Darrell Greer
Northern News Services

Rankin Inlet (Sep 14/05) - Rankin Inlet Mayor Lorne Kusugak had some harsh words for the author of a letter to hamlet council this past week.

The letter was from Leo Caouette, a consultant hired annually by the Nunavut government to evaluate how municipalities and agencies are doing with the maintenance management operating system (MMOS).

Caouette and hamlet SAO John Hodgson had been corresponding on the viability of the MMOS in Rankin.

Kusugak quoted directly from the letter, which said there have been no improvements in hamlet road maintenance, snow removal, garbage service or equipment maintenance since Arnie Brown took over as works superintendent.

The letter went on to say the hamlet deserves better than it's getting and encouraged council to put a plan in place to improve its works department.

Kusugak said Caouette was way out of line.

"Those comments were uncalled for and amount to nothing more than a personal attack on Mr. Brown," said Kusugak. "The remarks are not reflective of the facts and are a shot at the whole municipal council, including the personal committee.

"This guy (Caouette) comes to town twice and decides, during his short stay, that everything has fallen apart since Arnie took over.

"It is an unfair and unsubstantiated accusation."

The council meeting was a tense affair, with a number of councillors trading barbs with Hodgson on at least three separate issues.

Kusugak said council has not lost confidence in the job being done by Hodgson or Brown. "Staff performance has to be evaluated by the appropriate committees and managers. "Any councillor who feels an employee is not doing the job they were hired for should channel those feelings in those directions."

Kusugak said it was decided during a special council meeting to put the MMOS debate to bed once and for all.

"Council wants the MMOS up and running and used to track the maintenance of all our heavy equipment, so that's the end of that issue.

"As for our recent communication problems, more weight has to be put on all the parties to not rely on e-mails to deliver information.

"We have to become less reliant on e-mails and have actual documents delivered on any issue, especially ones of a sensitive nature."