New Trails Action Plan

With the June 2nd, 2018 release of Government’s new Trails Action Plan (TAP), the New Brunswick Federation of Snowmobile Clubs (NBFSC) were made aware of a very new direction that our Government partners were taking regarding all trails in New Brunswick. The TAP demonstrates that financial Investments into trails will be made based on return on investments (ROI) versus public funding for all trails in every region, every community or every club (snowmobile). This presents challenges for the NBFSC as well as opportunities.   

The Trails Action Plan was largely developed in the summer-autumn of 2017 without the input of the three trail communities (NBTCI, NBATVF and NBFSC). Government created, mostly, a plan for us, without us. The TAP is not all negative however. I want to thank the Government of New Brunswick and Minister John Ames team at Tourism, Heritage & Culture. Their recent release of the TAP is a key component of the province’s new Tourism Growth Strategy is an important tool for the NBFSC. And we congratulate and recognize that the financial investment being made into all New Brunswick’s trails is at an all-time high by our Government. 

In the TAP recommendations there are (11) eleven Signature Trails to be completed in New Brunswick. Nine (9) trails are in the Greenway community, one (1) ATV – OHV network of trails in the ‘Sussex Region’ and for snowmobile trails, the Signature Trail recognized is the developing Christmas Mountains trail network based from Mt. Carleton Provincial Park. 

Our Provincial Government’s own stated economic impact numbers as of season end 2015 measured snowmobile tourism impacts at $32.7 million annually. We believe the actual dollar figure to be much more significant than reported and also believe that snowmobiling’s return on investments (ROI) will exceed all other types of trails in New Brunswick and possibly some other tourism sectors as well. 

The new economic impact numbers (EIS) that were adopted for all New Brunswick Greenway (walking, hiking, cycling, running, horseback riding, etc.) trails are significantly higher than many would have thought. Government has acknowledged Greenway Trails in New Brunswick contribute $15.4 million annually (as of January, 2018). 

The new Greenway EIS which was conducted independently by the Sentier Conseil New Brunswick Trails Council, is regarded as the new template to measure all trails economic impact. We trust the template will eventually be utilized for all types of trails in New Brunswick; Greenway, Off Highway and Snowmobile. Thus, snowmobiling and the volunteer’s ‘old’ number of $32.7 million is now misstated and very possibly greatly understated. 

So, in the winter of 2019, the NBFSC will be undertaking a new Snowmobile Economic Impact Study. Our goal is to have the snowmobile EIS completed for the autumn of 2019. We will strive to include the volunteer’s hours in the EIS as well as all the hard financial data that snowmobiling generates. It will be based on the same template as was used to measure the significant impact of Greenway Trails this past year. Our EIS should confirm and establish our leadership position, accurately reflect snowmobiling’s ROI, demonstrate that financial investments for trail infrastructure give back more than is spent and strengthen our recent and ongoing recommendations to both the Provincial and Federal Governments. 

 The new numbers will bear out that the small investments made by the GNB are woefully short for the returns they and our communities receive. 

Our planned snowmobile EIS will seek to reinforce the government’s direction to prioritize investments into those trails that provide the highest return on investments. Snowmobile trails and the volunteers contributions should be, can be, and must be, a larger part of the Trails Action Plan. Surely, snowmobiling has earned more than a single Signature Trail in New Brunswick. We have been the vast majority and leader of New Brunswick’s trails growth and success for more than 35 years now. And we are still a solution, not a burden for investments. 

Scott Ralston, NBFSC President, “A Volunteer Organization”