Lack of Interest in Mediation Frustrates Many

The judge has agreed to certify the moose vehicle collision class action, but the government shows no sign of being interested in tackling the traffic safety problem, or in settling the claims of the dozens of people in the class who were hospitalized for their injuries - not to mention the 10 who were killed.  The frustration that many Newfoundlanders feel has been well expressed by Stuart Pearce in a recent letter to the Editor.

Dear editor,

I would like to address an issue that is very dear to my heart, and that of my fellow Newfoundlanders. As acting chairperson of the Save Our People Action Committee (SOPAC) our mission is to reduce and prevent future Moose/Vehicle accidents. The untold suffering, death, carnage, and cost to all the drivers, working people, such as myself, who has to pay very high insurance rates just to be on the road and has been footing the bill due to moose that can be very easily removed from our highways at far less the cost than the cost of just "one" accident.

That cost is around two hundred thousand dollars just to the first responders on the scene who are sickened at what they find at a Moose/Vehicle accident that could have and should have been prevented in the first place.
 
But the reason for my letter is that our town council did not endorse our recommendations. Removing the moose that live near our highways would solve the problems of all accidents with moose to say the least. Fence key areas that are known problem areas and if this current government won't do this may I remind them that the Government in New Brunswick was changed during an election.
 
Installing fencing to control moose has reduced the accident rate to zero in the controlled areas in New Brunswick. It is a great start to the problem that we have in our province which has more wealth than New Brunswick will ever have.
 
Furthermore, our committee and I are deeply offended and sickened that our mayor and council have ignored reasonable and proven methods that work. As per the letter sent to our committee from the town and on their lack of support: as usual they have suggested slow down, cut more brush, and increase more moose licences. We have already put forward those ideas years ago and it was a foregone conclusion that the province would never increase your hunting success rate, as they were afraid it would affect their bottom line.
 
And there, folks is the whole problem - the bottom line. The loss of a loved one does not even enter their minds but you pay the bills when someone gets hurt or killed because of their moose.
 
So I would really hate to wake up one day and hear the headline, a bus full of kids were killed trying to avoid a moose collision. But guess what. This is a constant complaint of many bus operators in our province that has been brought to our attention very close calls that almost ended in this manner.
 
So my question to our mayor and council is as follows. Are you willing to wait for that awful day when such a sick reality is just around the corner.

Sickened to my core,
Stuart Pearce,
Co-chair of SOPAC

Stuart could also mention that the root cause of the moose vehicle safety problem is too many moose!  A reduction in the motor vehicle collision rate starts with a reduction in the number of moose - a moose cull!

More on this soon.