That’s not health promotion or protection

By Stephen Hawboldt

It is baffling as how the Health Promotion and Protection Department can justify their very significant subsidies to the all-terrain vehicle (ATVs) industry as promoting a healthy society. This past week, they bought mini ATVs so that kids as young as six can be trained to drive these machines.

To add insult to injury, NS is the only province to contribute to a study the industry is undertaking to show the healthy side of their activities. Since almost anything is provable by selecting the right information, one can be assured that this report will conclude that driving an ATV is major contributor to making Nova Scotians the healthiest people in Canada!

Rightly so, the medical community has expressed alarm and dissatisfaction with this purchase. One spokesperson noted that someone under 16 is five times more likely to be injured driving one of these low power mini ATVs than if an adult were driving the same machine.

The mandate of the department, according to their website is, “securing a healthier future for Nova Scotians.” Training children to drive a gas guzzling, polluting machine that is likely to cause them serious harm is not securing a healthier future for anyone.

According to a new story in the Chronicle, “the IWK Health Centre and some national doctors’ groups say children younger than 16 shouldn’t operate ATVs under any circumstances because they haven’t yet developed the appropriate judgment skills.” This passes for health promotion and protection in Nova Scotia.

It is also highly questionable how the department can justify investing millions of dollars into multi-use trails. If multi-use trails include ATVs and similar motorized machines, they will not be multi-use.

The ATVs and the like will completely dominate the use. It will become unsafe and unhealthy for citizens who want to cycle, jog or walk these trails to use them without constantly jumping aside and breathing engine exhaust.

The ATV manufacturers and sellers are the only ones who have an interest in these trails and teaching kids to drive starting at age six. It's sort of like smoking, if you start them young enough, they will be your customers, “until death do you part.”

The industry has managed to create a very vocal lobby that has more sound than substance. Unfortunately, the debate swirling around this topic is pitting neighbour against neighbour.

The underpinning of vibrant and healthy communities is good relations between neighbours. As was shown in the fires on the Eastern Shore last week, it is people helping people that makes for socially sustainable communities.

There is absolutely no rational for the Department of Health Promotion and Protection to be supporting this industry. These machines can hurt people, result in environmental damage and undermine core community values. This is not health promotion or protection.

Comments are always welcome and can be addressed to stephenhawboldt@annapolisriver.ca