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IGLULIK - Councillor Jim Little's motion last week that Iqaluit city council establish a community safety committee was approved only in principle.

Iqaluit city councillor Glenn Williams adressed the safety of trapping in city limits. - NNSL file photo

Little came before council on Nov. 25, proposing the committee be established with a mandate to develop a draft community safety plan for review by council by September 2009.

“We could make the committee good for one year and go from there,” said Little, adding the design of the committee could be determined at a later date.

In response, several councillors said they were unwilling to support the motion on the table without terms of reference or a clear mandate for such a group.

“I would like to have a better understanding of what the community safety committee would be doing,” said Coun. David Alexander through a translator. “It is quite tempting to strike a committee, but there is no clear mandate.” Several councillors indicated the motion was premature given that the RCMP and various government agencies have not been doing enough to address public safety issues and keep council informed.

“We need as a council to hold them responsible first before we get the community involved,” said Coun. Alan Hayward. Disappointed by the response, Little expressed his outrage.

“I was elected in the community to bring forward the concerns of our citizens,” he said. “This has nothing to do with terms of reference. This has to do with power and control.”

In the end, Little agreed to a friendly amendment and council passed a revised motion to approve the committee in principle, with the understanding that city administration would draft terms of reference within a two-week period for discussion at committee of the whole.

Trap concerns

After hearing a presentation from a concerned citizen, city council agreed to write to the territorial government about improving safety measures with regards to traps set in city limits.

Megan Bennet informed the city her dog had gotten his leg caught in a trap when she was taking him on a walk near the Road to Nowhere subdivisions.

While her dog had ended up with a fractured paw, her greatest concern was for public safety.

“It could have posed great danger to anyone walking in the area,” she said, later adding the trap was hidden under the snow. Councillors Simon Nattaq and Glenn Williams said the greater concern in terms of public safety are animals that carry disease for which traps are set by wildlife officers.

“This has become an annual fall issue,” said Williams, adding while there is often public concern around trapping, it is being done for the benefit of the community.

“There is a concern with the hazard with the increase of the number of foxes in and around our community,” he said. “The main disease is rabies, but also distemper.”

Williams said the trap regulations fall under territorial jurisdiction.

In response to Bennet’s concerns, council said they would suggest the territorial government require some sort of trap identifier, such as a flag or sign, to be used.