Congratulations to the B.C. government for introducing legislation to regulate the use of off road vehicles. If passed, the Off Road Vehicle Act will require registration and licence plates for all quads, dirt bikes and snowmobiles. If passed, Saskatchewan will be the single province not requiring ATVs to be registered. Many off-road riding groups in B.C. are welcoming the new legislation because, among other things, it will aid police in tracking stolen off-road vehicles.
The question is, when will Yukon get ATV legislation? Must we always be at the tail end of legal developments? The Yukon government has been studying the issue since at least 1986, when a select committee of the legislature recommended restriction of ATVs from sensitive environments. Most recently, the Select Committee on the Safe Operation and Use of Off-road Vehicles was created in 2010. Public consultations were held but, despite overwhelming support among those who participated for legislation of some kind, the government has done nothing.
It’s time. Currie Dixon? Brad Cathers? When will off-road vehicle legislation be introduced in the Yukon legislature?
Lenore Morris
Whitehorse