Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The Department of Transportation has identified a number of required amendments to the Motor Vehicles Act that will increase highway safety and enable the department to implement new initiatives. Bill 60 addresses five general areas of amendment.
Validation stickers are now being completely phased out due to the introduction of online services in 2014. Validation stickers are no longer needed as clients can print their certificates of registration from the Internet. All references to validation stickers will be removed from the Motor Vehicles Act.
Abandoned and worthless vehicles across the Northwest Territories are an eyesore and have the potential to become public hazards. Proposed provisions in Bill 60 will allow the department to develop regulations to address this problem, including the processes and mechanisms to declare and dispose of abandoned vehicles.
In addition, the bill proposes to amend speeding offences such that penalties will be valued according to the driver’s actual number of kilometres over the speed limit.
Distracted driving continues to be a problem across Canada, including here in the NWT. Stiffer penalties are needed to deter this dangerous driving behaviour. The department is proposing to introduce administrative licence suspensions for second, third and fourth distracted driving offences in a two-year period. The duration of these suspensions would be 24 hours, 7 days and 30 days respectively. These licence suspensions would be administered in addition to the $322 fine.
The department is proposing a new offence for distracted driving in high foot traffic areas such as school zones and construction zones. The department would make the penalty for driving distracted in those zones higher than the current penalty for distracted driving. The term used in relation to distracted driving will also be defined.
Other amendments in the proposed bill provide for the clarification of processes in relation to drivers’ medicals, such as driver medical reporting requirements. These proposed provisions clarify the registrar’s authority and the responsibility of clerks in respect to medical fitness. Ensuring individuals are medically fit to drive is essential to public safety.
Finally, the proposed bill will improve readability and clarity of the Motor Vehicles Act; therefore, these amendments advance continue to improve road safety for all NWT residents and visitors to our territory. Thank you.