George Sweeney, Opposition Government Serivces Critic and MHA
for the District of Carbonear - Harbour Grace, says his office has received
a litany of complaints concerning ATV regulations passed during the last
session of the House of Assembly. He says many people with strong views did
not participate in the recent consultation process that ended earlier this
month and believes that town hall meetings and greater consultation should
take place before further changes are implemented."People in the province
are very concerned with the regulation of ATVs and the Minister of
Government Services has an obligation to hear their views and take them into
consideration," said Sweeney. "I have received calls from concerned citizens
from all areas of the province, both rural and urban who feel that the
regulations passed this summer are not effective and want to have their
voices heard before more changes are made.
"The citizens of the province believe this is an important issue and want
the minister to hold public meetings at centres across the Island and in
Labrador before new regulations are passed. I raised concerns when
government pushed through Bill 36 in the House of Assembly in May and
brought new rules into effect August 1st when very few people
were aware of the changes. ATV users and concerned citizens believe there
are some problems with the new legislation and these should be addressed
before new regulations are implemented.
"I am fully supportive of initiatives that increase safety for ATV users
and the people of the province. I am not, however, in support of increased
fees, fines and increased regulation of usage that is not based on sound
judgement. Government should not act in a rushed fashion just for the sake
of making changes. Any changes should be well thought out and reasonable."
The Liberal MHA says controversial proposals to enact annual registration
fees and mandatory insurance is causing many users to question whether
government sees tighter regulation as a safety issue or a means to generate
new income for government. "More serious consideration must be given to the
fee structure for the registration of ATVs and more information passed on to
users. Government must show how this money will be used to directly benefit
ATV users and the public through information and safety programs.
"I fear that government is moving forward with changes to ATV regulations
like they did with the snowmobile legislation last winter. Government must
learn to listen to the people of the province and consider the implications
of all options before ramming regulations down the throats of ATV users."