Abandoned vehicle fee eyed
Laws governing mobile phone use while driving also expected this year
Casey Lessard
Northern News Services
Monday, June 13, 2016
NUNAVUT
Pushed by a series of resolutions by the Nunavut Association of Municipalities, the Government of Nunavut is considering, among other things, charging an import fee for all vehicles to cover costs affiliated with disposing them when they are abandoned.
"These revenues could provide the financial basis for programs designed to ensure the proper management or removal of end-of-life vehicles," the government stated in written responses filed with the legislative assembly May 30.
The Nunavut Association of Municipalities (NAM) called on the Government of Nunavut and the Department of Economic Development and Transportation to create a licence or tax to collect the funds required to remove derelict vehicles from Nunavut.
The GN is working on amending the Motor Vehicles Act this year, and is considering collecting the fee on the territorial level, "although it is important to emphasize that the development of such a program will include consultation with various stakeholders - including Nunavut's municipal governments," the response stated.
The responses were filed after Iqaluit-Niaqunnguu MLA Pat Angnakak on March 16 requested a written response to the resolutions adopted by NAM at its 2014 and 2015 annual general meetings.
"We know that all the vehicles that come up to Nunavut, very few, if any, ever leave Nunavut," Community and Government Services Minister Joe Saviqataaq told the legislature May 30. "We are trying to come up with a solution that's practical, feasible and affordable to deal with the many issues of landfills. The landfills in all the communities are almost getting to capacity and this problem is not going away, so we are going to deal with it. We just have to deal with it in a practical, sensible and affordable way."
Meanwhile, the government has no plans to start enforcing and collecting fines and court-ordered payments, money that should be going to the municipalities, according to the NAM resolution.
"The enforcement and collection of fines and court-ordered payments in Nunavut is a longstanding and complicated issue that involves all levels of government: municipal, territorial and federal," the government stated in its response. "The Department of Justice continues its policy review of the matter, which may also require legislative changes. There is no timeline for any such changes at this time."
Nunavut drivers can also expect changes to address the fact that Nunavut is one of the last places in Canada one can drive while using a cellphone or other hand-held device. NAM called for a crackdown on distracted driving.
"The amendments to the Motor Vehicles Act will include provisions to address the problem of distracted driving, including the use of hand-held electronic devices while driving," the government promised in its response.
NAM members also called on the GN to pave Nunavut's roads. That's not going to happen, the response indicated, due to the extreme cost.
The government did point to the success of a rock-crushing project that would help another NAM demand that more hamlets get gravel crushers and compactors. Funding has helped three hamlets start a de facto rock-crushing business.
"Community and Government Services provided capital contribution agreements for equipment and for training and the hamlets have successfully operated and produced granular material," the government response stated. "The hamlet sells the material and all money earned is put back into the program for operation and maintenance costs, making the programs sustainable."
Nunavut's municipalities would also like to see more money from the GN, putting the pressure on the territory to find the funds. The government is working on it, according to its response.
"We have started the review process and are on target to complete the review in the next fiscal year 2016/2017 with input from municipalities through the working group established," the response stated, noting it is on track to meet a three-to-five-year target following the last review in 2013.
