Darrell Greer
Northern News Services

Rankin Inlet (Sep 07/05) - Rankin Inlet hamlet council is out of touch with the community, says a local contractor and former mayor.

Keith Sharp addressed council on a number of topics this past month.

Sharp was upset with the way a proposal was handled, the lapse in municipal services and what he views as preferential treatment for hamlet employees.

"The Dianne River Road proposal was handled very poorly and I feel I was misled by a member of your staff," Sharp told council.

"You have to get your staff in line and make sure they're acting properly.

"As long as council abides by municipal law, I'm OK, but I found it very inefficient the way council handled this proposal."

Mayor Lorne Kusugak called Sharp's concern valid, but said the hamlet foreman was simply looking for quotes to get an idea of the costs involved with constructing the road.

"We need to ensure, through our works committee, we get the most road length for our money as possible," said Kusugak. "We'll have an idea shortly on what local contractors can provide at what price and we'll proceed from there."

Sharp accused some councillors of special treatment with the grading of roads near their cabins, and also claimed personal vehicles are being repaired in the hamlet garage.

He said municipal services have degraded to the point of being laughable.

"There's so much garbage piling up on some streets that it's absolutely disgusting," said Sharp.

"I was honoured when a street in a Rankin Inlet was named after me, but I've never seen it this bad.

"What happened to the organized programs we used to have in place to keep our community clean? This is your town. You should know what's going on at all times."

Look into allegations

Kusugak said council would look into the allegations of misuse at hamlet facilities.

But, he said, there's a big gap between making repairs and simply bringing a vehicle in to fix or inflate a tire.

"I know of no councillor who has ever received preferential treatment by our road crew simply because they are a councillor. If what you say about the garage is true, we'll bring an end to it because it's not allowed and our employees know that.

"We will also look into the job performance of our regular staff because we need our roads graded, our garbage picked up and our loose dogs under control.

"If it's proven these things are not being done because employees are doing things they shouldn't during work hours, then I guarantee the problem will be addressed."