SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
New parking regulations at Government Dock mean houseboaters now have one less place to leave their cars when they're not on the mainland.

Monique Robert addresses council during a municipal services committee meeting on Nov. 3. Robert is one of several houseboaters who have lost their usual parking spots now that the city passed new regulations to crack down on people leaving their cars at Government Dock overnight. - Cody Punter/NNSL photo

City council voted in favour of restricting parking on Government Dock to a maximum of four hours at a time Monday night.

The restrictions are intended to maintain a steady flow of traffic for motor-boaters, fishers, paddlers, and other recreational users who want to be able to access the waterfront for short periods of time.

However, at least two houseboaters say the regulations are putting a strain on their already precarious parking situation.

"It just seems cold and heavy handed to me," said houseboater Monique Robert, who showed up to a committee meeting to plead her case on Nov. 3. "This is where we've been parking for a long time. (Government Dock) is chalk-full for a reason."

Robert says there are approximately 30 houseboats on Yellowknife Bay with at least 40 vehicles between them. In total, Government Dock has 12 available parking spaces - with three others reserved for a local business owner - which means that even if the dock was at capacity every night, it could only accommodate a fraction of the load. Without driveways of their own, Robert said houseboaters do what they can to get by: renting parking stalls from homeowners and private businesses including Guy Architects, or leaving their cars along McDonald Drive. Even with those options, Robert says there is not enough space for everyone's vehicles.

"Street parking is not the solution," Robert said.

In recent years, the city has allowed people to use the gravel lot at the corner of School Draw Avenue and Franklin Avenue to park boat trailers while they go away for multi-day fishing trips.

During the Nov. 3 committee meeting, SAO Dennis Kefalas said houseboaters were free to park there so long as they did not leave their vehicles sitting for months at a time. Robert said the problem with that space is that it makes for a long walk from your car to your canoe.

"When you park your car you don't want to have to walk a half hour each way," Robert said.

One of the complications associated with trying to accommodate houseboaters' need for parking is that unlike your typical property owners, they don't actually own any land. As a result they also don't pay property taxes. That is why Coun. Niels Kong said he has "very little, call it no sympathy, for their parking situation."

"Part of being a homeowner and paying those property taxes is you get to park your vehicle on your property. Part of the allure of being a houseboater is you have to figure that out for yourself," said Konge. "Sure they're members of our community but they don't contribute any dollars in the form of property taxes that help pay for all our infrastructure but they use all our infrastructure."

Konge was against turning Government Dock into a park space in the first place. But now that the city has gone ahead with its plans, he said it has a responsibility to ensure that other residents can use the space.

Long-time houseboater Aleta Fowler told Yellowknifer she was also against turning Government Dock into a park space, and added implementing the new parking restrictions without addressing where the overflow of houseboaters' vehicles will go ignores the bigger picture.

Although they don't pay property taxes both Fowler and Robert said many houseboaters would be willing to pay a monthly or annual fee in return for a designated parking space managed by the city.

"The city has to commit to work with the houseboat community to solve this parking issue," Fowler said.

Mayor Mark Heyck told Yellowknifer that although the city is willing to work with houseboaters, space is at a premium in Old Town. As a result, he doesn't think the city has a role to play in providing parking spaces for them.

"We don't typically go out and look for parking spaces for other private homeowners in the city so ultimately it's kind of up to the houseboaters to find those spaces," he said.

Konge suggested that if houseboaters are willing to pay for parking in Old Town then they should petition businesses to help meet their needs.

"I think that's better left to private enterprise," he said. "If a business thinks there's a profit to be made, they'll do it."

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