Motorcycle, powersports sector makes economic impact: study

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 01/05/2024 (534 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Manitoba’s motorcycle and powersports sector added $419 million to the provincial GDP in 2022, according to a new industry report.

Moto Canada, a non-profit representing companies in the motorcycle and all-terrain vehicle industry, released a country-wide economic impact study Wednesday. It claims the document by MNP LLP is its most comprehensive yet.

Motorcycle and powersport activity in the keystone province led to $791 million in total economic output in 2022, including $290 million in tourism spending, the report details.

“(I’m) not shocked,” said Landon French, Moto Canada president. “(This) just reinforced our belief and understanding that powersports … make up an important part of the economy.”

The study clocked $171 million in tax revenue attributable to Manitoba’s motorcycle and powersports industry. It attached 4,300 jobs to the sector.

“It’s an industry that’s healthy, that’s growing,” French said.

Moto Canada counts 85,000 off-road vehicles in Manitoba, not including snowmobiles. Of those, 25,000 are motorcycles; all-terrain vehicles make up a majority of the latter machines.

Moto Canada released the document to make government, tourism organizations and its own members aware of the sector’s economic importance, French said.

“It’s good for powersports to be recognized,” said Lynn Enns, webmaster of the Touring Motorcycle Association.

Enns believes Manitoba’s motorcycle population is in a “very slow decline,” differing from Moto Canada’s perspective. “Seems like the older generation … were more into it, in Manitoba anyways.”

Even so, the population is still large and it’s “worthwhile knowing what it’s worth economically,” he stated.

On- and off-road motorcycles sales slightly declined nationally in 2022, after jumping during the COVID-19 pandemic. All-terrain vehicle sales, however, have saw a large spike from 2021 to 2022, according to the report. Across Canada, ATV and side-by-side sales surpassed 70,000 in 2022.

The sale of vehicle parts and accessories, spending on insurance and annual membership passes, and expenditures related to riding schools and tourism, including fuel and meals, are integrated into the study’s economic calculations.

gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com