Car disposal fee expected in future
Territorial import fee will help hamlets send end-of-life vehicles south
Michele LeTourneau
Northern News Services
Monday, October 17, 2016
IQALUIT
The Government of Nunavut is looking to roll out new legislation to stem the pile-up of end-of life vehicles across the territory, Iqaluit city council heard Oct. 11. The GN plans to apply a fee upon vehicle registration.
From left, Claudio Russo, Cody Alureak, Arnold Anoee, Ed Weirsma, Jenn Court, Hallauk Karetak and Nathan Amaradjuak were among the Arviat team trained with Summerhill Impact's Tundra Take-Back program to de-pollute and remove vehicles. The program ended due to lack of funding, but now the Government of Nunavut is ready to establish an import fee to help hamlets pay to ship cars out again. - photo courtesy of Summerhill Impact |
"The new act will provide for regulation-making powers to impose an end-of-life vehicle fee," said director of transportation, policy and planning Art Stewart, addressing one of the changes to the Motor Vehicles Act that will be presented when the legislative assembly sits this month. "(A fee) will assist communities with the removal of end-of-life vehicles. The removal of end-of-life vehicles is very costly."
The Motor Vehicles Act has not been updated since 1999. The territory inherited the Northwest Territories' Act when Nunavut was formed.
Updating the legislation is only the first step. As the revisions make their way to law, which may take up to two sittings of the legislature, the department will be consulting communities and working on regulations.
Stewart said while the department would be doing its own analysis on what fee to charge, based on the cost of removing a vehicle from the territory, it will consider the City of Iqaluit's own substantial research.
"The initial analysis prepared by the city that determined a levy of $1,080 seems to be very fair," he said. "Our proposed levy wouldn't deviate too far from that."
The territory-wide program would see the fee assessed at the time of vehicle registration with the department's motor vehicles branch, and the monies would be turned over to community funds to remove the vehicles.
The cost would likely be split over a five-year period, so the full $1,080 wouldn't have to be paid in one go. However, unpaid fees could lead to registration being revoked, he said.
Coun. Simon Nattaq and Coun. Joanasie Akumalik asked if there might be consideration given to disabled drivers or elders. Stewart said such details would be considered after consultations with communities.
"There may be exceptions," he said.
Councillors also pointed out this new levy would not deal with cars currently abandoned on properties and roads, or those already in the landfill.
"People should be responsible for when their vehicles are ready to be trashed, but I don't think $1080 is unreasonable for new vehicles," said Coun. Terry Dobbin.
Stewart was unable to predict how long the process might take.
"To be honest, we do have a lot of work to do on the regulations and obviously we're not going to satisfy all of the communities and all of the drivers," he said.
