Provincial Bill 36, which passed in December, takes effect May 15, requiring an approved helmet for anyone “driving, operating, riding in or on, or being towed by” an off-highway vehicle, and sets out fines for violations.

For the purpose of the new rules, an “off-highway vehicle” is any motorized vehicle built for cross-country travel on land, water, snow, ice, marshes or “other natural terrain.”

Thus, the law covers use of all-terrain vehicles, snowmobiles, motorcycles, dirt bikes, utility terrain vehicles and amphibious vehicles, among others.

The bill defines “public land” as Crown land or other land which isn’t privately owned. That includes any areas designated for public off-highway vehicle use, as well as any public roadways and highway rights-of-way.

Bill 36 also sets fines of $155 for not wearing a helmet, and fines of $93 for wearing a helmet that isn’t CSA-compliant or is damaged or improperly modified. Those are the same fines already in place for on-road violations involving motorcycle riders, the province noted.

The law doesn’t require helmets for those using off-highway vehicles on their own property, on other private property with the owner’s permission, or on First Nations reserve or Metis settlement lands (except those with laws requiring it).

The province said the helmet rule doesn’t apply in the performance of “farming or ranching operations exempt from Alberta’s occupational health and safety laws.”

Those who have documented exemptions from Alberta Transportation, and are following the terms of those exemptions, are also exempt from the new helmet law, as are those who wear turbans as “bona fide” members of the Sikh faith, the province said.

Off-highway vehicles that have manufacturer-installed rollover protective structures (ROPS) and seat belts that are being properly worn are also exempt from the helmet rule.

Vehicles that meet standards for motor vehicles designed for on-road use and have seat belts — for example, unmodified 4×4 trucks, SUVs or jeeps — are also exempt, the province said.

Safety helmets under the new law must meet the same standards required for motorcycle helmets, such as CSA Standard CAN3-D230-M85, among others.

“Albertans told us overwhelmingly that they wanted us to make helmets a requirement for OHV riders, and we responded,” Transportation Minister Brian Mason said Monday in a release. “This will keep riders safe so that OHVs can be enjoyed well into the future.”

Noting head injuries are the “No. 1 risk” to off-highway vehicle riders, Brent Hodgson, president of the Alberta Off-Highway Vehicle Association, said the province has “struck the right balance with this legislation.”

On average, according to the provincial Injury Prevention Centre, about 19 people die each year while operating off-highway vehicles in Alberta.

Out of the 185 deaths of ATV riders in Alberta between 2002 and 2013, the province said, 74 were due to head injuries and almost 80 per cent of those deaths involved people not wearing helmets.

Helmet use is still recommended for all off-highway vehicle users, even if they are exempt, the province said. — AGCanada.com Network

The post Farm, ranch work still exempt from Alberta helmet rule appeared first on Canadian Cattlemen.

UPA members had recently pledged to revoke previously-permitted access to their land for snowmobile trails starting Monday (Feb. 6) in a dispute dating back to last March’s provincial budget.

Laurent Lessard, the province’s new agriculture minister as of Jan. 26, announced Friday he had stopped the planned rollout of reforms to the farm property tax credit program (PCTFA) and would revert it to the program model that was in place up until Dec. 31.

In a statement, Lessard said he was choosing the “economic development of the regions” over the PCTFA reform plan.

The province had announced last March that management of the PCTFA would shift to Revenu Quebec (RQ) starting Jan. 1 this year, with an eye toward simplifying the program and easing eligibility requirements to allow an additional 2,500 farmers to receive PCTFA benefits.

The UPA, however, has argued the changes to the PCTFA formula would lead to an average hike of 38 per cent in farmers’ property tax bills.

Lessard said the province was investing more money in the new PCTFA than under the existing program, but the “variations between certain producers were judged to be unacceptable.”

Discussions last week with UPA representatives showed the two sides were in an “irreconcilable situation,” he said Friday.

Despite calling a halt to the PCTFA reform plan, Lessard said he still wants to work on ways to help smaller-scale producers by creating a new tax credit program in the near future.

UPA president Marcel Groleau, in a separate statement, said the province had made a “good decision” in cancelling the PCTFA reform plan and it was no longer necessary for farmers to revoke access to their land for off-road trails.

However, he said, the province has not yet announced any plans to work with farmers, municipalities and the relevant provincial ministries on a sustainable farm property taxation model.

The UPA has estimated farmland values have seen a “substantial” rise of 800 per cent over the past 20 years, and the assessment model used by municipalities has added to the tax pressure on farmers, Groleau said.

Parti Quebecois ag critic Andre Villeneuve, in a separate statement, agreed the province mustn’t sweep the issue of farmland taxation under the carpet.

Villeneuve said he had warned the Liberal government last April that the planned changes to the PCTFA could leave individual farmers paying thousands more out of pocket. “Why wait until there are real negative impacts on the tourism season to act?”

Denise Grenier, presidente of Quebec’s federation of snowmobile clubs (FCMQ), said in a separate statement Friday her organization was “very satisfied” that the dispute was resolved. — AGCanada.com Network

The post Quebec’s winter trails to remain open as tax reform halted appeared first on Canadian Cattlemen.

L’Union des producteurs agricoles (UPA) said Wednesday it had been planning such a move in late 2016 but on Dec. 20 had asked members to hold off on withdrawing access to their land until Feb. 1.

The UPA, in a release, said it had hoped delaying the move would allow the provincial government to better assess the “negative effects” of proposed reforms to its farm property tax credit program (PCTFA) and work with municipalities, provincial ministries and the UPA on a sustainable solution.

The delay is now over and farmers are asked to withdraw public snowmobiling privileges starting Feb. 6, the UPA said, in the hopes that a firm deadline and a new minister in charge of the agriculture file will help resolve the issue.

The UPA said Thursday it knows “certain producers” have already withdrawn access to their land and respects their decision. “They have been very patient,” the group said.

The group’s move is in response to an announcement last March from the province that management of the PCTFA would shift to Revenu Quebec (RQ) starting Jan. 1 this year.

The province at the time said its goal in shifting the program to RQ jurisdiction was to simplify the program and reduce its eligibility requirements, allowing an additional 2,500 farmers to receive PCTFA benefits.

The UPA forecasts, however, that changes to the PCTFA formula will lead an average hike of 38 per cent in farmers’ property tax bills, on top of increases in property taxes relating to farmland values, which the group said have risen by 800 per cent over the past 20 years.

At the end of December, then-agriculture minister Pierre Paradis appointed tax lawyer and Universite de Sherbrooke professor Luc Godbout to study the impact of PCTFA reform on Quebec farms and report to government by the end of February.

Paradis has since been removed from the provincial Liberal caucus for unrelated reasons and replaced by another former agriculture minister, Laurent Lessard.

The UPA said Thursday it will continue to make its case to the province and understands the recreational tourism industry will be disappointed, but said the issue involves real stakes for family farms and their future.

Quebec’s federation of snowmobile clubs, the Federation des clubs de motoneigistes du Quebec (FCMQ), said it “recognizes the UPA’s right to make demands and act to defend its members’ interests.”

The FCMQ said it also supports the UPA’s demand to delay the implementation of the farmland tax reform, “without, however, being in agreement with the pressure tactic used.”

Snowmobile club administrators will respect farmers’ decisions on withdrawing land use, but “at no time will trail closures be initiated by member clubs,” the FCMQ said.

Closure of snowmobile trails on UPA members’ lands will lead to “significant negative impact” on winter tourism activity, the federation said.

“It is now one minute to midnight,” the FCMQ said, urging the province to “sit down with the UPA and negotiate in good faith in order to reach a mutually acceptable solution.”

The UPA membership previously threatened snowmobile trail closure in December 2010, in a dispute with the province over proposed changes to its ag income stabilization (ASRA) program. — AGCanada.com Network

The post Quebec farmers to shut snowmobile trails in tax dispute appeared first on Canadian Cattlemen.

Providence, R.I.-based Textron Inc. announced Wednesday it has signed an all-cash merger deal to buy NASDAQ-traded Arctic Cat for $18.50 a share, or about $247 million (all figures US$).

Arctic Cat’s stockholders are expected to see tender offers for their shares by Feb. 7 at the latest, the companies said, noting the deal already has unanimous approval from Arctic Cat’s board.

“This transaction presents increased opportunities for the business to leverage our combined scale, accelerate growth and enhance product innovation in ways that will benefit our customers, dealers and employees,” Arctic Cat CEO Christopher Metz said in a release.

The deal calls for Arctic Cat to become part of the Specialized Vehicles business at Textron, an operating arm that already includes the Jacobsen, Cushman and Textron utility vehicle and accessory brands, among others.

The company’s Arctic Cat and Motorfist brands and its manufacturing and distribution sites will be maintained “with a focus on growing the business,” Arctic Cat said, noting it has “complementary” product portfolios with Textron in the recreational, utility and specialized vehicle market.

The merger, the companies said, will allow for “more aggressive investment in product development, dealer networks, marketing and customer service.”

Textron, whose operations outside the utility vehicle sector include Bell Helicopter, Cessna and Beechcraft, among others, recently rolled out a new outdoor recreational vehicle line under the Stampede brand.

Arctic Cat “provides an excellent platform to expand our portfolio, increase our distribution and create growth within our Specialized Vehicles business,” Textron CEO Scott Donnelly said in a separate release. — AGCanada.com Network

The post Textron to buy Arctic Cat appeared first on Canadian Cattlemen.