It appears that amateur radio operation in moving vehicles in the province of British Columbia will be exempted from proposed distracted driving legislation expected to be introduced soon. Amateurs in B.C. contacted local MLA’s and lobbied agencies and other government organizations helped by ham radio to speak on behalf of the benefits of the amateur radio service. Significant support for amateur radio came from Emergency Management BC, PEP, and many other organizations that are supported by amateur radio.
Bill Gipps, VE7XS, director, BC & YK, Radio Amateurs of Canada credits the BC hams professionalism and dedication to the hobby as a key component in winning this exemption.
Hi Peter,
Thanks for sharing this news, and my congrats to our brethren in BC! At the same time, this news leaves me a little bitter. What a shame that hams in each and every province/territory have to fight this battle, over and over again! I know this is the very nature of our federalism, but it seems ridiculous that we will now have a different set of rules for hams in every jurisdiction across the country! The real problem here is that every province wants to do its own thing…how much simpler would it have been if the Ontario legislators had simply looked east to Quebec when formulating our own legislation, and if BC had then looked to Ontario and Quebec without “reinventing the wheel”? Now we have another province where hams are exempt. Anyway, it just seems downright silly.
On the plus side, this is ammunition we could use to argue for a permanent exemption in Ontario.
73
Joe, VE3LNU
Great news.
Seasons greetings from me and mine to you and yours.
it appears they got their exemption. Well done to BC….
http://www.pssg.gov.bc.ca/osmv/publications/docs/electronic-devices-while-driving-info.pdf
I am wondering why Ontario Drivers are so much more dangerous…
73bob
http://www.pssg.gov.bc.ca/osmv/publications/index.htm.
This is the BC website that has all the details on BC’s new driving laws, starting on Jan.1st., 2010. Amateurs are fully exempted in that bill.
Ontario should also be fully exempted in the same manner.
73 Wayne.
Here’s Saskatchewan’s webite showing hand-held mikes are allowed in there driving bill as well, as of Jan.. 1st., 2010.
We have to continue to fight for our rights to use Hand-held mikes in our mobiles, on Ontario roadways. Don’t give up fighting fellow amateurs.
http://www.gov.sk.ca/news?newsId=eed1e21c-a947-446f-9ea2-994224bfd17e
73 Wayne
From what’s currently published:
http://www.bclaws.ca/Recon/document/freeside/–%20m%20–/motor%20vehicle%20act%20%20rsbc%201996%20%20c.%20318/05_regulations/35_308_2009.xml and http://www.leg.bc.ca/39th1st/1st_read/gov15-1.htm, I see nothing in there about 2-way mobile tranceivers, despite them being listed in the “handy pdf” guide that va3qv posted…
tbh, I’d hoped for an exemption to the whole act, under s214.5, since changing stations on my mobile takes as little attention as tweaking my GPS while driving would.