ATV uproar
All Terrain Vehicle enthusiasts in the province are in an uproar over legislation the Liberal government is proposing which would make it illegal for kids under 14 years of age to operate ATVs.
And rightly so.
About 50 demonstrators parked their ATVS in front of the legislature Feb. 20 to send a message to Premier Shawn Graham’s government to stop interfering with the lives of New Brunswick families.
The protesters want a full public hearing on the proposed changes to the Off-Road Vehicle Act, which would prohibit children under 14 from operating dirtbikes, snowmobiles and ATVs.
Many of the protesters think the bill, waiting to be passed through its second reading, is being rushed through the House. They’d like to see the government send the bill to the Standing Committee on Law Amendments for public hearings.
Sounds good. I think the thousands of New Brunswickers who will be affected by the bill should have a chance to have their say. After all, with all the New Brunswickers on the other side of the world right now fighting for democracy, don’t you think we should have a little bit of it here at home?
Public Safety minister John Foran told the protesters the legislation is in front of the assembly and wouldn’t commit to sending it for full hearings.
Foran said after two ATV related deaths in New Brunswick in the fall, the amendments were to help protect kids.
“I want to keep New Brunswick safe for the children and the two we lost were two too many,” Foran said in a report.
The Opposition’s Public Safety critic said the proposed amendments were a clear sign of a government that believes it knows what’s best for its citizens.
“This move will hurt New Brunswick families who enjoy riding together and spending time together as a family,” MLA Wayne Steeves said in a report.
Steeves said the Tories believe in increased safety, training and awareness, but also believe the proposed law will turn law-abiding citizens into criminals.
You don’t have to go too far in Miramichi to see an ATV parked in someone’s dooryard. People use them for work and they use them for a pass time, a way to get their families out in nature for some good old-fashioned fun.
I think children should definitely have to ride age appropriate vehicles and be monitored by their parents who can teach them to be responsible and safe riders.
But I also think locking them out of this activity will create more problems in the long run than it prevents.
The obesity rates among young people in New Brunswick are astonishing. Far too many youngsters are chained to the couch as it is, playing video games and watching television. Now the government, in all its wisdom, wants to take a chunk of kids who are outdoors being active and say, sorry, come back when you’re older?
Why not just let kids be kids?
This is after all New Brunswick. Anyone who grew up on a farm in this province was probably driving a tractor long before they were legally old enough to drive a car.
ATVs are a part of the way we live, just as snowmobiles are in the winter. There are woods and streams and hills and valleys all over for youngsters to explore and have fun in.
ATVs are not toys, and kids should be taught that. ATVs can be dangerous, but so can bicycles, scissors and toasters. Do we want our young people growing up in bubbles, completely cut off from the real world?
Nobody wants to see children get hurt, but kids grow up and teaching them to operate machinery responsibly is a good idea that should be encouraged.
Imposing limits is one thing, but a total ban is a dumb idea.
Haven’t we got bigger fish to fry?
And rightly so.
About 50 demonstrators parked their ATVS in front of the legislature Feb. 20 to send a message to Premier Shawn Graham’s government to stop interfering with the lives of New Brunswick families.
The protesters want a full public hearing on the proposed changes to the Off-Road Vehicle Act, which would prohibit children under 14 from operating dirtbikes, snowmobiles and ATVs.
Many of the protesters think the bill, waiting to be passed through its second reading, is being rushed through the House. They’d like to see the government send the bill to the Standing Committee on Law Amendments for public hearings.
Sounds good. I think the thousands of New Brunswickers who will be affected by the bill should have a chance to have their say. After all, with all the New Brunswickers on the other side of the world right now fighting for democracy, don’t you think we should have a little bit of it here at home?
Public Safety minister John Foran told the protesters the legislation is in front of the assembly and wouldn’t commit to sending it for full hearings.
Foran said after two ATV related deaths in New Brunswick in the fall, the amendments were to help protect kids.
“I want to keep New Brunswick safe for the children and the two we lost were two too many,” Foran said in a report.
The Opposition’s Public Safety critic said the proposed amendments were a clear sign of a government that believes it knows what’s best for its citizens.
“This move will hurt New Brunswick families who enjoy riding together and spending time together as a family,” MLA Wayne Steeves said in a report.
Steeves said the Tories believe in increased safety, training and awareness, but also believe the proposed law will turn law-abiding citizens into criminals.
You don’t have to go too far in Miramichi to see an ATV parked in someone’s dooryard. People use them for work and they use them for a pass time, a way to get their families out in nature for some good old-fashioned fun.
I think children should definitely have to ride age appropriate vehicles and be monitored by their parents who can teach them to be responsible and safe riders.
But I also think locking them out of this activity will create more problems in the long run than it prevents.
The obesity rates among young people in New Brunswick are astonishing. Far too many youngsters are chained to the couch as it is, playing video games and watching television. Now the government, in all its wisdom, wants to take a chunk of kids who are outdoors being active and say, sorry, come back when you’re older?
Why not just let kids be kids?
This is after all New Brunswick. Anyone who grew up on a farm in this province was probably driving a tractor long before they were legally old enough to drive a car.
ATVs are a part of the way we live, just as snowmobiles are in the winter. There are woods and streams and hills and valleys all over for youngsters to explore and have fun in.
ATVs are not toys, and kids should be taught that. ATVs can be dangerous, but so can bicycles, scissors and toasters. Do we want our young people growing up in bubbles, completely cut off from the real world?
Nobody wants to see children get hurt, but kids grow up and teaching them to operate machinery responsibly is a good idea that should be encouraged.
Imposing limits is one thing, but a total ban is a dumb idea.
Haven’t we got bigger fish to fry?
posted by Street Wise Guy | 6:07 PM
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