SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - A high school group centring around safe driving feels slighted by the GNWT after it was not made aware of a hearing last month to amend the Motor Vehicles Act.

Michele Thoms, a St. Patrick High School teacher and adviser for Students Against Drinking and Driving and society student president Mallory Beland were upset they did not hear about a public hearing on Bill 16 late last month. - Katherine Hudson/NNSL photo

The St. Patrick High School group Students Against Drinking and Driving - the only chapter currently in the NWT - aims to raise awareness about safe driving, whether it's the dangers of drinking and driving, or taking one's eyes off the road to send a text or make a call on a cellphone.

However, members of the group were disappointed to have missed a public hearing held by the Standing Committee on Economic Development and Infrastructure on Bill 16, an act to amend the Motor Vehicles Act.

The bill has passed second reading, and third reading is expected to take place when the legislative assembly reconvenes in August. The amendments to the act address distracted driving and support efforts to improve road safety, while proposing to increase fines to $2,000 from $1,000 for failing to report collisions, as well as restricting use of handheld electronic devices such as cellphones and music players while driving.

Michele Thoms, a teacher at St. Patrick High School and adviser for the SADD group, said they are very interested in the legislation and she wished there had been more of a heads-up about the hearing.

There was a notification in News/North four days before the hearing took place, but she said the group was unaware of the meeting and missed it.

"It would be nice if interested groups were given the heads up as well. It was an opportunity for my kids to get exposed to the legislative process and how it works and they missed out on that as well," she said.

Thoms said when the legislative assembly goes through the bill clause by clause, the group will be there to make their presence known.

Jessica Fournier, public affairs intern for the legislative assembly, said announcements of public hearings usually appear in the paper or are broadcast on the radio at least a week before a hearing occurs.

"This one was at the very end of session and the bill wasn't even referred by the standing committee until the second last day. There was really not enough time to get any print ads in with the deadline for papers," said Fournier.

She said the public service announcements state individuals or groups may send in written submissions if they miss the hearing.

"They can still contribute to it as much as they want to," she said. "There are possibly other public hearings on these bills to come."

Transportation Minister Michael McLeod was on hand at the public hearing to answer questions from the standing committee.

"We will be joining 11 other Canadian jurisdictions in prohibiting the use of handheld electronic devices while driving," he said.

On June 6, New Brunswick became the latest Canadian province to outlaw using the devices while driving, leaving the NWT and Nunavut the only Canadian jurisdictions without such a law. McLeod said the proposed change to legislation has received support from the enforcement community and municipalities.

Frame Lake MLA Wendy Bisaro asked if the government would financially support the establishment of other SADD chapters in the NWT, to which the deputy minister of transportation, Russell Neudorf, said the department would "love to."

"Our contributions are relatively limited, but (SADD) can very forcefully provide the same messages that we're trying to do and they do it very well so we would find some money to support them."

There have been SADD organizations in Fort Simpson and Fort Smith in the past, according to Thoms, but the groups dissolved when their leaders left the communities.

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