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MOTONEIGE ET QUAD POUR UN AVENIR MEILLEUR
La semaine dernière à Québec, plus de 30 mémoires ont été déposés par divers organismes dans le cadre du document d’orientation sur les véhicules hors route présenté par la Ministre déléguée aux Transports madame Julie Boulet. Les deux Fédérations étaient représenté, entre autre, par leurs directeurs généraux soit, la FQCQ pour le quad Danny Gagnon et la FCMQ pour la motoneige par Raymond Lefebvre, qui ont unanimement donné leur appui conditionnel aux mesures retenues par la Ministre dans son document d’orientation. Il faut retenir que l’objectif de la régionalisation est de créer un squelette de sentiers qui assurera la pérennité des liens interrégionaux. Ces liens sont actuellement précaires et la fermeture impromptue d’un de ces sentiers risque à tout moment de compromettre la venue, dans de nombreuses municipalités du Québec, de la clientèle touristique en VHR entraînant de lourdes pertes en retombées économiques.

16 ANS MINIMUM POUR CONDUIRE UNE MOTONEIGE OU UN QUAD
Selon plusieurs intervenants, il est important de conserver le droit de conduire un VHR pour les jeunes de 14 et 15 ans, il s’agirait de la meilleure façon de les sensibiliser au respect de la propriété privée et au respect des sentiers. Pour sa part, afin d’augmenter la sécurité la FQCQ demande de rendre aussi obligatoire la formation de conducteurs de VHR aux 16 et 17 ans. Mentionnons en terminant, que l’industrie des véhicules hors route emploie plusieurs milliers de personnes et suscite des retombées économiques de 1 milliard 300 millions$ par année. Le Québec compte environ 50,000 km de sentiers accessibles aux véhicules hors route. À suivre au www.assnat.qc.ca
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QUEBEC CITY, March 7 /CNW Telbec/; Attention News/Sports Editors: The Quebec Federation of Snowmobile Clubs (FCMQ) Conditionally Supports the Reform Proposed by the Minister of Transportation - On the occasion of its testimonial before the parliamentary commission on off-road vehicles, the FCMQ would like to congratulate the Delegate Minister of Transportation, Ms. Julie Boulet, who retained the main recommendations made by the FCMQ during its consultation tour in 2005. "However, we are offering conditional support for this first step, which will require further steps," declared the General Manager of the FCMQ, Raymond Lefebvre.
Among the measures retained by the Minister in the scoping document, note the protection and continuity of snowmobile trails, the implementation of regional Issues Tables, including a provincial consultation committee and the commitment of an appointed resource in each region for coordination of permanent development work on the network. Finally, note the financial contribution promised by the government, the creation of a special volunteer surveillance squad as well as many measures concerning rules of conduct, respect for the environment, and peace and quiet for citizens in a sustainable development perspective. read the rest of the news article here

MOTONEIGE : POUR JACQUES VILLENEUVE; DE LANAUDIÈRE DES VICTOIRES SPECTACULAIRES; À 52 ans, l’âge ne semble pas vouloir ralentir le vétéran Jacques Villeneuve de Saint-Cuthbert dès le premier week-end de compétition dans la série Eastern Pro Tour/DL Performance à Shawinigan, le samedi un déraillement de la chenille de sa motoneige Jacques n’a peu terminé la journée mais dimanche il a tout gagné les qualifications et en finale, il était si vite que tous les autres compétiteurs sont restés loin derrière. Le week-end suivant au Grand Prix Ski-Doo de Valcourt au dire de P.J. Wandershier (22 ans) qui a déjà remporté 3 fois le championnat du monde mentionnait qu’il n’était pas de taille, de toute la fin de semaine Jacques n’a pas été battu une seule fois, et en finale il est parti premier pour la gloire en gardant la tête pendant les 15 tours alors que tous les spectateurs étaient debout, Jacques a terminé avec au moins un demi-tour de piste devant les autres. Après la course sur l’ordinateur de son Ski-Doo les donnés indiquaient que à quelques reprises il avait roulé 105 milles à l’heure. LE PRINCIPE DE SUSPENSION MXZ; LE CHASIS REV ;Une des raisons du succès de Jacques est le coup de main des ingénieurs de chez Ski-Doo et l’expérience de conduite de ce Villeneuve, à Eganville en Ontario Jacques a tout remporté encore une fois et selon Marcel Fontaine le PDG de Super Compétition motorisée cette légende du monde de la motoneige sera à nouveau le Champion du Monde en 2006. For more visit www. Bobpetit.ca
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March 01, 2006 Wanted: good reason to award metro deal without tenders PETER HADEKEL, The Gazette; Quebec Liberal cabinet minister Claude Bechard had his own ideas about promoting economic development.They included the controversial notion that Bombardier should get a contract without tender from the Societe de transport de Montreal to supply $1.3 billion worth of new subway cars to the metro system.It's a strange idea at a time when taxpayers are demanding more transparency in the way their money is spent. In the post-Gomery era, you'd think politicians would be more careful about appearances.Now Bechard, whose riding happens to be home to Bombardier's rail plant in La Pocatiere, has been shuffled out of his job as economic development minister and replaced by newly elected Outremont MNA Raymond Bachand. read the whole news story here...

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Feb 25 2006; Snow-frolics in the Laurentians of Québec; The exceptional snow conditions in the Laurentians are just perfect for your favourite winter sports. All mountains, hills and trails are covered with a thick white powder and all 14 ski centres are in full operation. The network of snowmobile trails’ deep layers of snow make them completely secure thus allowing everyone to safely discover the vast and wonderful countryside. Cross country and snowshoeing trails are more inviting than ever. Skating, tube sliding and dogsledding are other accessible and enjoyable sports for the young and old. more on snowmobiling in Quebec ...

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WEEKENDS; ICY ROOMS, ICE HOTEL IN QUEBEC; SPIRITS AND SAUNAS;PATRICK MULLIN ;Weekend chill-out;Lac St. Joseph, Que. The only ice Canadians used to want on a winter vacation were cubes floating in a beach cocktail. Over the past few years, however, Quebec's Ice Hotel has slowly thawed our relations with Old Man Winter. To attract Toronto visitors already in the area for a ski holiday, the hotel, pictured above, is offering a special rate for Sunday and Monday stays this year. The package includes a one-night sleepover in a chilled -5 C room (with a Hudson's Bay blanket to keep warm), drinks at the ice bar, access to a hot tub under the stars and a night at the Station Touristique Duchesnay, a nearby resort. Cost: $299 (double occupancy). more of this news story here...

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Canada Racing News; Saturday, February 18, 2006; Turcotte wins Grand Prix Ski-Doo de Valcourt semi-pro stock final as Malinoski nets top qualifying spot for Pro Stock Snocross race; VALCOURT, Quebec -- Brett Turcotte beat out teammate Willie Elam to win Saturday’s WPSA PowerSports Snowmobile Tour Semi-Pro Stock race, part of the Grand Prix Ski-Doo de Valcourt at Circuit Yvon Duhamel. Though Elam (No. 130 Blair Morgan Racing Team/Ski-Doo) grabbed the holeshot at the start, Turcotte (No. 196 Blair Morgan Racing Team/Ski-Doo) tracked him down going into the second turn. Taking the inside line, Turcotte took the point and then held off the charging Elam to secure the victory.

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Sunday, February 19, 2006; 'Superman' Morgan sweeps Grand Prix De Valcourt snocross; by Justin Anderson; VALCOURT, Quebec -- Blair Morgan said last week at Park X of Quadna he was out to be the spoiler this weekend. A spoiler he was as the man they call “Superman” won both ends of the professional classes during Sunday’s WPSA PowerSports Snowmobile Tour Grand Prix Ski-Doo de Valcourt Snocross race.

Morgan (No. 7c Blair Morgan Racing Team/Ski-Doo) returned to Valcourt after breaking his leg here last year; an injury that took him out for the season, at a time when he was comfortably in the lead in both the Pro Open and Pro Stock points. Morgan’s return to French Canada was made with an exclamation point as he was simply dominant here this weekend, as he ran away with both the Pro Stock and Pro Open finals. Morgan took the lead with a holeshot at the beginning of the Pro Open final and wasn’t seriously challenged from there. Ross Martin (No. 837 Judnick Motorsports-Dupont/Polaris) finished second, ahead of local favorite Dave Allard (No. 167 Blair Morgan Racing Team/Ski-Doo). full news story here...

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Grand Prix Ski-Doo de Valcourt still on despite blustery weather; WhoWon.com - Lincoln, NE, USA; VALCOURT, Quebec -- Though recent weather has featured heavy winds and cold temperatures in the Valcourt area, this weekend's PowerSports Snowmobile Tour ...

Bombardier said Jan. 31 it was shelving the C Series because it failed to sign up any airlines. The Montreal-based company expects to spend another $20 million on the plane this fiscal year to devise a plan that may include outside partners and will review the project's status within a year.

Abandoning the C Series would leave Bombardier out of the growing market for larger aircraft as demand shrinks for 50- to 90-seat planes. Sales of regional planes fell 26 percent last year, the second straight drop, the company said today. Bigger competitors Airbus SAS and Boeing Co. had record orders in 2005, led by their A320 and 737 jets, potential rivals to the C Series.

``We are taking a step back, but we continue to invest money (in the C Series) because we think we have the right solution,'' Beaudoin said in an interview yesterday in his office overlooking the runways at Montreal's Trudeau International Airport. ``We have every intention of coming back.''

Should it see the light of day, the C Series would also compete with the Embraer 195 model of Brazil's Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica SA, the fourth-biggest commercial-plane maker.

Beaudoin has said he wants to book firm orders for 50 to 100 aircraft before officially deciding to build the C Series, originally intended for first delivery in 2010. About 1,000 of the planes would have to be sold to make a profit, he has said.

`Huge Need'

``You have to understand we are drafting a business plan for the next 20 years,'' he said yesterday. ``One year over a 20-year period isn't the end of the world. I'm enthusiastic about the opportunities we have to reach a conclusion that will allow us to proceed, but it's my role to be enthusiastic.''

Beaudoin, 43, is the son of Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Laurent Beaudoin, who in two decades transformed Bombardier from a small Quebec snowmobile maker into an aircraft maker and the world's top train manufacturer. Bombardier remains controlled by the family of late founder Joseph-Armand Bombardier, whose daughter Laurent Beaudoin married.

The future of potential U.S. customers such as Northwest will be ``important'' in determining the C Series' fate, Beaudoin said. Northwest, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in September, was one of several airlines Bombardier approached to sell C Series aircraft, he said last month.

Regional-Plane Slump

``The reality is the C Series is still too much of a gamble right now,'' said Joe D'Angelo, who oversees aerospace investments at CI Investments Inc. in Toronto. ``For now it's hard to have conviction that a U.S. major is committed to that program when they are in bankruptcy.''

D'Angelo, who expects Bombardier to revive the C Series in a year, said he's hesitant to buy Bombardier stock ``because it's hard to know when we've reached bottom'' in sales of regional jets. Bombardier said today it sold 149 such planes last year, down from 200 a year earlier.

Still, Beaudoin says U.S. carriers aren't the only key to the C Series proceeding.

``What I like about the C Series is that it's a plane that allows us to play globally because it can fly 3,000 nautical miles and is competitive on a cost-per-seat basis,'' he said. ``We can enter China, we can access markets like India or Russia. There is a huge need for this plane.''

Sharing Production

To win orders and sign up local partners, Beaudoin said the company would consider fabricating parts of the plane in countries such as China.

``We're open to all sorts of ideas,'' he said. ``We have had discussions with the Chinese about building some components there. We have said we would do the final assembly in Montreal, but we have never said we would build all the components here. To be competitive as an aircraft manufacturer, you have to be a global player.''

In the meantime, Bombardier will keep cutting costs to counter a 32 percent rise in the Canadian currency over the past three years, Beaudoin said. Embraer's labor costs represent 10 percent to 15 percent of Bombardier's, J.P. Morgan Securities Inc. analyst Joseph Nadol wrote in a January report.

Bombardier in October unveiled plans to build a factory in Mexico and produce aircraft components that are now being made in Canada. It also is shifting about 200 office jobs to India from Canada by the end of the current fiscal year, Beaudoin said.

``We have a 30 percent headwind, and we have to adjust,'' Beaudoin said. ``We have to keep questioning ourselves'' about ways to cut costs, he said, declining to be more specific.

Labor Costs

Since February 2004, Bombardier has announced about 3,000 job cuts at its regional aircraft business. The aerospace unit now has about 26,000 employees, with half working on commercial aircraft and half on business jets, Beaudoin said.

Bombardier isn't necessarily planning to transfer jobs to lower-cost countries such as India, Beaudoin said. It could try to negotiate new labor deals with Canadian employees, he said.

``Is this a shifting of the jobs or an adjustment of the working conditions in Canada? This is what we are discussing with our employees,'' he said. ``We have to be realistic. In Canada, we have given ourselves working conditions that make us less competitive compared with the Americans. Look at things like health benefits and holidays. Conditions here are more expensive.''

To contact the reporter on this story:
Frederic Tomesco in Montreal at tomesco@bloomberg.net.
Last Updated: February 14, 2006 11:58 EST

News Story : 3 Snowmobiling accidents claim 3 lives in Quebec wilderness Canadian Press
Published: Saturday, January 28, 2006

* * * * MONTREAL (CP) - Three men have died in separate snowmobiling accidents in Quebec.

A head-on collision between two snowmobiles claimed the life of a 56-year-old man Saturday north of the city of La Turque, in the northeastern Mauricie region.

He lost control of the machine and died in hospital. The driver of the other snowmobile suffered leg injuries.

On Friday night, a 61-year-old man was killed on Lake Kipawa, in Temiscamingue, near the Ontario boundary. He was snowmobiling off-trail and hit a tree.

A 26-year-old man was also killed the same night in Pont-Rouge, in the Portneauf area near Quebec City.

He was leading three snowmobiles on a trail when he lost control of the vehicle and hit a tree. Police suspect alcohol was a factor in the crash.

© The Canadian Press 2006

Updated Wed. Jan. 25 2006 11:32 PM ET

CTV.ca News Staff

February is the busiest month of the year for snowmobiling injuries, and young men who drink too much are the most likely to suffer, according to a new study.

Statistics released Wednesday by the Canadian Institute for Health Information show that snowmobile-related injuries reach their peak in the month of February, and are twice as common as those from snowboarding or skiing.

In 2003-2004, there were 788 people admitted to hospitals for snowmobile-related injuries. Thirty-four per cent of those occurred in February, followed by 23 per cent in January.

And snowmobiling accounted for 41 per cent of all winter sports-related visits to Canadian specialized trauma units in 2003-2004.

The study also found that alcohol was involved in almost half of the incidents where blood/alcohol level was recorded, a statistic that has doubled in the past three years.

The report's author, Margaret Keresteci, says the numbers show that young men who drink and drive in the evenings are the most at risk, and prevention efforts should be targeted at that demographic.

"Not only can we see when these injuries tend to happen, we can also see what age group is most at risk," Keresteci said in a press release.

The study's findings don't surprise advocates for snowmobiling safety.

"The responsibility for ensuring an incident free snowmobile experience ultimately rests on the shoulders of the individual riders," said Louise Sherren from the Alberta Snowmobiling Association's Sled Safe Program.

"These new numbers simply reinforce the importance of taking every safety precaution possible when participating in winter sports."

The study found snowmobile users between the ages of 15 and 19 were the most frequent visitors to Ontario emergency departments, and had the worst injuries. Most were male (80 per cent) and had more than one injury.

In a jump of almost 100 per cent from two years earlier, half of snowmobile-related severe trauma unit admissions in 2003-2004 involved alcohol consumption. Almost all of those were drivers of the vehicle.

Drinkers tended to stay in the hospital three times longer than sober riders.

The researchers also found drivers and passengers generally face different types of injuries.

While drivers often experience crushed legs and spinal afflictions, passengers -- who are often thrown from the vehicle -- were more likely to suffer orthopedic and head trauma.

Riders travelling between dusk and darkness made up 26 per cent of incidents, and most occurred on a Friday or Saturday.

Comprehensive data from Quebec and Manitoba was not available, and emergency-department snowmobiling statistics were only available in Ontario, where an average of 16 snowmobiling patients are admitted each daily of the winter.

In Ontario so far this season, snowmobile accidents have resulted in 13 fatalities.

Winter sports-caused injuries seen by specialized trauma units in 2003-2004:

Snowmobiling: 41 per cent
Snowboarding: 20 per cent
Skiing: 20 per cent
Hockey: 9 per cent
Tobogganing: 7 per cent
Ice skating: 3 per cent