Richard Gleeson
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Aug 18/00) - "I'm just doing my job."

That's the message Daniel Larocque has for those people who blame him for the parking tickets he issues.

Larocque is the city's enforcer when it comes to downtown parking. Like mail carriers, he works outside regardless of the weather, in the freezing rain as well as the sunshine.

"This is when everybody would want my job," he says of the summer.

The winter is another story entirely.

"The thing is, my pen freezes up halfway through writing a parking ticket," he explained. When it's snowing or raining out, he's had to resort to writing upside down to keep the ticket dry so the ink will stick.

Of course, having to put up with ill-tempered types who feel they should be above the law is part of the job. But it's not a part of the job Larocque relishes.

"It doesn't happen that often, but it does happen. I've had people giving me the finger, getting my family involved," said the Ottawa native.

"At first I had to watch what I had to say. It was tough. I used to take it personally. But now it's like 'Yeah, whatever, if you put a nickel or dime in the meter you wouldn't have a ticket.'"

Since starting the job, he joked, he's been looking more than once before crossing the street.

Larocque patrols the downtown area between 46th and 52nd streets, including metered side streets, an average of three times a day.

The number of tickets he issues varies widely. The average for the summer up to a week ago was 30 tickets a day. Then one day last week he found and ticketed 54 vehicles.

There is room for some flexibility. Larocque said if he's writing up a ticket and the driver comes out and is willing to feed the metre he usually lets them off with a warning.

And a little warning for French-speaking people who get irate over parking tickets -- Larocque is fluently bilingual.

The five-year resident of the city said the positive parts of the job outweigh negatives like the cold winters and the occasional grumbling he has to listen to.

"I worked in an office for 18 years and never again," he said.

"I love my job. I'm outside and I get to meet a bunch of people. A good percentage of the people in the city are alright, they understand I have a job to do."