Will 2015 start with more of the same? The SAGA continues!

As many of you know, Ray Sasseville of Sturgis North now Sturgis Canada launched a shot gun lawsuit against 7 people back in December of 2013, just before Christmas.  I am one of those 7.

6 of those sued had been offered to settle and consent to dismiss orders were signed by all 6, BUT
4 of the orders never got filed. Why? Well, Ray's lawyer was suspended, then Ray decided to self represent and he took possession of the documents pertaining to his case.  He never filed those orders.

I sent in a counter offer to settle, he offered me tickets to Sturgis Canada to sell along with $1000 in cash if I would advertise his event. I declined and sent in another counter offer to settle, no movement.

Since July - Ray has pretty much has quit communicating with any of the legal people or defendants in the suit and has left everyone in limbo for several months now.

As a result of the lack of communication, I have been keeping a very close ear to the street in an effort to stay on top of any news or information about this man or his dealings.

I went to his BC Securities Commission hearing in October and it was a real eye-opener as to how Ray, his wife and their accountant have been doing business. It will be mid February before the commission makes its decision, and from what I heard, saw and read, I do not believe that their decision will be in Ray's favour, but I am no lawyer...

I went to that hearing hoping to confront Ray face to face, but instead ended up giving his security hearing lawyer, Gregg Alphonso, some documents to pass on to him as Ray did not testify at his own hearing.   Although he does not represent Ray in the lawsuit that Ray launched, the attorney agreed to speak to Ray about the matter.

Mr. Alphonso did at least speak to Ray about the documents - new consent dismiss orders that included me.

I know this because via email, this attorney asked me to guarantee that I would never write about Ray or his family again.

I told him that I would stay away from all topics outside of those that might affect the motorcycle community and since then the lawyer refuses to answer any correspondence and so has Ray.
I have not spoken of that hearing at all until now as I was hoping for a resolution to this situation.

It has become quite obvious to me that there will not be a resolution unless I agree to never write about Mr. Sasseville, link to any articles about him in the newsfeed on our web site....

I have sent several unanswered emails to the securities hearing attorney, Ray and Joan, Ray's partner in the suit.

Why would Mr. Sasseville refuse to sign off, refuse to communicate?
Is he planning another motorcycle event?

Will 2015 start with more of the same?
The SAGA continues!

It appears so!

An interesting little tidbit of information was dropped in my lap by way of an oilfield buddy who recently stopped in to see me. I began hunting to see what I could find out about what he told me.

It took me a few days, but....low and behold, look what I found:

Crude Fest (see document on the left)
New logo, web site domain name registered for crudefest.ca and then....

Interestingly enough, in my research I came across the fact that there is an event called "Crude Fest" in Midland Texas.  thecrudefest.com











Is this another case of Ray trying to copy the recipe for an event from the USA that is popular?

I called the people in Texas to find out if somehow, they are aligned with Ray. They are not. They knew nothing of the event in Canada or the man.

I am told that this new endeavour is to take place here in Alberta, however I have not as of yet, found out where.

If he has the funds to do a trademark application, complete with a logo design, then he should at least have the funds to file the 4 (already signed by the other 4 parties) Consent Dismiss Orders he has in his possession and do what is right, what he agreed to do.

I feel so bad for the Sicamous Chamber of Commerce, that little not for profit does not need this thing hanging in limbo like this, no one does. The communications that our attorney has does mean that the case is over for the four who signed the Consent Dismiss Orders however, because they were never filed, the case still exists as far as the courts are concerned.

Since Ray is self representing, he could at least have the decency to respond to legal communications, it's not like an email is costing him anything.

I have personally emailed Mr. Sasseville and offered him the opportunity, yet again to put his side of things forth and still ZERO communication.

I'd like to push for this case to be expunged. There is no way my reputation will ever be fully repaired, and I doubt I could ever recover my costs. Above and beyond the close to $10K the lawyer has cost, there are many, many other ways that this has impacted my business and my life.

SO, I will be looking at creative ways to raise the funds needed to just get this thing over and done with.  My attorney feels we have a good shot at getting this thing expunged for lack of prosecution, at the cost of another $3K - I hope he's right.

In the mean time, I am working at staying focused on all of the good that is going on in our little company like the newly formed coffee company, the great Beat the PMS Blues Online Show n Shine that is going to help ease the PMS and the new - PMS - How Bad is it Contest, where there will be a little money up for grabs to those willing to share their coping tips.

The Canada's MOST Rider Friendly Contest is shaping up to be fabulous with lots of great sponsors coming on board!

The website upgrade that has been killing both Ali and I should be done by the end of the first week of the new year...

Yes, in spite of this fly in my in the ointment called Ray Sasseville, things are progressing well!
I am a very blessed woman with so very much to be grateful for.

I am deeply, deeply thankful for the support this community has given me.

Have a fabulous day everyone...

Stay safe and warm.

Belt Drive Betty
Editor & Rider


Disclaimer:
All data and information provided on this site is for informational purposes only. The Belt Drive Betty Blog makes no representations as to accuracy, completeness, currentness, suitability, or validity of any information on this site & will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries, or damages arising from its display or use. All information is provided on an as-is basis.






   

An enormous thank you and a special offer!

As many of you know, the last year has been very challenging.  The lawsuit launched by the people of Sturgis North/Canada has been pressing to say the least. But...this community has supported me emotionally and financially, helping me to keep our community newspaper going and all of the rider support tools we offer up and running by ensuring the business didn't have to pay the lawyer too much.

This lawsuit has had so many twists and turns and it has been trying, tiring, time consuming and discouraging.

For the time being I have decided not to move forward with defending myself since the other side has not been communicating with my attorney and leaving the suit in limbo anyway.  I will resume the defense once the business is in the position to better pay a lawyer to do so, if I need to.

Since all communications had stopped, I took matters into my own hands and went to the BC Securities hearing for Mr. Sasseville this past week and I was finally able to meet with Mr. Sasseville's attorney face to face and have a chat.  I presented the attorney with the consent to dismiss orders for the other four parties who are also in a legal limbo and myself.

If all goes well and the other parties sign off, this case could be on its way to being over.

If not, at least the other parties know that I am not scared to meet them face to face and they know I will move forward at a later time of my choosing to force a resolution if needs be.

So, while not OVER, for now the pressure and grief are over, at least for a little while and there is hope that an end could really be in sight!

My final legal bill for this portion of the case was $3,490.00, right now I still owe about $2,200.  Thanks to Sam Henderson of Eyecandy Custom Cycles, I have another $800 to put against that bill!

Eyecandy Custom Cycles in Smithers BC had done customization on a bike for the people suing me and as a result, he had a set of custom rims and brakes to sell.  He did so through an online auction which raised $800.  So thank you Sam, I am so deeply appreciative of the support!

I am now blessed to announce that I have another small business stepping up to help me get this "final" bill off my plate!

Donald from BigBlue Lifts is putting $25 from every lift sold through the ad below into my defence fund!

So, not only do you get FREE SHIPPING anywhere in Canada, but my defence fund gets a $25 shot in the arm when you tell Donald that I sent you!

So, if you are in need for a motorcycle lift that has a small footprint with HUGE lifting capability, check out www.bigbluincanada.com and then call Donald and remember to say "BELT DRIVE BETTY" sent me, so you get free shipping and my defence fund gets a $25 shot in the arm!

I simply can't say thank you enough to everyone who is helping me get through this.
There are so many of you to thank.
There are no words that can express my gratitude.

Thank you community, thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Belt Drive Betty
Editor & Rider

Dealing with lawyers and lawsuits - fun and games - NOT!

I recently posted a photo of Doc, my 2010 Ultra Classic with 9,800 miles on it, on Facebook, with the information that I am selling him in order to put a big chunk of money on the upcoming lawyers bills that I know will be arriving sooner than later.

A few people who although we are connected on Facebook, have not truly been following the story aka SAGA and took a few things out of context.

My goal here is to clear the air and update people on exactly where things stand.

For those who have not been following this misadventure, I am being sued by Sturgis North/Canada, Ray Sasseville and Joan Hansen for Libel, slander and defamation.

My reporting on Ray Sasseville and his history included links, screen shots and documents - you can read up on the history of the lawsuit here:
http://www.beltdrivebetty.com/community/bdb-defense-fund

No matter that what I reported was already in public domain and all I had done was put everything together in one place, Ray and his group decided to sue myself along with 6 others.

The shotgun lawsuit, initiated just before Christmas, included the Mayor of Sicamous, the City of Sicamous, the Sicamous Chamber of Commerce, Steve Hammer, Bernie Aubin, Vince Lewis and myself.

My attorney calls it a nuisance suit.

Nothing about this lawsuit has been straight forward.
Shortly after the suit was launched by lawyer Gerhard Pyper, Ray petitioned to self represent on behalf of himself and the company.  Joan however was still represented by Pyper.

In March we got an offer to settle from Gerhard Pyper.

The first six defendants took the offer they were given. Their offer was that if they didn't ask for costs, the plaintiffs would drop the suit.

The offer I was given was unacceptable.
They basically wanted a $250,000 gag order on me and for me to remove any reference to them off my site, out of my newspaper and to monitor social media and ensure that no one in my circle said anything about them. If I didn't they'd claim the bond money.

As a reporter, I have done my job well. I reported facts, provided evidence and asked people to educate themselves.   Nothing I wrote was untrue, nor written with malice, therefore it is not slanderous, libellous or defamation. I am covered under fair comment and freedom of the press.

Still, I must get before a judge for those freedoms to be exercised.
AND - that costs money and lots of it.

The latest developments in this case are that Gerhard Pyper, the lawyer for Joan Hansen was suspended and his law firm was closed down by the BC Law Society.  Ray is listed as self representing for himself and Sturgis North. Joan however is not represented by anyone at the moment.

Before I had a chance to send my counter offer to Ray, I got a second offer to settle from a new lawyer out of Kelowna named Greg Alfonsso.  That offer was for $1,000 cash and 30 four day passes that I could sell to offset my lawyers bills if I would market their event for them.  Again, in all good conscience I did not feel I could take this offer and so my lawyer had to rewrite my counter offer and sent it off to the new lawyer along with Ray and Joan.

To date there has been no response from any of the parties to my counter offer.

On top of that, the consent to dismiss orders for the others have hit a road block.
The only dismissal that has taken pace is that involving the Mayor and the City of Sicamous.
The other four parties paperwork was apparently never filed by Gerhard Pyper's office.
It took the BC Law Society this much time to determine this.  So now the other 4 parties will have to incur more costs to see if the original consents can be found, and if so can they be filed.

If not, then they too will face the challenge of getting the other parties to communicate and again it will cost them more money.

I myself, have recently sworn out an affidavit for my lawyer to use to have my case moved from Surrey to Salmon Arm/Vernon.  My lawyer will need to go to Surrey and petition the court to transfer the case. That means a minimum of a full day out of his office on top of the preparations for that hearing and the paperwork that will come out of that hearing.

He told me to prepare for $7-$10K for that portion of the bill.
The next step will cost far less as it will involve a hearing before a judge in Salmon Arm/Vernon where in we will petition the court to ask Ray and company, to post a bond for costs.

Then, if they do that we proceed to examinations for discovery, then to trial. If they don't post a bond, then the judge will examinee the case and potentially throw it out. At least that is my understanding on how this is supposed to work.  Each step of the way will cost a different amount of money and time.  I have been told to prepare for an over all bill of $50K from this date forward, so that I am ready for the long haul if this does go that way.

So that's where the legal end of things stand...now to deal with the money portion.

Ours is a community newspaper that does a lot of charity work and as such, it does not generate huge money, basically it covers its costs and modest wages for myself and my staff. Without fundraising, the business would be at jeopardy.  So I had started tee shirt campaigns, donation drives, sold a company bike - a Johnny Pag, some art that was donated to me via an online auction and Blair Weber organized a Poker Run to help me.

At the end of May, on the Defence Fund Poker Run, I was involved in a mishap where my bike ended up getting totalled.

I lost control in a washout on a gravel road and another rider hit me from behind before I had gone down. Had that other rider not hit me, I would have only had to replace the front fender and lived with a battle scarred fairing.  As it was though, the bike was written off and the RCMP consequently charged the other rider with following too close.  The bike I bought to replace my Street glide with was purchased at Edmonton Harley-Davidson.  With what insurance gave me for my bike, some personal savings and $1,800 of the money from the poker run I was able to get another work vehicle.
(As a moto journalist, my motorcycle is a workhorse not a pleasure machine.)

I had no choice, if I wanted to keep the newspaper running, my source of income, not to mention my employees paid,  I had to use some of that money. I have managed to keep paying the lawyer because I was working and so eventually the $1,800 raised did go on the lawyers bill, but funny thing, those bills just keep coming.

Had I been able to put all of that defence run money on the bill at the time, I'd be about $1,800 closer to having him paid up towards this newest bill. As it stands, I owe him about $500 right now, since I was able to, yesterday, make a payment to him from the sale of SOA art in an online auction we held last month.

Because of the latest twists and turns of this lawsuit, I have an anticipated $7-$10K bill coming to get the venue changed from Surrey to Salmon Arm.

I also have a business loan and my motorcycle is but one piece of the collateral for that loan.
My banker has agreed that if I sell the bike, they will take 50% towards my loan and allow me the other 50% to pay my lawyer.

If this court case gets dropped, by some miracle, then I will just continue paying the lawyer monthly until he is paid off and use the remaining money towards another bike.

Nothing about this lawsuit has been straight forward nor does it remotely resemble normal practices according to my attorney.

I need to take some stress off of my brain so that I can focus and concentrate on doing the work my team and I do in and for the riding community.

If I can't put my focus on Belt Drive Betty Media and all of the support tools we offer the community then I and my employees will not have wages to live on.
This doesn't just affect me or my small staff, it affects the entire community that uses our events calendars, our newspaper and web sites as sources of information.

I am not asking for a hand out but a hand up.
I am willing to sell everything I own to defend myself if that's what it takes to see this thing through.

I am selling items like tee shirts, like so many businesses do, but instead of that money funding my business, like it does for other businesses, the tee shirt sales are helping to fund my lawsuit.

If you know anyone looking for a great bike with extended warranty, please put them in touch with me via bdbetty @ gmail.com  - fix the spaces.

If you are interested in purchasing a tee shirt to support the cause please visit: http://teespring.com/beltdrivebetty

I hope this clears things up for those who seem to be confused about this lawsuit, and what I am preparing for and why I am doing what I am doing.  I want to do the work I do, pay my bills, eat decently and enjoy life just like every other working stiff out there.  I want to be able to sleep at night without worrying about how I am going to come up with the money for the lawyer, a bill I know is coming sooner than later.

That's all!  By selling my bike, I can take the pressure off of the looming lawyer's bill and focus on the business and community.

By the way we have some great prizes up for grabs in our Capture the Gear Fail Photo Contest.

You could win a pair of boots and a helmet from Kimpex - a value of $300 for your first place photo and for the second place photo you could win a pair of Draggin Jeans!

Visit Our Contest Page to find out more!

If you are blessed to be riding today, please ride like everyone around you is blind and cannot see you.

Belt Drive Betty,
Editor & Rider


Disclaimer:
All data and information provided on this site is for informational purposes only. The Belt Drive Betty Blog makes no representations as to accuracy, completeness, currentness, suitability, or validity of any information on this site & will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries, or damages arising from its display or use. All information is provided on an as-is basis.

A tough year almost behind me…

Ever since I arrived home from Ireland last October, life has thrown me curve ball after curve ball that I had not anticipated.

I had to let go of the person laying out the paper and doing the books for the company. That was a tough thing to do with so much work on my plate after having been on the road for so long, not to mention the fact that we had an 8-year history.

Had I known the full ramifications of riding across Canada in support of our veterans, had I known it was going to cost me so much personally, or exactly what I was going to face, I sure would have done things differently – but, hindsight is always 20/20!

Then Ray Sasseville, Joan Hansen and Sturgis North sued me along with 6 other people.

They claimed slander, libel and defamation.

I was angry, incredulous and determined.

The ensuing 4 months, from December 21st/22nd when I was served until March 30th or there about, were filled with; myself, a research assistant and a friend going through hundreds and thousands of emails, creating timelines, organizing all data and letters in a chronological time frame.  To say it was exhausting is putting it mildly.

Add to that sales of ads for the Rider Friendly Phone Book, dealing with advertisers who broke their contract and held the book up for 5-6 weeks, and then a motorcycle crash, getting to know the IOMC and the ruckus that caused with folks in the US 1% circle and I feel like I have been under siege all year long.

The phone book being held up was costly in more ways than one as I had to air freight the books in.  It also upset riders who bought books and has caused me to return to going to layout in December and January and to print in February – that means changing marketing materials and book keeping but it also means that the book will go out to purchasers in a timely fashion and that the app and download version will also be up in a timely fashion.

My trip this summer was a muted one. I spent many nights on the couches, airbeds and in spare rooms of good friends and family in Alberta and BC. Without my friends and family, I could not have continued to do my job. You are too numerous to mention, but I hope you know how deeply I thank you for your support, friendship and love.

This whole Sturgis North lawsuit is a fiasco. NOTHING about this lawsuit is typical; first they issue a shotgun lawsuit where in they sue the City of Sicamous, the Sicamous Chamber of Commerce and the Mayor of Sicamous, Steve Hammer of Summer Stomp, Bernie Aubin of the Headpins, Vince Lewis and myself.

In late March, an offer to settle is given to the first 6 defendants, basically the offer said; “if you don’t charge for costs and we’ll go away”.  I too got an offer to settle but the offer to settle with me was much different. They wanted me to remove all reference to their names, in the newspaper and web sites, promise to never utter their names and post a $250K bond – oh and monitor social media to ensure no one in my circle said anything bad about them.

My attorney and I drafted a counter offer to settle that clearly laid out that all of the complaints – A- K, that were filed against me were non slanderous/libelous nor were they defaming.  We wanted to wait to send it until the other 6 cases were rubber stamped through the courts as dealt with.

Then Gerhard Pyper, the lawyer for Sturgis North, Ray Sasseville and Joan Hansen is suspended.  We waited and waited to see where the other 6 cases were in the court system.

While we were in this holding pattern, I got a second offer to settle via Ray’s new lawyer, Gregg Alfonso which stated that:

Dear Renee’,

                I would like to settle this dispute amicably with you and move forward, withdraw the lawsuit  and concentrate on the Motorcycling Community as a whole. Your past postings have been criticizing me for leaving a wave of destruction re creditors from past events. Even though it puzzles me why you went to such great extents to involve my family I have heard and understood the message. I take full responsibility on behalf of Sturgis North as its CEO re the past debts that are outstanding and will try my hardest to satisfy those debts albeit a little at a time. I apologize to all debtors and ask that they give me a chance to satisfy the debts which has been my intention all along. My only intention ever has been to put on an event for the Motorcycling community to be able to meet, share experience and enjoy great music and each others company. I chose to continue to put on the best festival possible in order to maintain our goal for the Motorcycling Community and pay down past debts on a timely basis as opposed to walking away and not attempting to take care of our obligations. I truly you believe you have the best interests of the creditors and Motorcycling community at heart and would like to see the creditors paid back therefore I am willing to offer the following.

1. The letter of apology to the creditors for you to post if you wish not mentioning any blame on your part re your articles
2. I have set up a trust fund with my Lawyer Gregg Alfonso with Alfonso Law Corp to collect and pay to the creditors on a prorated basis at the end of the festival a percentage of our online ticket sales annually. This will ensure that monies are distributed each year regardless of what the festival makes because this is not based on profits. Your lawyer will be informed of the details 
3. Obviously since this whole thing was about your interpretation of my character and the fact that you want the creditors paid I will need help to market my festival so the creditors will get paid back annually until paid upon agreed invoicing amounts. Thus you will achieve the main goal which was making me accointable and getting the creditors paid. 
4. I am willing to pay you $1000 for advertisig on your weekly editions up to the festival
5. I am willing to give you 30 4 day all event passes for you to sell to some of your 75,000 readers who will purchase them from you once they see this has been setllrd and you can keep the monies $310 per 4 day event pass ticket which totals a tad over $9000 which when added with the advertising money will get you out of debt with your lawyer.

                Ray Sasseville

I had some tough questions to ask myself. Clearly Ray blames me for why the riding community was not embracing his event. Clearly we had all heard before that a fund would be set up to pay vendors etc., but nothing seemed to materialize. Clearly Ray wants to hold me accountable for why people won’t get paid if I don’t take his deal. BUT - Could I promote someone who was suing me? Could I possibly want to tie my name to their event anymore than I already had with sponsorship in 2011 and 12? 

In all good conscience, I could not and so, I chose to pass on this offer to settle and my lawyer sent in my first counter offer, albeit redrafted to the new attorney and geared towards the second offer to settle as opposed to the first.

To date I have not heard from the good folks at Sturgis North/Canada, Ray Sasseville and Joan Hansen regarding my counter offer.

I attended Sturgis Canada; I experienced the small attendance, the disorganization and some of the politics of the 2014 version of the event first hand.  I reported on the event in as professional and level headed manner as is possible and have left it to the attendees who were unhappy, the booking agent, Keith Sharp, the band manager Ted VanBoort, the hotelier who said he hadn’t been paid and the Royal Canadian Legion who say they don’t think they will get paid, to say their piece on Facebook, in the Merritt Herald and in my blog through screen captures.

Now I get a letter from my lawyer that states that the 6 other cases have NOT gone through the court the way they were supposed to and that only one of the consent to dismiss orders were ever filed. So in effect, the Sicamous Chamber of Commerce, Steve Hammer, Bernie Aubin and Vince Lewis along with myself, are all right back to where we were.

He has also advised me that we are pushing on to a change of venue application to get the case moved to Salmon Arm. This is going to be an expensive undertaking, getting the case moved.  It means my lawyer going to the courthouse in Surrey and meeting with a judge.

I am advised I will need to prepare for a $7-10K bill for that alone, not to mention the $2,100 I owe him at the moment.

I have been getting a lot of comments from people about countersuing the group, it may come to that, although I am advised there isn’t anything of any substance to attach to and that it could get costlier than the $50K it is slated to cost to see this thing through. 

Besides, I am one in a long list of people who would be going after assets. Michael Smith has a $70,000 judgment and then there is the BC Securities hearing in October and the Arizona Lawsuit that has been going on for ages that will go to trial in 2015.  There really is nothing to gain in trying to counter sue – I would get a piece of paper saying I am owed and that paper would be worthless.

Folks, I need your help if I am going to succeed.  The time and focus this court case has taken away from the business side of what I do has been telling and has hurt me financially and reputation wise – people don’t like it when you miss deadlines.

So far this community, has helped me pay my lawyers bill and I am asking you to keep that support coming.  I have hired two sales people and with their help and perhaps the help of a few more, the business end of things will get righted shortly.

I need to keep my attention, as much as possible on the business; I need to get rid of some of the worry about paying the lawyer… I have to swallow my pride and ask…

Please consider donating to my Defense Fund or buying a tee shirt for my Offence Fund, which is what I now prefer to call it.

On top of all of those challenges I have had 6 friends pass away, and that was/is hard to deal with. My hubby going through an MS attack was another toughie I have had to endure.

But as in all things life, a ray of sunshine always presents itself…

I became a great aunty twice in the space of 10 days, I have a new great niece and a great nephew!

Those two wonderful occasions have brought new life to this very tired spirit, as did the friends and family who helped me to accomplish my sales and reporting trip.

To those who propped me up while I was struggling to deal with death after death, and frustration after frustration, there are no words to express my gratitude.

I am not sure what these various trials and tribulations are preparing me for, but man I am ready for the tides to turn. 

Our Canada’s Most Rider Friendly Community Contest is shaping up nicely, our Spot the Gear Fail contest has just kicked off and is offering great prizes from Kimpex and Draggin Jeans and we are getting ready to launch our newest Rider Survey!

Our 2015 Beat the PMS Blues Online Show N Shine is also beginning to take shape with Big Blue coming on board as a major sponsor and I have about a dozen advertising proposals to build.

I know that with the help of this community we are going to go on to bigger and better things and I promise you all this much, I will continue to pay forward every kindness and helping hand I get to all of the charities and the riding clubs who support them through free promotion and marketing…

To donate to my Defence Fund: CLICK HERE

To Buy an Offence Fund Tee Shirt: CLICK HERE

If you are blessed enough to be riding today, please remember to ride like everyone around you is blind and cannot see you and please consider wearing good gear.

Belt Drive Betty

Editor & Rider

Sturgis Canada, a post mortem

Thanks to some friends who had a booth at Sturgis Canada, I was able to attend the event on Saturday evening, so that I could see first hand what was going on and speak to people about how they felt about the event. 

With a venue like the old Merritt Mountain Music Fest site, one would have thought that this event would be stellar, after all, according to articles in the Merritt Herald, they had a new and improved management team with rock solid finances.  http://www.saobserver.net/news/236404261.html

They had a great line up of bands and the coordinators have had two previous attempts to learn from and they had almost two years to plan this one, so what went wrong?

According to some of the locals that I spoke with, the town was invited to the event for free on Thursday evening, all they had to do was show their DL or another piece of ID to prove they lived in Merritt and they'd get free entry. There were, in the picture that was shared with me from Thursday night 12 people, 6 of them staff/volunteers watching the bands.

So why did the town of Merritt not embrace this event?

Here is my thought, why would a community want to support a group that sued another city, a chamber of commerce and a mayor over the burnout competitions? The suit was publicized in the regional newspapers: http://issuu.com/blackpress/docs/i20140115070529177/1?e=1205826/6357636

If you are going to sue a partner community and a non profit, then that might make other partner communities a little leery, no matter that the suit was dropped only five short months later.
When you sue a town, you are in effect suing the taxpayer.

It did rain hard about 2 hours before the event opened but reportedly it had cleared off by 7pm.

Why did this event not have great attendance?

I have a number of points that I'd like to touch on here...

There was almost no marketing of the event, I saw one ad in the Port Dover Maple Leaf, they had their bus at the Cloverdale Rodeo, but beyond some radio and the odd poster, there was no real hype about the event.

Did you know that there was a Sturgis Canada App? Neither did I until I was going through comments on their Facebook Page looking to find out what others were saying and feeling.

Their promotions, their web site, Facebook page and their entire marketing plan lacked the super human effort it takes to get the word out, at least that's the way it appeared to me.

They went head to head with the PNE, where reportedly there were some awesome concerts like Trooper on the Thursday night that Sturgis Canada opened, that were free with your $18 gate fee: http://www.pne.ca/thefair/index.html.  You could also reserve seats if you wanted to pay an extra $20.

They went head to head with the Salt Spring Island Toy Run, the Defenders Poker Run, the Airdrie Bikes & Bulls event, the Assholes Toy Run and many, many other events.

When you combine the lack of marketing with the time of year and the volume of motorcycle events and all of the music festivals in BC, you really reduce your chances for success.

When it comes to the riding community, many people who attended in the past decided to take a wait and see attitude.  The few who did decide to give it another chance, have had very strong comments about their experience:

Reportedly the motorcycle rodeo games never took place and the Motorcycle Cowboys never performed. The Veteran's and the Breast Cancer Poker Runs were both cancelled as was the Cabbage Patch Wrestling. The show n shine apparently went off, but no one seemed to know much about and no winners were announced. The Miss Sturgis Canada competition is another event no one seemed to know about and there was little publicity for.

The Mad Mike Rocket Jump was postponed, but no where was that fact mentioned to people, and apparently the VIP tickets weren't so VIP according to the posts and comments made by some of the VIP's.

In fact, it seems that none of the things that were cancelled were explained or promoted any better than the things that did go on.

In speaking with some riders from Saskatoon and Regina who had bought VIP tickets, they were pissed that they were charged in American funds.  They were given the choice of a pulled pork sandwich or a beef brisket on a bun for their meals other than the one night when they got ribs.
The snacks that were served were nothing more than small cups of potato chips. There were all kinds of non VIP people in the VIP beer gardens and non VIP in the main stage seating area. That was just some of Annette and Herb's observations.

At 7 PM

There are so many things that went wrong with this event that it is truly hard to find anything other than the music that went right. The production crew from SWAV did a phenomenal job making those musicians music come across loud and clear and the guy in charge of lighting did an amazing job of making sure they looked good.  The gent running the Jumbotron camera was incredible at his job.

During Moxy

I watched Moxy, Molly Hatchet and some of Burton Cummings performance and all three rocked the house. I left after three songs of Burton Cummings because I was just too cold to stay any more.

At 7 pm

The volunteers I dealt with were awesome and sure tried their best to do their jobs and answer questions and deal with upset people. The lack of understanding of their jobs and their inability to answer questions was frustrating but they were genuine and caring and did their best.

VIP Beer Gardens during Moxy

The people who attended the event enjoyed the music, who couldn't, it was awesome, but the lack of communication, the lack of marketing and two failed attempts in the past created a scenario that I am sure no one fully expected.

If there were 100 people to watch Moxy, I'd be surprised and by the time Burton Cummings came on stage there were close to 500 people present. Some people say I am wrong and that the number was more like 350.  Either way, it was not the turnout that was hoped for I am sure.

Molly Hatchet

During Molly Hatchet

Molly Hatchet

    Burton Cummings

It has been interesting attempting to get to the truth as to why Sturgis Canada was shut down on Sunday.

I have heard rumours about everything from the liquor license got pulled to the production people pulled out for non payment and all things in between.

The truth that I have been able to uncover is that the liquor license was NOT pulled, not by the RCMP or the Liquor Board.

The truth is the organizers cancelled Sunday:

No where does the person making the updates for Sturgis Canada address the issue of refunds or partial refunds for the fact that the event was only three days and not 4. Nor do they address the cancellations of various events or any kind of compensation for the lack of activities.

I spoke with Nick Brusatore of the band Franklin's Dealers who were supposed to play on Sunday.
Nick is a business man and a musician.  He was also a sponsor of Sturgis Canada to the tune of $50,000.  He is disappointed that the event was cancelled on Sunday but also says he understands that sometimes in business you have to make tough decisions.  Since the attendance was so poor, he said he could understand them shutting down to save the costs.

The money he sponsored for the event was supposed to go towards paying for Katey Sagal to come and play, but he did not know why she cancelled. I have sent an email in to Ms. Sagal's booking agent Belle Zwerdling to see if I can learn why she cancelled.

I contacted the Port o Potty supplier, Interior Portable Rentals out of Kelowna, the manager declined to comment on why the port o potties were chained up on Sunday morning, he stated he knew there was animosity between myself and the coordinators and said the details were between him and the client and none of my business.  I thanked him for his time and moved on to the next calls.

The RCMP in Merritt had their media relations officer, Constable Tracy Dunsmore contact me regarding the allegations that the police were heavy handed and had removed the road signs directing people to the event. Cst. Dunsmore assured me that the RCMP did not remove any signage and expressed that many members were sent home and that only regular time officers were on duty and that was because the event was so quiet. It appears that Sturgis Canada will be getting a refund on the enhanced policing costs.

Only one Hells Angel's booth was on hand but it was in the campground, away from the general public at the festival site ergo there were little or no BEU agents present or at least they weren't highly visible.  The police did have a road side check stop, but they were stopping ALL vehicles, not just bikes.

During my conversation with the constable, she expressed that in their detachment there are 8 officers who ride, including the Staff Sergeant and for anyone to think they hate riders, well that would be wrong.

They were just doing their jobs.

There was a ticket handed out for a helmet violation to a gent who was wearing a beanie that was not DOT, he was the most vocal about the police being oppressive. Personally I found the officers on duty to be very pleasant and all seemed to have a good sense of humour.

That alone should tell you a lot - I generally don't enjoy the police at many events, but these people were more than pleasant and friendly, in much the way they were in Sicamous.

I have a call into the sound company, SW Audio Visual out of Kelowna, my goal in talking to them is to find out if in fact the coordinators told them there would be no bands for the day or if there was any other reason they pulled out early.

Keith Sharp of Music Express had some harsh comments regarding Sunday:

I have emailed Keith to see if he will talk to me about what transpired.

I will do a follow up on this event if I learn anything of value, it is early days and the fallout has just begun of that I am sure.  Every event, even the ones that go off seemingly perfect, have fallout to deal with! 

I hope you have had a wonderful riding season, I know mine has been busy and exhausting and I am looking forward to finally getting home and getting back into full swing work routine, I have a lot to accomplish in the next while and I am stimulated in spite of being tired. 

I am looking forward to squeezing my hubby and snuggling my cats and sleeping in my own bed.... that's gonna be a bit of heaven!

If you are blessed to be riding today, please ride like everyone around you is blind and cannot see you and please consider wearing good gear....dress for the slide, not the ride.

Belt Drive Betty

Editor & Rider

The Sturgis North Lawsuit - the gift that just keeps on giving

Well folks, my lawyer has finally gotten word on what is happening with the Sturgis North Lawsuit and it's NOT PRETTY.

As many of you know, Ray Sasseville and Joan Hanson of Sturgis North, now Sturgis Canada are suing me for slander and defamation.

The suit originally had 7 defendants but Ray and Joan offered to settle with 6 of the defendants with no real caveat against anyone.  They offered to settle with me as well, but their offer was preposterous and I have been waiting for my counter offer to go to them.

My attorney wanted to ensure that all of the other lawsuits had in fact gone through the courts and were well and truly settled before he filed my counter.

And then the lawyer for Ray and Joan and Sturgis North, Gerhard Pyper was suspended by the BC Law Society.

Ah yes, this lawsuit is a gift that just keeps on giving...

The suspension of the lawyer representing Sasseville and Hansen complicates everything ten fold.

According to the BC Law Society, they do not have a lawyer who is prepared to take on Mr. Pyper's cases and so Ray and Joan will be treated as self representing, as Ray had filed a motion to self represent even though Mr. Pyper was still handling their correspondence.

So what does this mean for me?

Well, we now have to deal with two individuals instead of one lawyer.

My counter offer should be in their hands shortly and once it is I will share with you the document that my lawyer sends out so that you can read for yourself whether there is any true substance to their claims against me or not.

If they do not accept my counter offer to settle, then I am looking at $40-50 thousand dollars to see this thing through.

The immediate need is to raise another $10,000.

That is to cover this new letter to go out, and the time my attorney is going to have to take out of his office in Salmon Arm to petition the courts in Surrey for a change of venue and a bond for costs.

According to my attorney, the Surrey court is a mess, it takes 3 months for orders to be filed - like the 6 we are waiting on from back in May!

It can also take, even with an appointment, up to three days for a lawyer to get in front of a judge to prove why a change of venue makes sense.

That's with an appointment - a date and time that he is supposed to meet with the judge!  We could get lucky and the appointment could happen on time, but apparently, there are many times where lawyers have had to stay over one and two extra days because a hearing before them took longer than scheduled.

My lawyer costs approx. $7,000 for every day out of his office!

My attorney does not hold out much hope for a resolution to this irritating case any time soon....

So we will be holding an on line auction for some amazing SOA art from an autistic artist named Mark Mullen.  Mark is one talented young man!

We helped him auction off the originals of the original cast members of SOA - all were signed by the actors except for Piney and now he has donated a set to me to help with my defense fund!

25 certified copies of this set were made and we will be auctioning off the 25th set!  All come with certificates of Authenticity!

I will let you know the particulars in the next few days!

I hope you have a fabulous day and remember to ride like everyone around you is blind and cannot see you!

Belt Drive Betty
Editor & Rider









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When the going gets tough...

I am reeling after a series of set backs and I am having to re-evaluate everything Belt Drive Betty Media does and how it does it.

I had a major advertiser whose marketing had been all approved and set up cancel their ads for no  reason and with no notice. That advertiser has caused a 5 week delay in the release of our Rider Friendly Phone Book which will finally go to the press room this week once adjustments to the book are made.

This is not a delay I could have foreseen and I deeply apologize to all who have preordered the books which won't start arriving now until the middle of June. We will be releasing the App shortly for the phone book shortly so that will help out those with smart phones.

The ramifications of this advertiser backing out of their agreement will be far reaching in this little company.

This same advertiser was supposed to be a sponsor of the TV show "Ride Like a Local" on Eastlink TV and their cancellations have caused me to cancel the show with Eastlink TV - I do not have enough time to find other advertisers for Eastlink as my schedule is just too full and busy right now. Had this happened 2 months ago, it would not have been an issue but at this late date, there is not a lot I can do except re-group.

I am looking at airing the show on YouTube only for the 2014 season with episodes beginning as soon as I have time to start editing the film footage I already have. In the end this might be a good thing as I will be free to promote the show and make it available to those in regions where Eastlink TV is not an option. It will depend on my remaining sponsors for the show and how our talks go.

So, stay tuned for the decision on "Ride Like a Local" and what form it will take as soon as I can share that with you.

I also have to decide if I am going to take this company to court for breech of contract or just take it up the arse without a whimper.  Considering the physical state my husband is in, I will probably just have to let it go as I cannot put any more stress in his life.

On top of that disappointing news, came some condemnation from a person who feels that I should just not respond to the Sturgis North lawsuit against me and that there can be no fight if I just don't show up for the battle. I was accused of being a bad wife because I know that stress and MS patients do not mix and that sure gave me pause for thought.

My husband has MS and the stress of that lawsuit has caused a flaring of this hideous disease.
This person suggested that I was a bad wife for putting him under such stress and that I should just not respond. This person either does not understand how lawsuits initiated by others work OR they truly think that my fighting for the Freedom of the Press is not a valid fight.

If I was to not respond to the lawsuit, it would mean these people would win by default and that would mean that Belt Drive Betty Media and all of the charity work we do would be forever ceased.
It would also affect other journalists as it would set a legal precedent that is very dangerous.
So I sit here this morning examining my business and my life.

I am asking myself many questions and am hoping to find some inspiration and guidance from the riding community.

The Sturgis North lawsuit was initiated by Ray Sasseville and Joan Hansen to cause me grief, money and to shut me up. It's doing a good job on two out of three fronts.

The organizers of the newly rebranded Sturgis Canada do not appreciate the information I have disseminated to the riding community and they really don't want the truth about the players in the event brought to light.  Although they are suing me for defamation and slander, I have backed everything up I have ever written with evidence and nothing they are suing me for is actionable as it is all from the public domain - this lawsuit is truly a nuisance suit.  I have done my job properly.

I feel awful that my business, my chosen profession is causing my husband to relapse.
And I am now in a quandary - do I accept the offer to settle which sees me with a $250K gag order on me as a journalist and allow the setting of a dangerous legal precedent for all journalists but ends the stress for my husband?

Do I continue to fight for the truth to be fully exposed and my good name as a journalist cleared?
And if I do, at what cost to my husband and marriage?

If ever there was a rock and a hard place this is it.

So, if you were in my boots and you knew you had done nothing wrong, that you had evidence (proof) to back up everything you said and wrote, but the stress of the lawsuit was causing your spouse to relapse, what would you do?

I have talked to my husband at great length about this situation and he is as torn as I am.

I love my job, my business, the riding community and my husband, I can't see my life without any of those elements in it.

I feel like I am in hell right now and I can't see the forest for the trees.
It's hard to take a step back and evaluate everything with so much emotion at play.

Your thoughts on this topic might just help me make a good decision because you might come up with suggestions and ideas that I have been unable to come up with on my own or in discussions with my husband - we are both too close to the situation to see the other alternatives that might be out there.

Your feedback and ideas would be deeply appreciated.

Now to other news:

In Manitoba, a former high ranking member of the Hells Angels MC has been released on early - FULL parole now that he is no longer a member of the club.

In Ontario, there have been two separate motorcycle crashes, the one was a single motorcycle crash where the rider died and the other crash, also a single motorcycle crash saw the rider air lifted to hospital with serious injuries.

In San Francisco, a female only "Outlaw Motorcycle Club" the Devil Dolls Motorcycle Club was barred from vending at a gun club event this past weekend.

There are many more articles in the news feeds which may be of interest to you over on www.beltdrivebetty.com, where our work is keeping you informed.

Have a great day and please remember, ride like everyone around you is blind and cannot see you and if you are blessed enough to be riding today, please consider dressing for the slide and not the ride.

Belt Drive Betty
Editor & Rider

Lawsuit Saga Continues

As many of you know, I am being sued by Ray Sasseville, Joan Hansen and Sturgis North.
They claim, my reporting of the doings of their CEO Ray Sasseville is defamatory, libellous and preventing them from earning a living in the motorcycle community.

Visit my defense fund page for all the information on everything I have ever written on them including the evidence I am allowed to share publicly.

According to my attorney, Ray wants to drop the suit as it pertains to the City of Sicamous, the Mayor of Sicamous and the Sicamous Chamber of Commerce.  So we shall see how that ends up.

The hearing to move the case to Salmon Arm happens on the 31st of March.

My research assistant and I have continued to investigate Sturgis North and all of it's various names and owners including the newly trademarked Sturgis Canada.  The trademark went through on February 28th of 2014.

Apparently because Sturgis SD never registered their trademark internationally (meaning here in Canada), Mr. Sasseville has all the right to use the name Sturgis and now that he's trademarked, there can be no question.

I came across interesting news from Jonathon Sasseville, one of Ray's three sons, on Plenty of Fish, a dating site. He claims to be the head of security and part owner of Sturgis Canada.

I wonder what his investment in the company is.

Before the lawsuit I was still investigating the doings of the people involved with Sturgis North now Sturgis Canada and I intend to continue following them to see if the little people from year's one and two of this event will ever get paid off.

It will be interesting to see if we ever learn who the new investors are in Sturgis Canada and what kind of bands they line up, they say there will be a big announcement on the 19th of March.

Writing about them is a double edged sword for me as I am giving them airtime I would rather not, but I still have a defense fund that needs help and letting you all know that I am not giving up in my pursuit of the truth is important to me.

I need to sell 224 more tee shirts to pay my lawyer this month and will need to raise the same for next month, then I should have a lull until we get to court.

My lawyer asked me about a countersuit but from what I have seen in the court documents, even when you win a case with these people, it appears that collecting is rather, difficult.  The lawsuit launched by Ray's wife Edith as the Power of Attorney for Marjorie Sasseville (Ray's Mother from what I am told), has gone nowhere and it's for $140,000.

Michael Smith's lawsuit was won but from what I am lead to understand he has not been able to collect as of yet, that one is for $70K and there has been no movement on the Vernon Motoplex suit which is for somewhere around $450K.

And so, the Lawsuit Saga Continues....

My head is spinning with all of this.

I never started this fight but I will tell you that I want my day in court and to have a judge tell me I have done my job properly. I want to see the people who are owed money paid.  I want to see wrongs righted.

So folks, if you were in my boots, what would you do?

Waste more money to countersue and hope you can collect?  

The other thing my lawyer asked is if they offer to drop the suit against me would I be prepared to absorb the costs and walk away?

You know, I have no idea how to answer that question.

If I thought I had this community behind me and willing to help me fight, I'd continue on because I want my good name cleared by a judge and I want the people involved exposed - I have more knowledge that what I can share publicly and none of it is good, and if I don't get to court, that evidence will remain forever buried.  

I am looking for ideas and advice.  

My little business has always been run like a non profit and has always paid things forward into the riding community where I make my living.  I don't have a reserve to fight this kind of stuff.  I am $1,600 away from being able to pay this latest bill. 

What do I do if I can't raise that money?

Represent myself I guess....

If anyone has any ideas, I am more than willing to hear them...

If you are fortunate enough to be riding today, please ride like everyone around you is blind and cannot see you.

Belt Drive Betty

Editor & Rider

On the Road again

This should be a trip to remember!

I'm packed, bike is facing the driveway and in a couple hours I begin my next trek...
Mad Hat - then Sturgis - should prove very interesting considering I haven't been to Sturgis in 23 years......

I'll try and drop a not from the road once in a while....

Stay safe out there.....

BDB

Medicine Hat Drags and Sturgis

I am working overtime to be ready to leave Friday morning for Drumheller.

Saturday morning my bud, Jayne and I are going to go catch the drags in the Hat, on Sunday I'll finish the paper and Monday I head for meetings in Moose Jaw, Regina, Winnipeg, then I'll back track to Brandon, meet up with Cycle Boyz and head to Sturgis.

Going that way to Sturgis doubles the mileage for me, but also gets me out to see a number of businesses along the way. In all I am looking to put on somewhere around 5,500 kms.....

Where ever you head to, ride safe out there.

BD Betty

See what happens when the boss goes away

Suzie is getting a lot of the coding done, we are getting there!
The biker personals are installed, Fort's blog is almost ready, the Sturgis cam is good to go and our biker news feeds have been installed.

The BDB Club Member Business information is almost up to date....what a lot of work she has done, I hope a few of you tell her what an amazing job she's doing....