Snowmachine safety concerns residents
Terry Halifax
Northern News Services
Fort Resolution (Feb 05/01) - An invasion of new, high-powered snowmobiles in Fort Resolution has residents upset with noise pollution and concerns for public safety.
"We've had a Skidoo accident every year here we have to do something," one resident said at a meeting where residents spoke about the problem last week.
Fred Lafferty was crippled for life in 1996, when a snowmobile hit him while he was out walking.
"Are we going to wait 'till somebody gets killed," Lafferty asked.
Many of the new machines were financed with $3,000 grants from the $3,000 from the Aboriginal Harvesters Committee.
Police have received numerous complaints about snowmobiles crossing private property, people operating while intoxicated and children operating the machines.
"That money was supposed to be for trappers and here they are using it as toys for kids," another resident complained.
RCMP Const.. Bill Wilcox said the police are limited by the law and hampered by a lack of community cooperation.
"The snowmobile regulations in Fort Resolution don't have a lot of teeth to them," Wilcox said.
"We've tried to do it with verbal warnings, we've tried to do it by going out and talking to people and it's not working."
The territorial All Terrain Vehicle Act requires that operators must be over 16, carry $35,000 in liability insurance. The machines must have adequate brakes and lights.
Richard Simon, the settlement's mayor, said there is little the council can do. The community does not have power to write bylaws.
RCMP are enforcing a 10:00 p.m. curfew and a 25 km per hour speed limit as well as doing snowmobile patrols, but offenders try to outrun the police.
"When they see it's the RCMP trying to stop them, the first thing they do is take off," he said. "They've got some pretty big machines and they want to instigate a chase."
Wilcox said RCMP have clear guidelines about high speed pursuits: unless it's a serious matter they will not give chase.
"There's no way to stop a Skidoo other than run them off the road and we're not prepared to do that," Wilcox said.
The RCMP is asking for the public's help in identifying the illegal operators.
Wilcox warned that parents could be ticketed for the illegal acts of children under 12 years old and could also be held responsible for any damages.
"Who is giving them the keys to that machine," Wilcox asked.
"Parents have to take some responsibility for this."
