For the past number of years, the Guelph Cycling Club board of directors have been working to reduce the escalation of external fees on its membership.
After much investigation and deliberation, changes have been made that no longer require our non-racing members (more than three quarters of the club) to pay an affiliation fee to Ontario Cycling (formerly the OCA). This work and decision were undertaken with the best interest of the greater membership in mind. It is worth noting that Ontario Cycling will not accept GCC affiliation without full membership affiliation. We believe this may change in the near future.
As a board of directors, we are guided by principles set forth by both the Canada & Ontario Not-for-Profit Corporations Acts. They require that Boards of Directors act and make decisions in the best interest of their members.
Guelph Cycling Club board members have attended seminars by Ontario Cycling and asked its representatives about the benefits it provides our non-racing members. Based on available information, we conclude the only component of affiliation beneficial to our non-racing members is the insurance.
It should be noted that Ontario Cycling is not an insurance provider. They arrange insurance for their affiliate members through a company called Gallaghers. A breakdown of fees had been requested, but none received.
After comparing fees from other sports organization insurers in Canada, the Gallaghers insurance component is estimated to be slightly more than one third of the OC member affiliation fee. The remaining portion of the fee funds the salaries, overhead, events and operations of Ontario Cycling. Consequently, it is estimated that GCC non-racing members were paying approximately thirty-three dollars each to Ontario Cycling above the cost of insurance, for which they received little or no benefit.
We have since secured a company that provides insurance to other cycling clubs in Ontario (more than 250 cycling clubs across Canada). Discussions with several Ontario clubs were undertaken to gauge their satisfaction with the company. Contact was also made with the new insurance provider directly – this was never afforded to us in the previous relationship.
A key character difference with this new insurer is 365-day coverage, which was not the case with Ontario Cycling.
This new arrangement in no way hampers, nor limits our club’s racers and race license holders (or any club member) from gaining access to, and becoming members of, Ontario Cycling. Provincial and UCI race licenses can be obtained through all the usual procedures and channels, including during the sign-up process for GCC memberships.
There are additional operational benefits to not being affiliated with Ontario Cycling that free up significant time and resources at the volunteer and administrative levels. This results in greater flexibility with scheduling. It also allows us to keep costs under control and keep the club fees working for our members as locally and efficiently as possible.
These changes result in a new fee structure where the majority of our club members will see a decrease in their annual fee by eleven dollars over what the cost would have been had we stayed with Ontario Cycling for 2023. This results in more of the member’s fees staying inside the club which will be used for an increased level of benefits and activities for all club members. We have managed to lower the cost to the most members while adding greater value for all members. Check out these other 2023 Ontario cycling club fees for comparison.
We have also committed to evaluate this new arrangement at the end of the 2023 season. If results show that it does not serve our membership well, we can re-assess the situation and reconsider affiliation with Ontario Cycling among other options.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us.
Sincerely,
The 2023 GCC Board of Directors
