ).
Potential legislative and regulatory changes have been identified following joint work with the FQGZ
Quebec Federation of ZEC Managers
and the FCMQ, as well as the relevant ministries.
These are currently being analyzed by the responsible team at MELCCFP and will be the subject of consultations, said Daniel Labonté, the ministry’s press relations officer.
Current law allows for snowmobilers to be exempt from fees, but this exemption must apply uniformly throughout the year and to all types of vehicles.
These aspects will be taken into account in the upcoming review.
The analysis must consider fairness among the parties and toward other vehicle users traveling within ZECs, as well as the founding principle of ZECs, enshrined in the LCMVF, which stipulates the need for self-financing, he added.
By
iceman ·
