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MLAs support soccer net regulation

The legislative assembly unanimously passed a motion this week to regulate moveable sports nets in the territory.

The legislative assembly unanimously passed a motion this week to regulate moveable sports nets in the territory.

Five-year-old Jaedyn Amann-Hicks died this summer when a collapsable soccer net in a Watson Lake school yard fell on her head.

Since then, the community has been calling for action to ensure a similar tragedy does not happen again.

Watson Lake MLA Patti McLeod put the motion forward to the assembly.

Members from all parties spoke in favour of the motion.

NDP MLA Jim Tredger took the opportunity to question the government for the lack of a comprehensive risk management plan.

“As part of the strategic planning process, the Department of Education should develop an integrated risk-management plan that identifies and assesses the key risks the department faces and the measures it will use to mitigate these risks,” he quoted from a 2009 auditor general’s report.

Indeed, an access-to-information request by the News following Amann-Hicks’ death failed to come up with any records of inspections of sports and playground equipment in Watson Lake.

Education Minister Scott Kent noted that playground risk management is a specialized field, but the territory is “intent on completing those risk assessments for all school grounds in the Yukon as soon as we possibly can.”

“Highways and Public Works is hiring a consultant to conduct a full inspection of all playground equipment in the spring of 2013, and will address any deficiencies that are found, along with what we do now,” added Public Works Minister Wade Itschenko.