Cambridge Bay (Mar 13/06) - The fire marshall says hazards in Cambridge Bay are being addressed, but the fire chief isn't convinced.

Last week, Peter Laube, the hamlet's fire chief went public with what he called five years of neglect on the part of the hamlet.

He says after escorting two fire marshals around Cambridge Bay - pointing out numerous fire code violations - nothing has been done to fix them.

"We have an assistant fire marshall here, and we wrote up the fuel tanks," said Laube. "We took pictures, made notes and it ended on his desk."

After the fire that gutted the community hall, acting fire marshall Tim Hinds visited the community and saw the same violations.

"We drove him around. He went back to Iqaluit, and that is where it ended," said Laube.

Hinds agrees there are problems, but disagrees that nothing has been done.

"I understand Peter's concerns, and some of them have been dealt with. I saw the same kind of stuff when I toured the site," said Hinds.

"We have put an action plan in place. Sometimes it can't be done immediately, when things have to arrive by sealift.

"There are prescribed penalties, but those are a long way down the road."

First, there is a written report, and then a follow-up report, he said. After a follow-up report, the final step is a court action. In eight years in the territory, Hinds only remembers that happening once.

"Most people we deal with are co-operative. Most people will not let a hazard exist if they know about it," said Hinds.

Laube has been lobbying the hamlet council and the senior administrative - to follow fire marshall recommendations - for years, to no avail, he said.

The hamlet has a deal with the government of Nunavut. For a set fee every year, it maintains the GN's assets in the community. The majority of violations Laube cites are either GN or hamlet property, he said.

Earlier this month, Mayor Michelle Gillis said she would comment on Laube's accusations after speaking with SAO Mark Calliou on March 4.

Last week, she said she will not comment on the allegations until after a council meeting on March 13.

Calliou has been in and out of the hamlet lately, but is expected for the March 13 meeting.