I got a reply today:On Jul 17, 2014, at 10:57 AM, Ken McClelland wrote:
Hi Calvin, my name is Ken McClelland, I am the President of BCORMA. BCORMA is a Federation of 20+ off-road motorcycle clubs from all corners of the Province including Vancouver Island. These clubs are the Stewards of about 30+ legal trail networks/riding areas. You’ve probably ridden on these managed networks without realizing it, as I’m going to assume, based on the number of mistaken assumptions that you make in your letter, and that you fail to even tell us where you’re from, that you are not a member of any BCORMA-affiliated club. I have also been the President of the Greater Kamloops Motorcycle Association for a number of years (10ish), and was land-use co-ordinator with the GKMA for several years prior to that.
I received a copy of your letter to Peter Sprague regarding ORV Legislation. This is a process that has been in the works since 1971, but more seriously since about 2003, I believe. I have been involved with it since about 2004, maybe earlier. The strong push for ORV legislation came out of concerns expressed by non-motorized groups i.e. BC Cattlemen’s, Nature BC, Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) and the Grasslands Conservation Council (GCC) based here in Kamloops, that there was a lot of irresponsible riding taking place. Riparian areas were being ridden in (mud-bogging), livestock was being chased, fences were being cut, and there was some pretty graphic and embarrassing video footage to go along with the claims. These by-and-large non motorized groups were interested in having some legislative controls, rules and regulations around the use of ORV’s. Truthfully, they probably would have preferred an outright ban on their use on Crown land, however that was not a realistic option. ATV/BC initially, then myself as a member of the off-road motorcycle community, and BC Snowmobile Federation were eventually invited to participate in the discussion. This activity pre-dated BCORMA by several years. As motorized off-roaders, our primary interest was to keep trail networks and access to Crown land open, and demonstrate to non-motorized user-groups that the bulk of off-roaders use responsible riding practices, and that we are working on educating the small percentage of red-neck riders out there that just don’t care about other users, or what anybody else thinks.
Fast forward ten years to 2013-14. ORV legislation is now a reality, however registration is not yet required, likely in 2015. In that time, BCORMA has become a reality, and Executive Director Peter Sprague and myself have actively participated in the provincial Joint Advisory Group (JAG) on ORV Legislation. We were, and are, bound by a confidentiality agreement. Early in the JAG process, ATV/BC’s rep was removed from the JAG because he allegedly sent an email with info he should not have disclosed. Perhaps an overreaction by the government manager in charge of the process, but the rest of us took it as more or less a warning shot across our bow. Better to effect and monitor change from within than be forced to accept the final product after having had no say in the matter.
Peter and I, and indeed all of BCORMA’s individual and club members, have fought hard on rider’s behalf, and made some good strides to change the originally proposed legislation. We haven’t gotten everything we wanted, that is why it is called negotiation, but we view the legislation and proposed safety rules and regulations as pretty palatable and common-sense. Obviously you have bought into the sleazy innuendo floating around on the forums out there, posted by one or two mis-informed conspiracy theorists, that we threw riders under the bus, and that riding as we know it is over, blah blah blah etc. etc. It isn’t. IRRESPONSIBLE riding as we/you know it is. If you ride responsibly, your machine meets a suggested 96dB or less sound requirement, and have regard for other user groups, you have nothing to fear. The registration fee is modest ($48 one-time), the safety regs proposed such as a helmet law, being able to touch the ground with both feet (not flat-foot, toes/balls of feet), and lighting (portable is ok, i.e. helmet light or arm-band light) are just common-sense.
Frankly, I found most of the “facts” in your note were based on misinformation and rumours (if you haven’t heard a good one lately, start one), and your accusations against BCORMA and its leadership, and the implication of a sweetheart deal between us and ICBC offensive. We are recognized by government as the representatives for off-road motorcyclists in the Province, are a democratically elected group elected by our membership, are a registered non-profit with by-laws, a constitution and all that other official stuff, and frankly have nothing to apologize for or dis-ingenuous conduct to defend. I’m actually surprised you “and almost every shop in your area” have never heard of us, because we have certainly never done anything to disguise ourselves. I would encourage you to become a member of an affiliated club, file your Section 56 and 57 applications with government, get your trail networks recognized and legalized, and have an active role in the promotion and preservation of our sport. That is what BCORMA-affiliated clubs have done. We all love to ride, but not everybody loves us, and there are more of them than there are of us, so we need to actively participate in any discussion around over-regulating or banning our sport in all areas of the province. With all due respect, that is exactly what we have been doing.
Sincerely,
Ken McClelland
President
BCORMA
Kamloops BC
