Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I spoke about Escooters in my Member's statement. And, really, the primary issue is about safety for the public and certainly safety for the people using the Escooters. I mean, their safety matters too. And I know one size doesn't fit all, Mr. Speaker, so I'm not assuming what policy in Yellowknife would fit Wrigley because that just doesn't make sense. We have to be practical.
So my question for the Minister of Infrastructure, who oversees the Motor Vehicle Act, is what can she do to bring in Escooters into some form of regulation? Thank you.
Thank you, Member from Yellowknife Centre. Minister of Infrastructure.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, like any other new matter, item, concern, question, safety issue, or otherwise, the process would be the same. Obviously, departments would consider often what's happening in other jurisdictions, could consult locally with municipalities, jurisdictions, regional governments to see what needs there may be.
In this particular instance there is, in fact, quite a number of jurisdictions who are struggling with the question of what to do appropriately to balance considerations for Escooters. And so the Canadian Council of Motor Transportation Administers and Transportation Canada have, in fact, struck a task force to look at this very question. And I can assure this House that the Northwest Territories will be participating. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. If things were only as easy as the stroke of a pen; sometimes they are, but most of the time they're not. Even in Alberta and I believe in BC, and even referenced by ICBC, which is their insurance agent or arm, they recognize Escooters as motor vehicles. That could be an adjustment in definition and a directive by the Minister through the department that they're further recognized and follow through with that tent. Is that something the Minister would be willing to examine in this short session we're having to have some action as we proceed into summer where we're really seeing the problem of people using Escooters when it's nice out. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, again, I had an expectation, given the Member's statement, that this was going to come up today and so I've already been engaging with the department about what the latest is, which is why I've assured that we'll be participating on a national level. But I can also say that in these short time since the Member's statement, I have actually had residents reach out to me and point out that, in their view, having an Escooter might be more safe to be able to be on bike lanes and to be able to use Escooters on the bike lane roadway as compared to relying on large vehicles, fossil fuel driven vehicles, providing alternative means of, you know, human motorized transportation, a healthier opportunity. So all of which is to say just when we think one thing is easy, it often doesn't prove to be quite so simple. So, again, we do want to look at what's happening in larger jurisdictions. It's quite common that smaller jurisdictions, not only ours, but others, will look to the larger ones, see what they're doing, try to avoid reinventing wheels, motorized or otherwise, and then try to strike the right balance when we go forward. So I'll certainly commit to going back and having that conversation where is this at nationally, what are we doing, where do we see ourselves fitting in. But as far as creating a timeline in the space of two to three weeks, that's overambitious. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I won't go at length, but I'll say section 246, we talk about how bicycles are clearly not allowed on sidewalks. Section 252, it says pedestrians must look both ways to cross the sidewalk. So, Mr. Speaker, we're regulating pedestrians for goodness sakes but we're allowing Escooters to proceed in a manner unregulated, which puts us at risk.
Mr. Speaker, my question back to the Minister is, is she willing to examine her authority as Minister to issue a directive to clarify the definition of "vehicle" and could she report that back to the House before the end of this very short session in the interest of public safety? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm happy to examine my authority in this regard. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Infrastructure. Oral questions. Member from Range Lake.
