Iqaluit (Sep 18/06) - Council formally welcomed the city's three new hires on Sept 12.

Chief administrative officer Clinton Mauthe, economic development officer Mike Bozzer, and municipal enforcement officer Daniel Browne were all introduced to councillors.

Mauthe's most recent job was in Saskatchewan, Browne hails from Newfoundland and Bozzer is from northern Ontario.

Goodbye!

With five sitting councillors not re-offering for October's municipal elections, some departing politicians gave some parting thoughts at last week's meeting.

Coun. Nancy Gillis had a list of suggestions, including making the mayor's position full time, hiring more municipal enforcement officers to work nights and drawing up a "poop and scoop bylaw" for dogs "like every other city in Canada."

Simanuk Kilabuk said he welcomes calls from new councillors for advice. He also expressed concern that unexploded munitions lie in Iqaluit's landfill. He said the next council will have to deal with that.

But the farewells drew a scolding from Coun. Simon Nattaq, who reminded the room of the night's full agenda and that council's last official day would be Friday.

Snow what

Councillors approved what they hope will solve the Road to Nowhere subdivision's notorious snowdrift problem.

The city will go ahead with a four-year, $2-million phased plan to build more than 900 metres of snow fencing around the subdivision. Some home-owners there have seen their houses buried completely by drifts in recent years.

The first phase should be finished in time for the coming winter. It will encompass 115 metres of new snow fence and repairs to an existing test fence.

The city would also remove wooden skirting around the foundations of seven homes, which interferes with air flow and may contribute to drifting.

The motion passed despite concerns from Coun. Theresa Rodrigue, who worried about the effectiveness of snow fencing in hilly terrain.

"This is a lot of money for an experiment," she said.