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Bid for mandatory bicycle helmet law fails

WINNIPEG--Maybe a fourth time will be the charm for Liberal Kevin Lamoureux.
The MLA for Inkster saw his private member’s bill calling for a mandatory bicycle helmet law fail a third time in the Manitoba legislature Tuesday.
Lamoureux said he’ll re-introduce the bill a fourth time at the earliest opportunity, likely in the fall or early next year.
Lamoureux said a half-a-dozen provinces have their own bicycle helmet laws and that it’s wrong for Manitoba not to follow them.
"I’ll bring it back," he said. "I can’t believe all the other provinces are wrong."
Healthy Living Minister Kerri Irvin-Ross said during Tuesday’s debate the province wants to opt for an education campaign to encourage all cyclists to wear a helmet. The province also hands out free helmets to many low-income children.
Lamoureux’s bill would make helmet-use mandatory for all cyclists, but he said he’s open to changing it to make it mandatory for children under 16. Helmet laws in other provinces also mostly focus on children.
He said his goal is to eventually get his bill to the committee stage where presenters will have a better chance to persuade the province to see the merits in a mandatory bike helmet law.

 

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