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Updating an Act

Darrell Greer
Northern News Services

Rankin Inlet (Jan 22/01) - Nunavut may soon have its own Fire Prevention Act.

Territorial fire marshal Gerald Pickett and his staff held a series of meetings last week in Rankin Inlet.

Taking part in the effort to review and rewrite the Nunavut Act were NWT fire marshal Don Gillis and Kivalliq regional fire marshal Tim Hinds.

Hinds said Nunavut adopted the NWT's Fire Prevention Act after division but now needs to be changed to reflect Nunavut's needs.

One such item will be the inclusion of fire safety inspections for new and renovated structures.

"Before this, someone could build or expand something and the fire protection requirements may not have been included as required by code and nobody would have known.

"Now, any new or renovated structure will have a fire prevention inspection before anybody moves in."

After the new Act is drawn up, it will be forwarded to the Department of Justice to be reviewed by its legal division before it goes to the Legislature.