Loose Moose Lawsuit Prompts Public Response

There has been a massive public response to the announcement of the moose vehicle collision class action on Tuesday.  The CBC website has had over 5,546 responses to the poll question, and close to 440 posted comments.  This is one measure of public interest in the issue.

One-third of those casting a vote on the CBC website either support the lawsuit or think the government should be doing more to control the moose menace.  Most of these votes were cast as a reaction to the simple news that there was a lawsuit on the moose issue, without knowing anything more about the reasons for it.

When one-third of respondents think that the government is falling down on an issue which grips most of the population of the island of Newfoundland, then the government had better pay attention.  The class action represents people injured due to past government neglect, but it also represents all of us who use the highways and who do so responsibly and safety.  If government treats residents like the enemy, then residents of the province may just get angry and let them know that they aren't going to take it anymore!

Newfoundlanders would have good reason to get angry about the government's failure to act on the moose vehicle collision issue.  Just this afternoon, I received an email from a consultant to the Department of Transport in Quebec, who says that he has been involved in the installation of over 61 kilometres of high-metallic moose fencing in prime moose habitat north and east of Quebec City.  He says:

The positive effect on reducing MVC and saving lives and long-term injuries has been tremendous in just 2 years. We know the problem and the way to solve it while maintaining connectivity between habitats on both sides.

So if you're apathetic and fatalistic and think that nothing can be done to control the burgeoning moose menace, then the Moose Vehicle Collision class action is not for you!