During a December 16 council meeting, the District of Muskoka decided to enter into an agreement with the Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs (OFSC) that would allow snowmobiling on district-owned land.
The district, however, had been hesitant to enter into this agreement due to issues of liability. That’s because this is the first year the OFSC has asked landowners who have snowmobile trails crossing their properties to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).
The MOU protects landowners in the case that someone is injured while crossing their property. After a landowner signs the MOU, the OFSC would back them with $15 million in liability insurance. But if a landowner refused to sign the MOU then the OFSC would have to shut down the trail running across their property.
Hundreds of snowmobile trails crisscross the District of Muskoka, and many fall on the 50 parcels of district-owned land. To open these trails, the OFSC required the district to sign a MOU. Without one, the trails would remain closed, ostensibly shutting down snowmobile season in Muskoka.
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Before making a decision, the district decided to consult with its insurer, BFL Canada. The district was concerned that by signing the MOU it was opening itself up to being named in a lawsuit if there was an incident, and that the OFSC’s insurance only covered one class of claim.
At an earlier engineering and public works meeting, Phil Harding, a board member of the snowmobile association Muskoka Lakes Snow Trails and a former district councillor himself, pointed out that this line of thinking was nonsensical.
“For 50-plus years snowmobile trails have run across Muskoka and across district-owned lands,” he said. “The district already knows trails are across Muskoka and currently allows snowmobiling. So, in fact, not signing a MOU would now increase the current liability as you will not be covered by the OFSC $15 million liability policy.”
Harding also pointed out that snowmobiling is a major economic driver in Muskoka. During winter months, the activity is estimated to bring in $125 million per year to local restaurants, hotels, and stores, while also generating approximately 529 local winter jobs.
To get a sense of how Muskokans felt about keeping the trails open, Harding launched a survey asking for their opinions. The survey received more than 6,100 responses in support of keeping the trails open, while only 20 people preferred the trails closed.
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Ontario’s Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry, Graydon Smith, also weighed in on the issue. “As someone who grew up in Muskoka riding those trails often, and as someone whose parents’ small business benefited from the economic benefits that snowmobiling provides our area, I’m hopeful that district council will be able to support a direction that allows the continuation of an activity that helps define us as Muskokans,” he said in a statement.
The district council took all of this into consideration during the December 16 meeting. Harding was also at this meeting and urged the council to decide quickly. “Snowmobile clubs across the district are not allowed to take groomers on trails without a signed MOU, and it takes a number of weeks to prepare the trails for use. Regrettably, we have already missed the early riding opportunities that our record snowfalls have provided, and without permission today, should this be deferred till the new year—conservatively trails will not open till February at the earliest.”
After contemplating the MOU during a closed session, council instructed district staff to sign the agreement with the OFSC as soon as possible.
The district signed the MOU on December 20, with the Muskoka Lakes Snow Trails Association announcing that all snowmobile trails would be open for the 2025 season.
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