SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Emergency phones could be installed on the Pat McMahon Frame Lake Trail as early as this summer, thanks to an initiative led by Ecology North.

Ecology North is looking at two different types of Blue Light phones to be installed on the Pat McMahon Frame Lake Trail. The one seen here, built by Rath Emergency Communications, is a nine-foot tall phone with a large blue light on the top and has multiple security options like cameras and a broadcast speaker system. - photo courtesy of Doug Ritchie

Approval from the RCMP is needed before the emergency Blue Light phones, like the ones found on most university and college campuses around North America, can be installed on the trail.

"As soon as we can," said Doug Ritchie, program director of Ecology North, when asked when the phones will be installed and operational. "As soon as we can move forward, that's our plan."

RCMP Sgt. Wayne Norris said he's passed the proposal to the commanding officer of the Yellowknife detachment, but since he is away until the early part of May, he doesn't expect a response to be ready until mid-month.

Norris said the emergency system is a good idea for residents who use the trail on a regular basis, but the RCMP need to make sure the proposal isn't asking too much.

"Anything that is going to enhance public safety for residents is a good thing," Norris said.

"We just want to make sure it's not going to be a hindrance. I'm sure once (the commanding officer) approves it, things will move forward."

The idea to put the system in place was brought forward at a public meeting held last September by Ecology North where issues of safety and improvements for the trail were discussed.

Between June 2008 and September 2009, three sexual assaults occurred on the trail, two of them by the same man which led to a conviction. These incidents brought cause and concern to residents who frequent the trail.

City councillor Mark Heyck said the proactive approach by Ecology North to improve public safety is a great step forward and if people feel safer they might be more inclined to use the trail on a regular basis.

"The idea has a lot of merit," he said. "Things like better lighting and emergency phones will help protect people who use the trail."

Ritchie said Ecology North is looking for funding to complete the project from the NWT Recreation and Parks Association.

"While the city is on board with the project, they've made it clear there isn't any money available to fund the initiative," he said.

The Blue Light system is a series of emergency phones set up in an area where the chance of danger is considered high. The phones - sitting under an easy-to-see blue light - typically connect to police at the push of a button.

Ritchie said two models of the Blue Light system the group is looking at include a stand-alone system; the other a system that would be attached to a pole, that would run "in the range of" $15,000, Ritchie said, although he wasn't sure off-hand of the exact cost.

"We'd be looking at putting in two phones on a trial basis, to see how they work out," he said, adding it could be possible to expand the service later on "if there is a positive evaluation" of the project.