Derek Neary
Northern News Services
Monday, April 16, 2007

IQALUIT - Council approved recommended new taxi rates on Tuesday night, meaning a $6 standard fare is expected to take effect on May 9, following a third reading of the bylaw.

The current rate around the core of the city is $5 per trip. Customers age 60 and over will continue to pay $5.

The cost of renting a cab per hour will increase to $70 from $60.

Deputy mayor Al Hayward, who chairs the taxi committee, said fares should be reviewed during the first three months of each year, but had been neglected since 2004 under the previous administration.

Coun. Jim Little said he wants to see a limit on how many passengers can be transported at once.

Coun. Glenn Williams said a "first in, first out" policy should apply when more than one customer is picked up at a time.

He also advocated a public complaints process relating to cabs.

Hayward said the taxi committee would be reviewing those topics and others, but they don't pertain directly to the cab fare bylaw.

Contaminant assurance

Coun. Glenn Williams urged council to seek a letter of assurance from Indian and Northern Affairs Canada that the city's proposed new gravel site is free of contaminants.

Once the plot is surveyed by the municipality - expected to take place this summer - the city will take ownership.

Geoff Baker, manager of engineering services, said he doubts the federal department would be willing to state unequivocally that the site is pristine as it could be a liability issue.

He said an environmental baseline study, which would involve boring deep into the soil, would be conclusive, but it would also be costly and time-consuming.Baker added that existing aerial photos show no indication of surface disturbance at the site.

The quarry is expected to produce enough gravel to last the city at least 10 years.

An even larger gravel source is located nearby and is being eyed for future use.

More women behind bars

Discussion of the RCMP's monthly statistical report turned to the increasing number of women who have been arrested. Cpl. Terry Boyd said there are nights when women comprise the majority of those locked up in cells.

Often they are picked up when intoxicated and wandering the streets, and they are kept overnight for their own protection, he said.

"I don't know the reason," Boyd said of the rising numbers.

The Iqaluit RCMP received 556 calls for service during the month of March alone.

Violence not accepted

Coun. Glenn Williams asked to have an anti-violence declaration added to the agenda for the next council meeting on April 24, reflecting the intent of Pauktuutit's national strategy to prevent abuse in Inuit communities.

He said Iqaluit's city council members should set a precedent by adopting a zero tolerance policy for violence.

Should a councillor be convicted of a violent offence, he or she should resign from council, Williams contended.

They just don't get it

A letter from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) requested that the city lower its Canadian flags to half-mast during the seal hunting season. Mayor Elisapee Sheutiapik said she chuckled when she saw that piece of correspondence.

"Is this for real?" she asked.

Coun. Glenn Williams suggested that the mayor should write back to PETA's campaign co-ordinator, inviting him to come to Iqaluit to gain a full understanding of sealing's importance to people here.