organization had a store. MEC Paddlefest was the first of these, followed in 2008 by MEC Bikefest, which was initially run in six cities and later expanded. MEC launched its third festival, MEC Snowfest, in all MEC store cities during the winter of 2011. Expanded product lines From 2009 to 2011 MEC expanded its traditional back-country products to include urban outdoor pursuits. Road running, bicycles and yoga apparel were introduced and became significant components of MEC's marketing focus. In November 2009, MEC entered the bicycle retail market. This move was resisted by some suppliers of bicycle components, who refused to ship to MEC. One Quebec distributor ceased doing business with a bicycle manufacturer when that company decided to supply MEC. At that time, MEC had 11 retail outlets and about $265 million in sales. The CEO of MEC remarked that the industry had been given two years' notice about MEC's plans to enter the bicycle market. For its initial bicycles offered, MEC contracted with a Taiwanese manufacturer to build a bicycle line under MEC's own brand. MEC planned to sell $4 million worth of bicycles in its first year. In November 2009 MEC began selling MEC-branded bikes in seven stores: Vancouver, Calgary, Winnipeg, Burlington, Toronto, Montreal and Longueuil. In 2015, MEC offered 58 different models including road bikes, mountain bikes, hybrid and urban bikes. Some models are designed specifically for women or children. In 2012 MEC also began selling a selection of Ghost Bikes, in late 2013 added Ridley Bikes who made the choice to bet on the success of MEC instead of existing distributor Live To Play Sports, and Intense Bicycles in early 2017. Business model opposition In November 2010, as the MEC petitioned North Vancouver for permission to re-zone a property for expansion of its retail operation there, Jayson Faulkner, a competitor who owned Escape Route, took issue with the income tax rules under which the MEC was able to "amass hundreds of millions of dollars in patronage dividends that were never taxed or paid out to members, thus creating a huge pool of cash to fund its dramatic expansion." Faulkner wrote that "MEC is able to generate working capital at 10x the rate of all its competitors... MEC is absolutely no different than any other very large corporation operating in Canada. They are an aggressive, predatory competitor who will do whatever it takes to ensure they continue