Yellowknife holds instructor's course
Jorge Barrera
Northern News Services
Yellowknife (Jan 26/01) - In an attempt to combat rising snowmobile accident rates Yellowknife's municipal enforcement division held a cross-territorial instructors training course this week.
Law enforcement officers and experienced riders from Hay River to Holman met for a four-day course to obtain instructor's certification as part of a national strategy to certify 500 instructors across the country.
Doug Gillard, manager of the Yellowknife municipal enforcement division organized the course held this week which ran from Tuesday to Friday.
"Snowmobiles have been on the backburner in regards to safety progress and education," said Gillard.
"I wanted to give safety courses to more people so more people can teach," he said.
According to Gillard snowmobile use has rocketed in the last few years.
The city registered 400 snowmobiles this season.
Instructor George E Smith, national co-ordinator of specialty vehicles with the Canadian Safety Council, wrote the program for the course.
He said increased use has caused a sharp rise in accidents.
"Can we stop or eliminate deaths through education?" said Smith, "I hope so."
Smith said too many programs focused on the theoretical aspects of snowmobiling but not enough dealt with driving skills.
Puting riders to the test
He said the Canadian Safety Council approached him in 1995 to devise a new program.
"My program parallels the all-terrain-vehicle program," said Smith.
"This program measures rider's capabilities," he said.
According to Smith there are between 135 to 140 instructors across the country.
"My goal is to see 500 instructors across Canada as quickly as it can be delivered," said Smith.
One of the enroled, Sgt. Alan McCambridge, RCMP officer with the Yellowknife detachment, said the course is giving him new tools to present snowmobile driving safety.
"This provides a way for me to present safety in a much more structured fashion," he said.
Sam Inaksajak from Kugaaruk, Nunavut has been driving snowmobiles for 40 years.
He said the course has given him some new insights in safety but he'll have to rework the course for his home community.
Inuit want different system
"We need a different system for Inuit," said Inaksajak.
"We do a lot of things completely different," he said.
According to Inaksajak most snowmobile driving is done on the tundra. There are no highways in Nunavut so traffic is never a factor.
Julie Miller from Inuvik said the course has given her tools to begin instructing in her home community.
"It has given us a lot of good ideas to facilitate something in our own corners," she said.
Communities all across the territories were invited; Rae-Edzo, Hay River, Kugluktuk, Pelly Bay and Holman sent representatives. Gillard said some communities wanted to send more than one person but there was only room for 12.
The course cost communities the price of airfare plus a $700 course fee.
The City of Yellowknife covered the cost of gas and provided the snowmobiles.
At the end of the course 12 new instructors--certified by the Canadian Safety Council-- will return to their communities to begin reteaching what they've learned.
"I think it's cool," said Richard Notaina from Holman, "this is my first time at one these and I'm enjoying it."
"There is a need for snowmobile instruction," he said.
