Home page

Text size

E-mail this page

LIIDLII KUE/FORT SIMPSON
The Village of Fort Simpson's bylaw department has a new tool to help it carry out its expanding areas of service.

Stephanie Cudmore, the Village of Fort Simpson's bylaw officer, sits in the village's new bylaw truck. - Roxanna Thompson/NNSL photo

The village recently purchased a Ford F-150 for approximately $33,364 to serve as the new bylaw truck. The truck has been outfitted with features to assist in carrying out the department's duties, said Stephanie Cudmore, the village's bylaw officer.

The truck contains an updated radar system and Cudmore has radar and LIDAR certification. She can enforce municipal bylaws as well as the ATV Act and the Motor Vehicles Act within the village's boundaries.

The village council is in the process of updating its highway traffic bylaw. Once it is passed, Cudmore said she will be able to give tickets in accordance to it.

Enforcing dog bylaw

A cap on the back of the truck will also assist with enforcing the village's dog bylaw. The previous truck didn't have a cap and Cudmore relied on cages to place loose dogs in. Cudmore said she can now easily contain dogs in the back of the truck where they are protected from the weather while being transported.

The truck has also been designed to support public safety, an area the department is expanding into. The vehicle has a number of reflective decals as well as a light bar on the top, that Cudmore said will make the vehicle more visible.

"I do think that it's very eye-catching," she said.

Inside are a number of emergency and safety kits as well as a first aid kit. The village also plans to purchase a defibrillator and put it in the truck.

With the truck, Cudmore said she will be able to support emergency response as well as promote public safety in the village.

"If residents have an emergency they can flag the truck down knowing I may have the tools to help them," she said.

The truck also contains a radio that allows Cudmore to contact other village employees as well as other organizations in the village that have similar systems.

The bylaw department will also now offer assistance installing and inspecting car seats. Both Cudmore and Sebastien Goyer, the village's senior administrative officer, are now certified car seat technicians. Both took training under the Child Occupant Restraint Education program. Appointments for this service can be made through the village office.

In addition to contacting Cudmore at the village office, the truck also displays a phone number where messages can be left for her. Cudmore said she checks the answering machine frequently so if someone has an urgent bylaw-related problem after office hours or on a weekend, she can address it.

The village wanted to purchase a vehicle that was more suited for the bylaw department, said Mayor Sean Whelly.

The previous bylaw truck, which was aging, was transferred to the water treatment plant to replace the truck there, which was more than 10 years old.

The new bylaw truck should be more noticeable and serviceable and raise the visibility of bylaw services, Whelly said.

We welcome your opinions. Click here to e-mail a letter to the editor.