This month the Poker Ride in Merritt remains the major topic of discussion, with less than a month to go, and the number of attendees registered is now 171 people. This is closely followed by the Jamboree & AGM being hosted by the 108 Club in September. Registration for that event is now open, and to date 26 people have signed up to attend.  Don’t forget to get your name in for both of these events.

On a different note, I had the privilege of attending the Outdoor Recreation Council of BC (ORCBC) first ever conference the week of May18, 2026. This conference was to celebrate their 50th anniversary. It was amazing! There were over 300 people in attendance engaged in three days of presentations that covered a wide array of outdoor recreation topics.

There was something for everyone who attended. Our own Executive Director, Kristin Parsons, was one of the presenters along with the other members of the Back Country Power Sports Coalition, of which ATVBC is part of, presenting on the economic benefits of motorised recreation. Their presentation was well received.

One of the other sessions that I sat in on was to do with the subject of waivers. While this is something we all know about, I found there is always something new to learn about them. Here are some of the takeaways that I got:

  • It would seem that in the past 5 years waivers have become far more significant than they were in the past, and the courts are taking quite an interest in enforcing
  • While we ask members to sign the waiver when they join or renew their memberships, it is always a good idea to have a waiver for each event that a club Sort of double protection.
  • The question of how long is a particular waiver good for, and the answer was that for one signed at an event, it is only applicable for that event, but when it comes to the waiver that everyone signs on joining or renewal, then signing one every year is the ideal, but no more than two The primary reason for this is because circumstances change rapidly these days, so current waivers are important.

The other question that came up was how long should signed waivers be kept. The short answer was forever!! A couple of years ago ATVBC did advise the clubs that when they had signed waivers, they send them to ATVBC and we would keep them on file for the clubs. So just a reminder, if you are not sending them in to ATVBC

Other things of note with ATVBC:

  • Public Land Use Society (PLUS) and Quad Riders ATV Association of British Columbia (ATVBC) have aligned on a shared principle affirming the importance of responsible public access to Crown land, and the need for transparent, accountable land-use decision-making in British
  • The Land and Advocacy committee continues to work on many things including deactivations throughout the province, community ORV access, improved public perception and awareness of the positive economic, social, and recreational impact of off-road recreation, and Enhanced Trail Access and
  • The tradeshow season is over and ATVBC gained 99 new members as a result of the four shows that we attended. Great news!!

Well, that’s it for this month. Hopefully we will see many of you at the Poker Ride.

Respectfully submitted

Chris DSilva