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INUVIK
It was two years ago when the wheels started turning for 19-year-old Jade English. He is a teenager in Inuvik and wants something more for youth in the community.

At a committee of the whole meeting late last month, English presented council with an idea for a paintball park – a business he's considering starting in the future.

"I think the town needs it because it's something fun to do. Too many times people just say things are boring, and really, we could have paintball or something like that," he said.

"It's just kind of a starting point. If it goes well, it could continue – go-kart, something like that. We need some stuff in town. It's a fact."

English at first proposed to use the in-town airstrip as an area for paintball. The airstrip, located down by the river at the end of Mackenzie Road, floods each year and so has been abandoned in recent years.

At the March 28 council meeting, council received more information from the finance department about liability and insurance for an individual versus a corporation to use the land.

"Essentially, it would be much easier to enter into an agreement with a corporation rather than an individual on this. There is a requirement of that business to get personal liability insurance of $2 million before we could do it," said Mayor Denny Rodgers.

Deputy mayor Chris Larocque suggested a vacant lot area near the Mackenzie Valley gas station on Navy Road, across from Stanton's – land that is owned by the Gwich'in Tribal Council. He reminisced about the days when 10 teams of Inuvik youth would trek down the highway to play paintball in the 1980s.

Coun. Vince Sharpe said it would be nice to have something different for youth to do in Inuvik.

"If there's any way we can do it, I support it 100 per cent because I think it's needed," he said.

"We've got a group of young people that feel they're too old to go to the youth centre, these guys are out there, they want to go paintball, dirt bike; they're getting older and want to do different sports ... If we could give them an opportunity, then that's a good thing."

Sharpe said if English was successful in acquiring land from the GTC, he wouldn't need anything concerning liability insurance from council.

Coun. Terry Halifax said every year the town gets requests from groups or individuals to use the old airstrip land for activities such as BMX and motocross.

"The land is really of no use to us. It floods out every spring , there's a gas line that runs through that property, too. It's something we should look at when we review the town plan, think about what we can have down there," he said.

English, who is currently in Edmonton, said he is still on the hunt for a location for his dream of a paintball business.

"If I get location, then everything would look a bit better. Then the business plan would be complete. I need to find a location. It's a work in progress."

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