SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - A couple who watched their Latham Island home go up in flames two days before Christmas, only to receive a $12,354.54 bill two months later from the city, visited city hall Monday night to discuss ways to improve the city's fees and charges bylaw with council.

Dan Westman and Paula Tremaine, whose Latham Island home caught fire two days before Christmas, spoke to city council about the fees and charges bylaw Monday night. Westman gave a number of recommendations to council and administration as to how he said the bylaw can be improved. - Nicole Veerman/NNSL photo

"I think there's some room for improvement," said Dan Westman, who had his wife Paula Tremaine beside him and his two daughters sitting behind him.

He said he didn't ask to speak to city council so he could dispute his bill, but rather to ensure future fire victims won't have the same experience he and his family had.

Westman received a bill from the city on Feb. 28 for the cost of 32 firefighters, two chief officers, a pump truck and water tanker truck, and an ambulance, all of which responded to the fire that started in the attic of his family's Hearne Hill Road home.

The invoice stated he had 30 days to pay.

Since receiving his bill and discussing it with the city, Westman said he's been told by the director of public works that he can have 90 days without interest.

"Why not just put 90 days on it (the invoice) at zero per cent?" Westman asked during his presentation. "I mean, insurance companies are kind of slow at doing things and I don't think that they're going to do nothing in 30 days."

Westman suggested the city also clean up the wording of the bylaw.

It says there is a minimum charge of $500 for the first two hours the fire department responds to an emergency and an additional $200 minimum for each additional hour, plus "all actual overtime hours of off-duty firefighters required to operate fire division equipment."

Westman said he thought that just meant the firefighters at his home, but found out it actually included the ones at the fire hall.

"It's pretty unclear how the bylaw is written," he said.

The Westmans were billed the $500 minimum, plus $1,200 for additional hours and $10,654.54 for overtime paid to the firefighters. The fire chief previously told Yellowknifer it took 12 hours to extinguish the blaze.

According to the invoice, the bill is subject to nearly a 25 per cent annual interest rate, he said.

"I think we should give some consideration to what we should charge citizens of Yellowknife," he said.

"I don't think we need to hammer fire victims with a 25 per cent interest charge."

Westman said there should also be a cap on what the city can charge.

When asked by city councillor Shelagh Montgomery whether he thinks fire charges should be included in property taxes or if fire victims should continue to be the ones to pay the fees, he said he's not against paying, but there should be more flexibility.

All of Westman's suggestions were included in a printed presentation, which he handed out to all of the councillors.

Montgomery asked administration to answer every question and concern in the presentation when the fees and charges bylaw is reviewed. Carl Bird, the city's director of corporate services, said the annual review

will be done by the end of April.

"There's lots of good suggestions in here and I think that we'll take this into consideration," said Bob Long, the city's senior administrator.

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