How Much Did David Hoar's Consultant Report on Use of Mixed Tires Cost the Taxpayer? We Still Don't Know Despite Right To Information Request from Three Months Ago

It's been nearly three months since we made a request under the Right to Information Act asking for the cost of the engineering consultant's report which recommended mixed tires on 21 passenger Multi Function Activity Vehicles (MFAVs). Click here to read our January 5, 2010 letter to both Minister Roland Hache and Minister Denis Landry for information about the payments made to David Hoar. Click here to read David Hoar's Consultant report (PDF format) and our posting on the issue dated November 27, 2009.

The report by David Hoar of Fredericton-based, Motion Design Inc., was all the province of New Brunswick had to cling to when it insisted mixed tires were best for these type of vehicles. Meantime, we had 14 tire experts from across Canada, including Nigel Mortimer of Transport Canada and John Mahler of Wheels.ca, who disagreed with Mr. Hoar, but Ministers Hache and Landry refused to budge, putting all their faith in one consultant from Fredericton.

We all know what happened to Mr. Hoar's report - it was trashed when Transport Canada announced on February 23, 2010, that it had conducted winter tire tests and recommended only winter tires on these type of vehicles (something it had been saying to the Minister of Education and Transportation since November 2009).

Meantime, we're still waiting for an answer from Ministers Roland Hache and Denis Landry for an answer to our question about how much David Hoar charged the taxpayer for his consultant report which recommended mixed tires on the 21 passenger MFAVs.

It's been four months since he issued the report so surely, by now, he's billed the government for the work. With year end approaching (March 31), the Department of Transportation and / or Education will surely be asking him for the invoice if he hasn't submitted it already.

We have a feeling that Mr. Hoar's work will closely match the $5000 the province ended up shelling out for the new winter tires which it so vehemently objected to from October 2009 - when we found out that the Bathurst High School 21 passenger MFAV was outfitted with mixed tires - until February 23, 2010. That's when Transport Canada proved Mr. Hoar wrong with its scientific testing, closely followed by our testing at Continental Tires in Michigan which further supported the view that winter tires were best on these vehicles.

When we find out how much David Hoar was paid, we'll be posting it on this site.

Another Right to Information Request about Who Knew What and When

New Brunswick provincial cabinet ministers, Denis Landry (middle) and Roland Hache (right) in a photograph taken in September, 2009. Landry and Hache denied to the Bathurst mothers and the media that they knew anything about Transport Canada's testing of winter tires on 21 passenger MFAVs.

We'll also be posting the results of another Right to Information Request about "who" in the Department of Transportation and Education knew "what" and "when" about Transport Canada's winter tire tests the week of February 15-19, 2010.

(Click here to see our March 4, 2010 posting on this "Did Ministers Delay Announcement by Five Days? Right to Information Request, This Time About Who Knew What and When")

We have a feeling that both Ministers Hache and Landry did know the tests had taken place even though they told the media they did not. It suuuuuurrrree looked suspicious to us that we only found out about the Transport Canada tests on February 23, 2010, about 15 minutes after we arrived at our hotel in Michigan where we had privately arranged winter tire tests at Continental Tires for the next day.

The Ministers of Education and Transportation knew for nearly two months that we were going to Michigan, especially after Minister Landry refused to conduct winter tire tests in New Brunswick, we felt we had no choice because the Department of Education was still using these vehicles with untested tires to transport children to extra curricular activities. With winter just settling into the province, we were very concerned about childrens' safety so time was of the essence. Our trip was well publicized and the Ministers knew exactly what we were doing because we kept them well informed.

So Ministers Landry and Hache, please don't humiliate yourselves by saying it was a "coincidence" that you just happened to release the news about Transport Canada's winter tire tests 15 minutes after we arrived in Michigan. We know better and so does the public.

It reminds us of that old saying:

You can fool some of the people, some of the time.
You can even fool all of the people, some of the time.
But you can't fool all of the people all of the time.

Premier Shawn Graham Says in NB Legislature that he "Stood By" Bathurst Families

We were informed today that Shawn Graham, the Premier of New Brunswick, got up in the Legislature and said that he "stood by" the Bathurst families of the boys who were killed in the tragedy of January 12, 2008.

He "stood by" all right. He "stood by" and did nothing.

Whatever prompted him to say that he "stood by" the Bathurst families is beyond our knowledge, because he has never "stood by" us. The only thing we ever got from the Premier of NB and his Ministers of Transportation, Education and Public Safety is deny, defend, delay, and deflect.

One time, we phoned his office and were told that the Premier "doesn't just talk to anyone you know." So much for "standing by" us then. He couldn't even take time out for a call. I guess we're not important enough but when he wants to score political points in the legislature our sons are suddenly important to him.

If Premier Graham really "stood by" we families, why does he refuse to implement the last two recommendations of the Coroners Inquest into the the death of our sons, especially the one that says Class 2 Drivers should be behind the wheel of 21 passenger Multi Function Activity Vehicles used by the Department of Education to transport children to extra curricular activities.?

If he really "stood by" we families, why has our Premier never responded to a single letter we have written to him in the past year and a half since we started asking questions about the Coroners Inquest and recently, the use of mixed tires on 21 passenger MFAVs.

Until he implements the last two recommendations of the Coroners Inquest, all his words mean nothing and are just add another insult to a long list of insults we've had to put up with under the leadership of Shawn Graham.

Tim Hogan Do Not Make This Film: N.B. film company considers Bathurst story

Dream Street Pictures Inc. says it is in preliminary stages of inspirational 'Boys in Red' film

Published Thursday March 25th, 2010

Click here to read original article in the Moncton Times Transcript

C4By Yvon Gauvin
Times & Transcript staff

A Moncton-based film and television company is considering producing an inspirational movie recounting how the Bathurst high school basketball team rose from devastation last year to capture the provincial championship trophy.

Dream Street Pictures Inc. producer Rick LeGuerrier said this week the company hasn't decided yet on whether or not to make the movie. It's still very much in the preliminary stages, he said, with more work and research needed before any final decision.

The Bathurst High Phantom boys basketball team lost seven members in a tragic highway crash outside Bathurst on Jan. 12, 2008.

A school teacher, the wife of the team's coach, was also killed.

The school was able to rebuild the team the following season and went on to win the 2009 AA provincial championships.

LeGuerrier said Dream Street Pictures produces movies with uplifting, inspiring stories, for example, the dramatic hockey mini-series Canada Russia '72 and the compelling, heart-warming movie Sticks & Stones which follows a 12-year-old Canadian hockey player's battle against the odds to organize a friendship hockey series and amend the poor treatment some U.S. players had received in Canada the previous year.

The Bathurst movie, if produced, would focus on the courage and determination of the basketball team, coaching staff and community after such a devastating loss.

Three Bathurst women, mothers of teenagers killed in the 2008 crash, don't want any New Brunswick taxpayers' money invested in any production surrounding the crash.

The women, Isabelle Hains, Marcella Kelly and Ana Acevedo, are upset that the provincial government hasn't implemented all of the recommendations from a coroner's inquest last spring into the crash, which included ensuring that all drivers of passenger vans used by school districts for extra-curricular activities have a Class 2 yellow school bus license.

The province cited lack of funds for not implementing all of the recommendations, they said.

It would be an "insult" to the memory of the dead teenagers if the province invested money in the company through Film NB while claiming they do not have enough funds to fulfill the recommendations from the inquest, said Kelly.

"We're letting it be known that we will do everything in our power to prevent Film NB from funding this project," said Hains.

Acevedo pointed out there are only 14 of these multi-passenger vans in the education department's fleet.

"How many unionized, Class 2 bus drivers could $250,000 put behind the wheels of one of these vehicles that are driving children to extra-curricular events?" she asked. "If the province funds this film, then we will know where its priorities are, and it's not in the safety of children," she said.

Dream Street Pictures Do Not Make This Movie: Bathurst moms don't want government money to fund proposed movie project

Film: Moncton-based production company researching possible made-for-TV project

Published Tuesday March 23rd, 2010

A5Jennifer Pritchett
Telegraph-Journal

Click here to read original article in the Telegraph Journal

A group of Bathurst mothers whose sons were among seven youths killed in a school van crash two years ago say they'll do everything in their power to stop a Moncton-based film company from receiving taxpayer funding to make a movie about the tragedy.

While the women find the whole concept for a film that touches on their own personal loss to be insensitive and distasteful, they are most upset about the notion that Dream Street Pictures may get public money to do it.

Marcella Kelly, whose 15-year-old son Nikki was one of those who died, said it would be wrong if the film company receives taxpayer dollars to make a movie when the province has cited finances as the reason for not implementing a coroner's inquest recommendation last year to require drivers of vehicles for school extra-curricular activities to have a Class 2 driver's licence.

"If they can afford to give $250,000 for a film, they can afford to implement the coroner's recommendations," she said. "That public money could be used elsewhere for children's safety."

Film New Brunswick offers financial incentives, the maximum of which is $250,000, for the local movie industry.

Dream Street Pictures lists Film New Brunswick as one of its partners on its website and has received funding from the agency in the past, but hasn't yet applied for funding to tell the Bathurst story, according to Elizabeth Joubert, spokeswoman for the department of Wellness, Culture and Sport, which oversees the agency.

"We didn't get any applications in that regard and so, we don't have any involvement in this project," she said.

Rick LeGuerrier, producer and co-owner of Dream Street Pictures, an independent production company, said his firm is in the early stages of researching a movie about the Bathurst sports team that went on to win the provincial championship after seven members of the previous year's team were killed in a horrific motor vehicle crash.

"This is a very early process where we're in a research mode looking at the possibility of making a movie about the championship run of the BHS basketball team last year," he said.

LeGuerrier said this project is one of many that are being researched across Canada currently for Canadian broadcasters and "many of them get developed and very few of them get made." He was reluctant to speak more about the project until it moves forward.

"We're researching this as a television movie that could potentially be made for the CBC if it were to go forward," he said.

LeGuerrier said his company hasn't applied for provincial funding and declined to comment on whether it plans to do so.

"There's no provincial funding involved at this point," he said.

He describes the story of the team's win in the face of human tragedy as an "inspiring" and "uplifting" one. He said he had no comment on "what anyone else has to say" about the research his firm is doing.

Isabelle Hains, whose 17-year-old son Daniel died in the crash, finds it disturbing that the production company is contemplating the idea of telling an "uplifting" story that's connected to the tragedy.

"I'm against it," she said. "Our children were killed in an unfit vehicle with bald tires in bad weather. They want to make a movie about children who came together afterward. This is just not about that."

Hains said you can't tell the story about the victory without telling the story about the boys who died in the crash.

"You can't tell one without the other," she said. "It's not a feel-good movie. I'm not sure if it's too soon or whether it should never be done."

Hains is also bothered by the fact that an independent production company will make a profit by telling a story that's so closely associated with the death of her son and six others.

"I'm going to fight this, if they pursue it, in every way I can," she said.

Bathurst Mothers Want Province to Reject Request for Funding from Dream Street Pictures

Three Bathurst mothers whose sons were killed in a tragic 15 passenger van collision two years ago are vowing to put up a fight if Dream Street Pictures of Moncton gets funding from Film NB to produce a film about the Bathurst tragedy.

Isabelle Hains, Marcella Kelly and Ana Acevedo say commercial film producers in New Brunswick have access to funding from Film NB, which offers a variety of incentives up to $250,000 or more.

"We have been told that Film NB is the 'only game in town' when it comes to funding film in New Brunswick," says Isabelle Hains, whose 17 year-old son Daniel was killed along with six other members of the Bathurst High School Phantoms basketball team. "And we're letting it be known that we will do everything in our power to prevent Film NB from funding this project."

Marcella Kelly's 15 year-old son Nikki was also killed in the Bathurst tragedy. She says it would be an “insult to the memory of her son” if the province of New Brunswick gives Dream Street $250,000 while citing “finances" as the reason for refusing to implement last May's Coroners Jury recommendation to have unionized, Class 2 Drivers behind the wheel of 21 passenger vehicles used by the Department of Education.

"There are only 14 MFAVs in the provincial fleet," says Ana Acevedo, whose 17 year-old son Javier was killed in the collision. "How many unionized, Class 2 bus drivers could $250,000 put behind the wheels of one of these vehicles that are driving children to extra-curricular events? If the province funds this film, then we will know where its priorities are, and it's not in the safety of children," Acevedo said.

The mothers say they had to fight for $5000 worth of winter tires to put on the 21 passenger MFAVs in the provincial fleet and now the province could potentially give $250,000 to Dream Street Pictures through Film NB.

"The province says it doesn't have money for children's safety but when it comes to funding films, they seem to have plenty," said Isabelle Hains.

The three mothers have known since February that Dream Street Pictures has been planning a film about the Bathurst High School Phantoms basketball team and its successful run for the Double A Provincial Basketball championship last year. All three contacted Tim Hogan, producer with Dream Street, and Rick LeGuerrier, to voice their objections but the producers seemed unmoved by their concerns.

"They told us that the movie will not focus on the tragedy or the deaths of their sons," says Marcella Kelly, "But there is no story without the tragedy and we do not want our sons deaths being exploited for profit by a television producer," she said.

"It would be one thing if the profits were going to promote road safety or to pay for Class 2 Drivers," says Isabelle Hains. "But we know that there will be no benefit for anyone in this film except Dream Street and we intend to make sure that the province does not give them one red cent."

CBC: Film on Bathurst basketball team planned: Mother of victim opposes TV movie production

See what we think about this about this movie idea.

Click here to read original article on CBC website

Last Updated: Friday, March 19, 2010

A Moncton, N.B., film production company hopes to make a TV movie about the Bathurst High School basketball team's 2009 championship win, achieved a year after the school was shaken by a van crash that killed eight people.

The boys team won the New Brunswick Interscholastic Athletic Association championship in 2009, a year after the highway collision killed seven members of the previous year's team and their coach's wife.

Tim Hogan, president of Moncton's Dream Street Pictures, said the movie wouldn't focus on the crash but on the young team that courageously emerged from the tragedy.

"To come from where they have come from and be able to pull of a championship is an amazing story and very inspirational," Hogan said.

Hogan, originally from Bathurst, said the feat engineered by the basketball players and coaches was "incredible."

Hogan said the movie is just an idea right now and the production is a long way from being a done deal.

He said his company will consult with the community and approach the story respectfully.

Mother upset

Ana Acevedo (left) said she's upset that a television movie is being planned on the Bathurst High School basketball team. (Andrew Vaughn/Canadian Press)But for Ana Acevedo, who lost her son Javier in the crash, she said the idea of making a movie out of the accident and the triumph of the next year's team is upsetting.

"It's time for them to leave us in peace. We need to heal ourselves and we need to move ahead a little bit. But with them coming back with those activities, we can't do it," Acevedo said.

"They keep throwing it back for anything, but to me there is no story. Without what happened, there is no story. There is no grounds for a movie."

Acevedo has spoken out many times since her son's death, criticizing the New Brunswick government and the school district for what she says were unsafe travel practices.

The team's 15-passenger van collided with a transport truck on Jan. 12, 2008, near the exit to Bathurst. The accident sparked a coroner's inquest in 2009 that came back with 24 recommendations to improve the safety of students being transported to extracurricular events, especially during the winter.

Dream Street Pictures is working with the CBC on the TV movie idea. The broadcaster works with hundreds of production companies to develop ideas for programs, but only a few go into production.

Isabelle Hains Speaks About Winter Tire Testing in Michigan and Gives Some Advice to the Politicians

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=De-KzUhvluY

Professional Video of Winter Tire Tests on 21 Passenger MFAV

Click here for URL http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=De0Uo6pvttE to video on YouTube

Toronto Star's Wheels.ca: Moms' safety crusade pays off

N.B. tightens rules as mothers of killed teens arrange test proving winter tires' importance

Mar 06, 2010 by John Mahler Special to the Star, Wheels.ca

BRIMLEY, MICH.–On a crisp, cold day last week, Isabelle Hains, Ana Acevedo and Marcella Kelly stood on the hard-packed snow of the vast Continental Tire testing grounds here, near Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., and watched as a bright yellow school minibus came to a full ABS emergency stop in a lane of traffic cones.

In this photo, all seasons on front, winters on rear. The obstacle represents where the same bus outfitted with six winter tires on all four axles had stopped. Photo by John Mahler, February 24, 2010, Continental Tires Testing Facility, near Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan.

Without winter tires on the front axle, the bus can't stop in the same distance. In this photo, all seasons on front, winters on rear. Photo by John Mahler, February 24, 2010, Continental Tires Testing Facility, near Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan.

Continental's chief test driver, Baldemar Carmona, was putting the bus through its paces to show the women what was possible for a minibus properly equipped with winter tires.

Videos of individual minibus tire tests.

The three women lost sons in a crash between a school van and a transport truck in January 2008 outside Bathurst, N.B. Seven young men and one adult were killed.

This extraordinary tire test was to prove to the New Brunswick government's departments of education and transportation that if winter tires are fitted to a vehicle, they must be fitted to all wheel positions. And that winter tires on all four wheels work much better than a mixed tire set-up.

After the inquest into the crash that killed the young men, New Brunswick passed a law requiring winter tires on all school vehicles. However, it excluded multi-function activity vehicles, or MFAVs, the kind of buses that take children to after-school activities.

An MFAV is a yellow school minibus painted white and lacking the extendable stop sign. That the province's education department allowed winter tires on the rear and all-seasons on the front was a tragically wrong decision – and now, for the first time, there's proof.

As it happens, the day before the tests, the New Brunswick government announced it was changing the regulation to mandate winter tires all round on minibuses. Score a victory for the women (see accompanying story).

Meanwhile, Carmona and his crew had worked from 6 p.m. to 3 a.m. the night before the tire tests, doing endless reruns with the bus loaded with instruments to provide measurements down to centimetres. They tested every tire combination along with a set of control tires. The data were irrefutable: using winter tires at all positions was the safest practice by a huge margin.

"We have to have all this data," explained Jay Spears, Continental's technical manager. "No test is valid unless it is repeatable by another crew in another place. Any test must be scientifically valid."

Continental's chief test driver brought the bus, fitted with winter tires on all axles, to a halt in a quick 38.7 metres from a speed of 60 km/h on hard-packed snow. A Styrofoam barrier was placed across the lane at the spot the bus had stopped.

Then the tire configuration was changed to the New Brunswick mixed-tire set-up: premium quality all-seasons on the front, winters on the back. The minibus approached at exactly the same speed and the driver braked, but now the bus showed no chance of stopping. It hit the barrier with a thwack and the barrier exploded into pieces.

Marcella Kelly winced at the sound as the barrier cushions went flying.

It took the vehicle a substantial 11 metres more to come to a stop at 49.6 metres which, after using sophisticated instrument tracking and calculations, means a braking ability of just 71.6 per cent of the set-up with all winter tires.

Continental conducted two other tests. One, measuring cornering ability, proved eye-opening. The bus drove into a large sweeping corner at ever-increasing speed until it could no longer make the turn.

The winter tire combo produced a grip of 0.417 G (the G-force is the force pulling on you when you go around a corner).

The mixed tire set-up produced a mediocre 0.181 G, just 43.5 per cent of the winter tire's grip – barely better than a set of all-season tires on all axles, which produced a grip of 0.173 G.

The final test was the most dramatic, requiring the braking and turning abilities of the previous exercises. It simulated driving down a road, discovering a lane is blocked, and not having enough distance to stop – as if someone suddenly backed out of their driveway or a deer ran onto the road. The objective was to brake as hard as possible, then steer around the object.

Approaching at 65 km/h with four winter tires installed, the minibus made the turn.

A barrier simulating a stalled car at the turn was put up and the tires were changed to front all-seasons. The bus approached at the same speed and on braking, dramatically smashed into the "car," spreading Styrofoam everywhere.

It was obvious that despite a pronounced turning of the front all-season tires, the bus just could not respond and continued into a head-on collision.

Videos of individual minibus tire tests.

Toronto Star's Wheels.ca: Persistent Mothers Get Results

Women take up the cause of school vehicle safety – and win

Mar 06, 2010, Toronto Star, Wheels.ca

When you need a law changed, who do you call? In New Brunswick, call some moms.

Late last month, Isabelle Hains, Ana Acevedo and Marcella Kelly achieved victory in their campaign to mandate winter tires on school-type minibuses in New Brunswick.

From left, Isabelle Hains, Ana Acevedo and Marcella Kelly, whose sons were killed in a crash in 2008, watch the tire tests they arranged last month at Continental Tire’s Michigan testing grounds.

But this was a victory born of tragedy – and frustration.

The women lost their sons in a crash between a school van and a transport truck in January 2008. The teens were returning from a basketball game and were five minutes from their destination when their vehicle fishtailed on a slippery highway outside Bathurst, N.B., and slammed into a truck. Seven high school students were killed, along with the wife of their coach.

The mourning mothers took up the cause of school vehicle safety to honour the memory of the victims.

Last October, they requested that the province change to an all-winter tire configuration on school minibuses, known as multi-function activity vehicles (MFAVs). But the government ignored them.

Expert opinions from Continental, Bridgestone, Michelin, Toyo, Transport Canada and several driving instructors only seemed to stiffen the government's determination to resist buying winter tires for the front wheels of the 14 incorrectly equipped minibuses in its fleet.

The province relied on a single report from a government consultant to support its decision to run all-seasons in front and winter tires on the back, despite the fact that Transport Canada had already sent several letters and emails pointing out that winter tires all around was safest.

The mothers continued their campaign for change. Then Joerg Burfien, head of research and design at Continental Tire, offered a solution: it would conduct a scientific, instrumented test of tire fitments at their Brimley Proving Ground near Sault Ste Marie, Mich. – for free.

No one had ever tested an MFAV or school minibus. This would be a first in North America.

Girardin Minibus Inc. of Drummondville, Que., stepped up and offered a brand new MicroBird model minibus for the test.

The only obstacle left was transporting the MFAV to Michigan by flatbed. The mothers contacted the Loblaw grocery chain – and with one email they got the help they needed. "Thanks so much for your note. We would indeed love to help with the project you suggest," was the reply from Allan Leighton, president and deputy chairman of Loblaw.

The mothers invited Transport Canada to the Continental test, but the department did not reply. The Michigan test was set for Feb. 24.

In the meantime, Transport Canada conducted last-minute tests. Looking at the web-posted video of them, it's obvious to anyone with even minimal tire-testing experience that they have zero scientific validity. (Go to the Transport Canada website and watch the white minibus bouncing through the fields.)

Yet on the day before the Michigan tests, New Brunswick announced it would now mandate winter tires all-round on minibuses, based on a Transport Canada test.

New Brunswick's Minister of Transport, Denis Landry, was not informed by Transport Canada that it was about to undertake testing, said transportation department spokesperson Andrew Holland. Landry learned that the test had been done only when the Transport Canada results were released, Holland said.

Meanwhile, the mothers had already flown to Michigan at their own expense. New Brunswick Minister of Education Roland Hache did not even inform them of the regulatory change as he had said he would. In fact, he insisted he did not know that tests were being done on his department's vehicles.

So the mothers flew home in the knowledge that they honoured their sons Daniel Hains, 17, Javier Acevedo, 17, and Nicholas Kelly, 15. They can be proud that now other schoolchildren will be safer as they head off to games and outings in the winter.

That victory should have been theirs in October with the first letter to the government.

Why We Do What We Do and Why We'll Never Stop

Continental Tire helps to improve traffic safety of students

Continental Tire’s execution of a winter tire test on small school buses, supports the Ministry of Education in taking immediate action and equip all its multi-function activity vehicles (MFAV) with six winter tires.

Ana Acevedo, Isabelle Hains and Marcella Kelly in front of Continental Tires testing facility in Brimley, Michigan, February 24, 2010.

TORONTO, ON – (March 5, 2010) – Following the New Brunswick Department of Education guidelines, small school buses only needed to be outfitted with winter tires on the (dual) rear axle in the past. All-season tires were recommended for the front axle.

Shockingly, this policy has not been changed even after the tragic collision of a school van with a transport truck in January 2008, claiming the lives of seven New Brunswick high school students and their teacher.

The test 21 passenger MFAV that was used at the Continental Tires test facility in Brimley, Michigan, USA on February 24, 2010, "In Memory Of The Boys In Red".

Experts have been debating over the last couple of months which would be the safest tire fitment for these types of vehicles. For Continental Tire, who ranks safety first, this was more than reason enough to take the lead and offer the execution of a winter tire test on small school buses at its state-of-the-art proving ground in Brimley, MI.

Continental Tire chose to investigate in three different scenarios: braking on snow with a 21 passenger MFAV outfitted with the Original Equipment (all-season tires on both axles), braking on snow with a MFAV outfitted with winter tires in the rear and all-season tires in the front, and braking on snow with a MFAV outfitted with winter tires on all four wheels.

The difference was profound: It took the MFAV with mixed fitment of winter tires and all-season tires as favored by the New Brunswick government about 30% longer to come to a full stop compared to the use of winter tires on all axles. It got even worse when compared to the Original Equipment fitment of the bus (All-season tires on all axles) – the stopping distance was over 50% longer, an additional 21 meters from 60 km/h.

Marcella Kelly, Isabelle Hains and Ana Acevedo with Jay Spears of Continental Tires at Continental Tires testing facility in Brimley, Michigan, USA, February 24, 2010.

"You will for sure not be able to stop as fast as you're able to accelerate because traction for all-season tires in snow is much lower. When you brake, your weight is shifting forward, so the increased traction in the rear is not helping much” says Joerg Burfien, Continental Tire's director of R&D for the Americas.

"The same is valid for steering or steering response. You will have very high traction on the rear axle and very limited traction on the front which will promote excessive under-steering conditions” he further explains.

“Our test results now clearly underline our initial recommendation to run winter tires on all axles. With a mixed fitment (A/S front and winter rear) the bus already fails a simple accident avoidance maneuver at 60 km/h while it passes on winter tires just fine. This is probably the most convincing argument for the use of winter tires and we are glad that authorities are now changing their recommendation to the use of winter tires on all axles effective immediately.” Burfien continued.

Continental Tire is very proud to have made a significant contribution to traffic safety in Canada and thus ensuring the maximum safety for students on wintry roads in the future.

Isabelle Hains, Martin Cuisineau of Continental Tires, Ana Acevedo and Marcella Kelly at Continental Tires testing facility in Brimely, Michigan, USA, February 24, 2010.

On Line Media Database

On-line media database: www.mediacenter.continental-corporation.com

North America on-line media database: www.CTAMedia.com, www.CTAMedia.mobi

About Continental Tire

Continental Tire is a division of the Continental Corporation, and offers a complete premium line of ultra-high performance, passenger and light truck tires that instill confidence and a passion for driving. Continental tires are fitted as original equipment on many of the world’s finest automobiles. Learn more about Continental Tire by visiting us at www.continentaltire.ca.

With sales of approximately €20 billion in 2009 Continental is among the leading automotive suppliers worldwide. As a supplier of brake systems, systems and components for powertrains and chassis, instrumentation, infotainment solutions, vehicle electronics, tires and technical elastomers, Continental contributes enhanced driving safety and global climate protection. Continental is also a competent partner in networked automobile communication. Continental currently employs approximately 134,500 in 46 countries.

Did Ministers Delay Announcement by Five Days? Right to Information Request, This Time About Who Knew What and When

Like a lot of people who heard the news last Tuesday that the New Brunswick Departments of Education and Transportation had decided to change the winter tire policy on 21 passenger MFAVs, we have a sneaking suspicion it was more than coincidence that the announcement just happened to take place fifteen minutes after we arrived at our hotel in Michigan!

We've had some very interesting results with previous Right to Information requests, showing the duplicity and underhanded actions of our politicians and bureaucrats who think they are so smart, who claim to be working for us, the lowly citizens who dare to ask them questions they do not want to answer.

So here we go again. We have reason to believe that Denis Landry, the NB Minister of Transportation, (that's him at the top left) knew well in advance of our departure for Michigan on Monday, February 22, that Transport Canada had conducted tests on 21 passenger MFAVs the week before, that he knew the results of the tests pointed to winter tires being safest on these vehicles, and they he chose to hold off on the announcement for nearly a week so that we would be safely out of the country.

We have the same suspicions about Roland Hache, the NB Minister of Education, (that's him to the right) so we've written the exact same letter to him, with the same request under the Right to Information Act. Mr. Hache denied knowing anything about the tests when we spoke to him on Tuesday afternoon from Michigan. We sincerely hope he was not stretching the truth, or as Winston Churchill once said, "I wasn't lying it was a terminological inexactitude."

We hope that we are wrong: we'd hate to think that politicians would play such dangerous games with childrens' lives by allowing those 21 passenger MFAVs to be used with unsafe tires for another five or six days just so they could score some political points against us.

Here's the letter to Hon. Denis Landry, NB Minister of Transportation. We sent the same one to Hon. Roland Hache, Minister of Education.

______ Letter to Hon. Denis Landry ________


March 3, 2010

Minister Denis Landry
Constituency Office: Centre-Peninsule-Saint-Sauveur
1344-3 des Fondateurs Street
Paquetville, New Brunswick
E8R1A4

(Original sent to Minister Landry under separate cover)

Hon. Denis Landry:

Re: Request under Right To Information Act

We are writing this request for information under the Right to Information Act. Enclosed you will find $5 fee to cover the costs of this request.

We would like copies of any recent correspondence (since January 8th , 2010 to March 3, 2010) between the New Brunswick Department of Transportation, the New Brunswick Department of Education and Transport Canada regarding the testing and use of winter tires on the 21 passenger Multi-Function Activity Vehicles (MFAVs) in the provincial fleet.

Specifically, we are interested in correspondence related to Transport Canada’s recent tests of winter tires on 21 passenger MFAVs and whether the NB Departments of Transportation and Education were aware of the planned testing before the winter tire announcement of February 23, 2010.

We have reason to believe that the Departments of Education and Transportation were fully involved in the tests and knew full well of the location and date of the tests, that the Departments of Education and Transportation withheld the information completed by Transport Canada that showed all winter tires for the MFAV during the winter months are the safest option. The results confirm Transport Canada’s long-standing position that the use of winter tires on all wheels improves vehicle stability, steer ability and braking in winter conditions. We, Isabelle, Marcella, and Ana were contacted by the media in Michigan about the press release by NB Transportation/Education, one day before we began our independent tests at Continental Tires on February 24.

We are therefore requesting all the correspondence related to such testing from both provincial government departments. We want to know:

1. Where did Transport Canada undertake the scientific testing of winter tires on 21 passenger MFAVs at the request of the province of New Brunswick?

2. When did Transport Canada undertake the scientific testing of winter tires on 21 passenger MFAVs at the request of the province of New Brunswick?

3. How long did the Departments of Transportation and Education have the verbal and written results of Transport Canada's scientific testing of winter tires on 21 passenger MFAVs before the province announced it was changing its winter tire policy for these vehicles on February 23, 2010?

4. Did the Departments of Education and / or Transportation deliberately ask Transport Canada to hurry the tests so the results would be available before we began our independent tests at Continental Tires in Michigan on February 24, 2010.

5. Was there a deliberate attempt by the Departments of Transportation and Education to withhold the results of Transport Canada's scientific testing until we left to go to Michigan for our own independent test, the results which were to be released on Wednesday February 24, 2010.

6. We want a copy of the Transport Canada winter tire test report on the 21 passengers Multifunction Activity Vehicle.

We have an incredible amount of patience and we can wait or you can offer this information quickly but we suggest that it is in your interest to answer our questions as soon as possible as we intend to raise this issue with the Opposition.

Thank you for your attention to this request.

Yours sincerely,


Isabelle Hains
Marcella Kelly
Ana Acevedo

cc. Hon. Premier Shawn Graham
cc. Hon. Roland Hache
cc. Hon. John Foran
cc. NDP Roger Duguay

Editorial, Opinion and Letter to the Editor in Northern Light, Bathurst Newspaper

In today's Northern Light, the weekly newspaper for Bathurst, New Brunswick, there were three articles related to the winter tire issue: an Editorial, an op-Ed piece and our Letter to the Editor which we submitted last week after our winter tire tests were completed at Continental Tires and we were still in Michigan.

All we can say is that the articles speak for themselves.

Op Ed Piece by Paul Chapman
Click to read the full article in .jpg format



Editorial
Click to read the full article in .jpg format



Letter to the Editor
Click to read Letter to the Editor in .jpg format

Professional Video Clips from Continental Tires Michigan Tests of 21 Passenger MFAV

Transport Canada Tests Conducted the Week Before Our Tests in Michigan

On February 23, Transport Canada announced that it had conducted tests of a 21 passenger MFAV / minibus and on its website it included links to video taken at the unidentified test site, sometime the previous week. Click to see Transport Canada's 21 Passenger MFAV/Minibus Test Video

We don't know where or when the tests took place but in comparison to our videos, which were professionally shot by an experienced filmmaker, we're left scratching our heads at the quality of the video.

Click on the following link Transport Canada's 21 Passenger MFAV/Minibus Test Video to watch the Transport Canada video then come back and watch our tests which were filmmed on February 24, 2010 at Continental Tires' testing facility in Grimely, Michigan!

Our Professionally Shot Video at Continental Tire Test Facility in Grimley, Michigan, February 24, 2010



Click here for URL http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=De0Uo6pvttE to video on YouTube

MFAV/mini-bus in accident avoidance test makes a smooth pass by the obstacle in the road at 65 km/h. It has winter tires on all axles.



MFAV/mini-bus with mixed fitment of winter tires rear and all-season front approaches at 60 km/h. Barrier has been placed where it stopped when equipped with winter tires on all axles. It was unable to stop and hits the barrier. It takes another 11 metres to stop.



Isabelle Hains, Ana Acevedo and Marcella Kelly (from left) watch as the MFAV/mini-bus crashes through a barrier set up where it stopped on winter tires. This time it was on a mixed fitment of winter tires rear and all-season tires front as favoured by the New Brunswick government. Speed was 60 km/h and the MFAV/mini-bus took 11 metres longer to stop.



MFAV/mini-bus attempts the accident avoidance exercise at 65 km/h with the mixed tire fitment of winter tires on rear and all-season tires on the front. It did this exercise cleanly with winter tires on all axles however it cannot make the brake and avoid cleanly with this setup favoured by the New Brunswick government. In real life, this may be a head-on collision or best case a serious side-swipe collision.