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City helmet bylaw imminent
Final vote on rules for cyclists, skateboarders under 18 likely to come at the end of next month

Cody Punter
Northern News Services
Published Friday, May 30, 2014

SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
The passing of a bylaw that would require youth under the age of 18 to wear a helmet when riding a bike, skateboard or a scooter is likely nothing more than a formality after just two councillors voted against it during its second reading at Monday's council meeting.

NNSL photo/graphic

Parents of the late Josh Hardy, Jackie and Ed, watch on as city Couns. Cory Vanthuyne, left takes part in a discussion on the merits of a helmet bylaw at a municipal services committee meeting May 20. Most of council spoke in favour of a law that will require cyclists under the age of 18 to wear a helmet during its second reading Monday. The bylaw is scheduled to receive its third and final reading on June 24. - Cody Punter/NNSL photo

Couns. Niels Konge and Cory Vanthuyne both voiced their opposition to the bylaw but their reasons for disagreeing with it came from opposite ends of the spectrum.

Konge said people should wear helmets and make sure their children wear them when they ride their bikes, but argued that responsibility should lie with parents rather than bylaw officers.

Konge said the city's bylaw would have the biggest impact on low-income families and would risk lowering the number of children riding bikes.

"I see this as the advent of the nanny state," he said. "This is really, frankly not the way to go."

Rather than criminalizing those who don't have helmets, he said the city should place more of an emphasis on educating people about the importance of wearing them. He also said trying to enforce the regulation would stretch the city's already limited bylaw resources.

"The amount of time and energy that we're going to spend in trying to enforce this won't reap the benefits," he said.

On the other hand, Vanthuyne said the bylaw didn't go far enough and introduced an amendment to have it apply to adults as well as youth.

"This is a bylaw that, if we're going to consider at all, needs to be for all ages," he said.

Several councillors, including Phil Moon Son and Bob Brooks, spoke in favour of having the bylaw apply to adults. However, neither was willing to second the amendment for fear that it would cause the bylaw to fail.

Both said they would like to see the bylaw extended to residents of all ages once "all the bugs had been worked out."

According to a recent Ipsos Reid survey conducted by the city, 84 per cent of the 800 Yellowknifers included supported a bike helmet law for youth under 18, while 65 per cent supported an all-age regulation.

Brooks argued that a helmet bylaw has been a long-time coming and that he has seen opposition to the idea slowly erode over the years in the same way it did for seat-belts and smoking bans.

"Unfortunately, some of the bylaws take a tragic turning point to move them ahead," added Brooks, referring to Josh Hardy, who died from head injuries sustained while skateboarding down a hill on the Frame Lake Trail in 2012.

Hardy was 18 at the time of the accident and as such would have been exempt from the bylaw as it is currently proposed.

If approved, the fine for not wearing a helmet will be $25, and will be given to the parent if the youth is under the age of 16.

The bylaw is scheduled to receive its third and final reading on June 24.

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