Skip to content
  1. Home
  2. Local News

Snowmobilers are big spenders locally says new report

The North Bay area is District 11, and the report shows that snowmobilers using the local trails last year spent $151,470,375
BayToday Staff

A new study released by the Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs (OFSC) gives an insight into how much of an impact the sport has on the economy.

Named “The Economic Impact of Snowmobile Trails in Ontario”, it uses data from last winter.

It shows that the provincial network of over 30,000 kilometres of OFSC trails is Ontario’s most valuable recreational trail network and a key pillar of the winter tourism economy, according to a release.

The North Bay area is District 11, and the report shows that snowmobilers using the trails last year spent $151,470,375.

The report breaks it down this way:

  • Travel Service $8,149,331
  • Private Transportation - Rental $33,933
  • Private Transportation- Operation $116,822,338
  • Accommodation $2,752,625
  • Food and Beverage- At Stores $1,019,348
  • Food and Beverage- At Restaurants $3,260,293
  • Recreation and Entertainment $126,015
  • Retail- Clothing $9,684,389
  • Retail- Other $9,622,105 Total

The OFSC is a volunteer-led, not-for-profit association with 181 member organizations that manage snowmobile trails,

The study found that expenditures by snowmobilers riding OFSC snowmobile trails increased to $1.48 billion, up from $843 million in 2019. In turn, these 2022-2023 expenditures resulted in an estimated $3 billion of snowmobiling-related economic activity for Ontario and directly supported 9,307 full-time jobs, while generating $538 million in taxes across three levels of government, including $41 million in municipal taxes.

The report says despite low snow conditions in some locations last winter, the $3 billion of economic activity is almost double that reported in two previous studies: $1.6 billion in 2019 and $1.7 billion in 2014. Therefore, the new study estimates that OFSC snowmobile trails have the potential to generate a total annual economic impact of between $3 billion and $6 billion in any given season, dependent on factors such as weather.

For the first time, the study also assessed the total monetary value that OFSC snowmobile club volunteers contribute to Ontario’s economy as more than $16.4 million annually.

“This study reaffirms our position that Ontario’s winter tourism economy runs on snowmobiling,” said Ryan Eickmeier, OFSC CEO. “The economic impact of our snowmobile trails is especially important to rural and northern Ontario, and the contributions our volunteers make each and every year is truly remarkable.”

A copy of the new report can be found here: 2022-2023 Economic Impact Study