Longtime friend of NOHVCC, ex officio NOHVCC Board Member and Canadian Quad Council General Manager, Wayne Daub alerted us of the exciting news of a new partnership between QuadNB and Maine ATV and forwarded us the below release. Wayne said, “I would like to congratulate both the Maine ATV Association and the New Brunswick ATV Federation on this first ever international trail pass reciprocation agreement, and I am looking forward to this potentially opening the door for other Provinces and States to follow suit.”
Find out more by reading the release from QuadNB:
FREDERICTON, NEW-BRUNSWICK – A first-ever Canada-US reciprocal Quad agreement has just been signed between ATV Maine and QuadNB to allow quad operators from Maine and New Brunswick, after approval by both Canadian and American governments, to travel the 19,200 km of trail network on both sides of the border without having to purchase a trail permit.
New Brunswick and Maine are the first Canadian province and US state to have an ATV reciprocal agreement. Both New Brunswick and Maine will be great destinations for operators to travel the trails, enjoy the outdoors with their families and visit the many tourist attractions both countries have to offer. Economic impact studies report this safe outdoor sport currently contributes $1.3 billion to the economy. This agreement will benefit 83,000 quads of the State of Maine and the actual 61,000 licensed quads operating in New Brunswick. With access to the 19,000 km. trail network, it is expected there will be an increase in new members and more ATV clubs will be requested to link their trails into the communities in the region to boost their local economy.
This agreement complements the $5 million investment QuadNB and its volunteer members invested in 2022 in the trail system. In recent years the ATV sport has grown rapidly with both business and tourism being a major beneficiary. The list of development projects is far from over and continues to grow. In Woodstock, N.B. the community has requested a missing span on a former CPR rail bed crossing the St. John River be replaced for the safety of all users and to link the town to the provincial trail system. Currently under construction is a multi-million-dollar international bridge linking Edmundston, N.B. with Madawaska, Maine that will require a trail link. The Government of New Brunswick created trail head locations around the province for all user groups on the trail system and more will be required at strategic locations along the border supporting this agreement. New Brunswick and Maine ATV clubs and their volunteer members are very active in developing trails and this agreement will be a tremendous motivator to grow this sport in partnership with their community.
‘’This agreement shows QuadNB’s seriousness in its vision to increase the growth of this sport.” states Eymard Savoie, President of QuadNB. “Our government is taking QuadNB seriously like never before. We have proven our economic impact. More and more municipalities are proactive in granting access to their streets. We promised them this sport would largely benefit their businesses and this agreement with Maine will definitely be a spark for municipalities to plan and support their local and regional economy.”
ATV Maine president John Raymond indicated, “We are looking forward to working with QuadNB that will result in a season ATV crossing for both countries and our Quad members. We will now both start the process of educating our operators on the laws and guidelines that must be followed to ensure the success of this initiative.”
The provincial and state governments will review the agreement and any legislative violations identified will be addressed to ensure the safety of all operators accessing the trail network.
The agreement requires all operators and owners to abide by the respective laws, rules and regulations required with Maine and New Brunswick to operate on the managed and approved trails as required in the N.B. Off-Road Vehicle Act and the Motorized Vehicle Act and the State of Maine Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Laws and Rules: ATV Operation.
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Media contacts
Jacques Poirier, General Manager, QuadNB 1-506-472-5130
Eymard Savoie, President, QuadNB, 1-506-472-5130
John Raymond, President, ATV Maine, 1-207-447-1818
