At the height of snowmobiling season, Quebec's farmers say they'll begin blocking trails as of tomorrow because of a dispute over taxes on their land.
Well over a third of Quebec's 33,000 kilometres of snowmobiling trails are on farmland and other plots of private property.
The Quebec Farmers Union decided to go ahead with the protest even though the Agriculture Ministry changed hands last week when minister Pierre Paradis was sidelines by a sexual misconduct investigation. He has been replaced by Laurent Lessard, who appeared to have a less contentious relationship with farmers when he handled the Agriculture portfolio in previous Liberal governments.
The farmers are angry about a reform of the tax credit for agricultural land.
The Quebec Federation of Snowmobile Clubs is not pleased with the protest, especially since its members won't know where or when the blockades will pop up.
The only sure bet for snowmobile enthusiasts is the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region, where farmers have opted not to participate in trail blockades.