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George Sweeney, Opposition Government Services Critic and MHA for the
District of Carbonear - Harbour Grace, says now that new ATV legislation has
passed through the House of Assembly, it is incumbent on Minister Dianne
Whalen to conduct public consultations before implementing new regulations.
"There has been a tremendous public backlash since government announced the
proposed new regulations last week," said Sweeney. "I have been contacted by
many people in the province who feel these new rules will do little to deal
with current problems with ATV use. Government must now take a step back and
ensure that any action taken will actually improve safety and promote
responsible use of ATVs.
"The main concern that has been raised with me to date is the inadequacy
of enforcement of current ATV rules. It is one thing for government to pass
tough laws with large penalties, it is another for them to be enforceable. A
serious problem with current ATV regulations is the unwillingness of
government and inability of law enforcement agencies to allocate enough
resources to deal with the infractions.
"A number of other issues have been raised, including the impact on local
businesses, the severity of restrictions on riders under 16 and the
exclusion of isolated Labrador communities. Based on the number of
complaints I have received, I believe government has either ignored advice,
or not done enough consultation with interested parties to address their
concerns.
"This is another example of where government has moved too fast on an
issue without taking into consideration all of the possible consequences.
Most people in the province would agree that new rules and regulations are
needed to reduce the number of ATV accidents and deaths. What is needed is
proper consultation by government and an adequate allocation of funding for
enforcement. Until Minister Whalen realizes this, the current problems with
ATV use in the province will not be addressed." |