by Derek Neary
Northern News Services

NNSL (Feb 04/98) - Paul Gamble admits his line of work is often considered "dirty work," but he tries to compensate for that by being a reasonable person.

Gamble, the former head of the RCMP commercial crime section in Yellowknife, became the municipal enforcement manager Dec. 1. Since then, he's received 20 to 30 calls a day from the public -- mostly complaints. People dial his office at City Hall to lodge a complaint about speeding drivers or to argue over a parking violation.

He said he can recall the anger he felt when he made a dash into the bank and emerged five minutes later to find a parking ticket on his windshield. After thinking about it, he said he realized he was angry with himself.

"It only costs a nickel," he said, referring to plugging the parking meter.

He added that bylaw officers aren't out to get everyone. But they often don't know if your car has been idling in a no-parking zone for five minutes or an hour.

On the other hand, Gamble said he can understand if a ticketed vehicle was left in a no-parking zone where there are no signs posted. In such a case, tickets aren't warranted, but you can bet the signs will go up, he said.

When it comes to enforcing speed limits, municipal enforcement officers make the most effort in school zones, Gamble said. These areas are "high risk" and only require the driver to use some common sense, he said.

As manager, Gamble co-ordinates enforcement of existing city bylaws and is responsible for rewriting others. He's been dealing with the livery licence issue (regarding taxies) since he assumed the position, and he expects it will be mid-April at the earliest before all the amendments are ironed out.

Essentially, Gamble acts as a mediator among the people who will be primarily affected by the bylaw in question.

At the same time, he has to keep the goals of city council in mind, as well as the practicality of any changes from a law-enforcement point of view. Ultimately, "the most important thing is the safety of the public," said Gamble, who answers to Dave Nicklen, Yellowknife's director of public safety.

The highway traffic act bylaw will likely be another time-consuming issue to tackle, Gamble acknowledged. He also has the business licences, dog act and snowmobile bylaws to oversee.

The municipal enforcement team consists of six officers. That number is effective for fulfilling their mandate, Gamble said.

"I don't see that we need any more because the RCMP have a big detachment," he explained.

At the same time, he admitted that bylaw officers are in a reactive role when it comes to dealing with reckless snowmobilers. He said it is the municipal enforcement officers' job to ensure snowmobilers abide by the law, but they focus most of their efforts on the weekend, when most offenses occur.

The Arctic Winter Games will see all municipal enforcement officers on duty. Since the RCMP will be out in full force and some community constables are being brought in, bylaw officers will concentrate on keeping fire lines open, Gamble said.