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By: Robert Janis
New Brunswick ATV
Federation Lobbies Provincial Government On
Behalf of Local Clubs
Jacques Poirier, general manager of the New
Brunswick All-Terrain Vehicle Federation
(NBATVF), pronounces it emphatically. “If there
were no local clubs, there would be no New
Brunswick ATV Federation.”
Incorporated on December 10, 1998, the purpose
of the NBATVF is to be the representative to the
provincial government for local ATV clubs in New
Brunswick. It has been that way since its
inception.
“At the time of the creation of NBATVF there
were 20 local clubs in the province,” explained
Poirier. “They wanted to develop a trail system
but the government needed one group or entity to
deal with so the federation was founded.” To
this day NBATVF is cooperating with the
provincial government on trail system
development as well as other concerns of
importance to ATVers in New Brunswick.
According to Poirier, the mission of the
organization is to represent the interests of
ATVers throughout the province, to save riding
opportunities, to help local clubs establish
trails, and to promote the trails to tourists in
and out of New Brunswick.
Cooperative Relationship with Government
As noted, the sole purpose of the federation is
to promote the agenda of ATV riders to the
government of New Brunswick. So, a lot of
lobbying is involved. But before the group
lobbies on an issue, it takes time to decide
what issue it will focus on. For example, the
first issue of concern to the federation was the
strength of the local clubs. So, it worked hard
to develop viable clubs in the province. Next,
it wanted to develop a trail system. So, it
developed a strategy to lobby the provincial
government to achieve that goal.
First, it got the government to pass legislation
that would finance a trust fund that can be used
to pay for the development of trails. The trust
fund now exists and is funded by a portion of
the ATV registration fee. “Previously, the fee
to register an ATV in the province was $16. The
law raised it to $41, and $25 goes into the
trust fund,” said Poirier. The federation
applies for funds from the trust fund to pay for
trail development.
Another concern was safety. So, the federation
lobbied the government for legislation that
assured that riders of ATVs in a certain age
group have to take an ATV safety course in order
to have the privilege of riding an ATV.
Trying to get the government to be a funding
partner in the development and maintenance of
trails was another concern that the federation
was able to successfully tackle. The federation
is currently working on such issues as how the
government can get more involved in insuring the
trails, allowing off-road vehicles access to
trails using designated roads, and coming up
with a way for the government and the federation
to share the cost of trail maintenance and
construction.
“The idea is to identify key issues to work on
and then sit at the table with government
representatives to discuss them and come up with
solutions,” said Poirier.
The group lobbies the province’s Departments
of Natural Resources, Public Safety,
Transportation, Justice, and Tourism and Parks.
In addition, Poirier is a member of a number of
committees that have authority over issues that
touch on ATV recreation. This includes the
Off-Road Safety Committee, Trail Management
Trust Fund Committee, Working Group Committee,
Steering Group Committee and The Technical
Committee for Trail Applications.
The federation works with local governments by
promoting the positive elements of ATV
recreation. It also works closely with law
enforcement to weed out and eliminate those
riders who present a negative front of the
sport.
Works with Outside Groups and National
Organizations
The New Brunswick ATV Federation is a member of
the All-Terrain Quad Council of Canada (AQCC), a
federation of provincial organizations like the
NBATVF. Created in 2007, the AQCC includes an
associated federation in each of the 10
provinces of Canada. The provincial federations
work with each other to share information on how
to work on issues in their different provinces.
“We all work together to share solutions, and we
work in general ways to better the sport and
safety of ATV recreation,” said Poirier.
The NBATVF also works with the New Brunswick
Snowmobile Federation and non-motorized groups
like horseback riders as well as the ATV
manufacturers’ Association and environmental
groups. For example, it has a representative on
the Provincial Protected Natural Areas Advisory
Committee. It also deals with groups that are
outside of New Brunswick. For example, Poirier
is a member of the National Off-Highway Vehicle
Conservation Council (NOHVCC).
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