Event season in Squamish is in full swing despite the contentious trail user fee in effect, but one event organizer is refusing to pay because he said the fee hasn't been equally applied to all events.
"It's not like I'm trying to avoid paying anything but this isn't really fair," said Sea to Sky Mountain Bike Trail Challenge organizer Robbin McKinney.
Although he wasn't keen on the concept of the trail user fee, he said he was willing to pay until he asked around to find out who had paid and several event organizers said they hadn't.
After receiving the trail user fee invoice after his 2010 event, he decided to file a Freedom of Information (FOI) request.
"The FOI indicated that one company, MOMAR, was invoiced and paid the $5 per entrant fee. The following groups have been invoiced but have not yet paid: Sea to Sky Trail Challenge, BC Bike Race and Gearjammer," he said.
"What about the triathlon, the marathon, GranFondo every event that uses trails or roads you'd think would be covered?"
McKinney said he felt particularly targeted because the largest local event by far, Test of Metal, wasn't invoiced for the trail user fee and the fee was their idea.
"This fee was the idea of the Test of Metal," he said. "It's particularly aimed at outside user groups who come into Squamish and this is a way to make sure they pay for the trail use."
Test of Metal organizer Cliff Miller said McKinney was right to some extent - the trail user fee was a way to make events pay for their trail use, but it wasn't only geared at outside groups.
He said the only reason Test of Metal wasn't invoiced directly in 2010 was because the race had actually been administering the $5 per rider fee since 2008, and using the money to contract a local trail builder to do maintenance on the course.
"In 2010, because the fee was just coming in, I talked to Todd Pope and we just direct awarded it again to a local trail builder," he said.
"So even though we didn't pay the district the $5 fee, the $5000 went back into trails maintenance. This year, I just received the invoice today and we'll be paying the amount to the district."
However, McKinney doesn't feel that's fair because he's contributed money to the Sea to Sky Trail Project for the past three years. Project manager Gordon McKeever confirmed that McKinney has donated $500 annually.
This is the 16th annual two-day mountain bike ride from D'Arcy to Squamish and McKinney said he's donated money every year to different trail building societies and individuals.
Miller pointed out that a $500 donation from a 200-rider event only equates to a $2.50 trail user fee per entrant, but he's not averse to exploring other maintenance in lieu options.
"As long as there's a mechanism in place to ensure something goes back into the trails, something tangible," he said. "Maintenance is the easiest one but with the out of town events, it's tough to keep people accountable for the maintenance which is why the $5 flat fee seems like an easy solution."
The trail user fee bylaw came into effect in February 2010 and community services general manager Cameron Chalmers said all event organizers were aware of the fee.
Staff are working on an event strategy report and have not ruled out subbing work in lieu for the trail user fee, but council will make the final decision when the report is presented in the upcoming months.
"We anticipate being in council shortly with a report looking at event strategy and how these types of fees or working in lieu fit in with that overall event strategy," he said.
"We're trying to balance the benefit that for-profit events in particular are having with the need to make sure the community's trail network that's built by volunteers is protected, enhanced and maintained at an appropriate level."
Nonetheless, the last result the district wants is to drive events away because of fees or red tape.
"Events are an absolutely essential part of our economic vitality and our growth in the community," he said.
"We need to make sure that events have a clear, concise and predictable permitting process."
