SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - A public hearing on a bylaw to rezone a portion of the Kam Lake shoreline to make way for a float plan base has been deferred to allow people to meet and discuss their points of view following a lengthy city council meeting on Monday.

Dog kennel owner, Martin Haefele, said he wants assurance that the NWT Floatplane Association will allow unrestricted public access, contain pollution and obey noise restrictions in a parcel of Kam Lake shoreline the association wants to lease as a float base. - Charlotte Hilling/NNSL photo

Representatives for and against bylaw 3546 made emotional presentations and took questions from councillors for roughly two-and-a-half hours.

Councillor Lydia Bardak said it may be beneficial for the two sides to talk out their differences in a different setting.

"Is it possible for the parties to sit together for a few hours one day to look at what are the issues, what can be resolved and what can't be resolved?" she asked Max Hall, city administrator.

Hall responded with, "certainly there's a way to do it, but it doesn't always guarantee consensus."

Following presentations from the two sides Coun. Mark Heyck made a motion to put the public hearing back until a time when the competing sides had discussed the issue.

The proposed bylaw would switch a parcel of the Kam Lake shoreline from a nature preservation to a parks and recreation status, allowing the Northwest Territories Floatplane Association to dock planes on the lake.

Opposition to the move stems mainly from dog kennel and and dog sled business owners.

Joanne Kelly, who has sled dogs and runs a boarding kennel in the area, said even though float planes will not be docked during winter, any debris or obstacles left behind would be extremely hazardous for dog sledders.

"Are there piles sticking out of the water where the floating docks are fastened? Are there polls or curbs set up where their parking is?" she asked.

"There are all these things that are fine in the summer but when they have four inches of snow on them they can be pretty deadly to dog sledders."

She said Kam Lake is the only place she can run her business.

"I have paid a premium to set up a home and business here, all under the assumption that I would continue to have access to Kam Lake," she said.

"I cannot live anywhere else with my dog kennel business. I have no other options."

She questioned why herself and the other dog kennel owners were not given the opportunity to lease the area.

"If the city is intent on rezoning this area for use by private industry or recreation, I for one would pay to lease it," she said.

Martin Haefele, another kennel owner in the area, said he wants assurances in the lease agreement stipulating public access to Kam Lake will be maintained.

The noise created by the float planes was another issue for Haefele, saying the effect of the noise on the dogs boarding at his kennels could be extremely stressful, especially during the summer months.

"The thing about this country up here is that we have 24 hours of flyable weather in the summer, so takeoffs could take place at anytime of the day or night," he said.

Maria Wiseman spoke on behalf of the NWT Floatplane Association and read a letter on behalf of Hal Logsdon, the president of the association, but stipulated she would not be answering question from councillors.

"We will not be taking any questions, sorry, those were my instructions," she said.

In the letter Logsdon addressed concerns about noise, fuel spills, and public access and attacked what he saw as the "not in my backyard," approach of Kam Lake residents.

"If we only permit facilities such as docks, marinas and launches to be developed if the neighbours want them, few will succeed, and the recreational use of our water will be limited to only a few activities," he wrote.

After reading the letter Wiseman said, "I would like to add that the Floatplane Association would welcome a meeting and discussion by all parties with considerable advanced notice."