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The Rural Voice, 2001-12, Page 28Season's Greetings Wishing you a joyous and healthy holiday season and best wishes for the new year. Helen Johns, M.P.P. Huron -Bruce Constituency Office:1-800-668-9320 or (519) 524-2979 e-mail: helen.johns@odyssey.on.ca Best wishes for a safe and happy holiday season. AGENTS: Lloyd Walkom 348-8050 Keith Patterson 348-8391 Steve Riehl 393-6708 Lynda Vincent 527-2204 1-888-269-0377 . /6///lll/ .:Z)(/P////r,- (6wvia.?y Robert Ready 393-6965 R. Allan Fuller 271-6176 P.O. Box 10, Sebringville, Ont. NOK 1X0 (519) 393-6402 1-800-263-1961 Serving the community for over 100 years. LUCK/NOW EQUIPMENT Built to Last SNOWBLOWERS Feed Mixer Wagons Vertical Mixers Grain Buggies Season's Best Wishes HELM WELDING LIMITED LUCKNOW, ONTARIO, CANADA PHONE 519-529-7627 24 THE RURAL VOICE Nicholson does agree that the speed limits on the trail are not in sync with today. "Those limits were set years ago when the maximum a machine could go was 50 km an hour," he says, with a slight chuckle. "There is no indication of that changing with Bill 101." It is certainly an area some believe to be still coloured a shade of grey. Enforcement in the past, Nicholson said, has been similar to how highways have been enforced. Riders are given a little leeway above the posted limit. However, unlike highways, there is difficulty in determining what the right speed should be. "The argument is that 50 km per hour is too slow, but no one has an answer about what is right. A lot of places on the trails 50 is too f fast, but there are many places where 80 is safe." The problem is the system's diversity. "This is not like driving the 401 where you (can) drive consistently the whole way. This is an off-road activity with _twists and turns, tight corners in some places then wide open fields. All of that factors into the whole equation." Another part of the equation for OFSC has been protection of the OFSC 's trail liability insurance increased 600 per cent landowners, a facet which led them to increasing permit fees, despite having agreed to maintain the same fee structure this year as in 1999. Nicholson explained that in September OFSC negotiated for trail liability insurance, which covers not just the clubs and volunteers, but the landowners. Information was received that there was only one company offering this coverage and the increase would be 883 per cent. Nicholson blamed several things for the increase: the mergers and acquisitions in the insurance business reducing competition, the companies re -assessing their risk factor in the wake of the September 11 terrorist attack in the United States, but also the fact that too many frivolous claims are being filed by snowmobilers.