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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
City councillor David Wind was shouted down in an interesting discussion Monday over whether a proposed floatplane and boat dock at Lessard Drive constitutes "public infrastructure."

Although the discussion was supposed to be oriented as a question and answer period between city councillors and NWT Floatplane Association president Hal Logsdon, Wind's comments were determined by Mayor Gord Van Tighem and other councillors as drifting into a philosophical debate over the proposed facility.

Wind disagrees the public docks are principally for tourist planes, as the city maintains, but rather a place where residents who can afford planes can park them.

"It strikes me that a small moored facility such as what is being proposed here is nowhere near capable of addressing the tourism fees as justification for this project," said Wind. "It seems to me all of the moored sites would be taken up by resident floatplane operators and would be very few - if any - from those coming to us from afar."

Logsdon replied that most plane owners are either parking on land that doesn't belong to them or have no parking at all. As such, the situation represents an "infrastructure deficit."

"If I own an airplane that is on wheels, as opposed to floats, does that mean that the airport should turn me away and say, 'Build your own airport?'" he said. "It is a public facility that meets public demand and the floatplane association is putting this forward as a public facility, benefitting the city of Yellowknife."

When Wind countered by saying that Logsdon's position might suggest the city could get into social housing or go beyond the mandate of a municipality, the mayor and other councillors attempted to intervene.

"Point of order," city councillor Bob Brooks interjected. "Questions to the presenter please."

Van Tighem also weighed in.

"If we could stick to the topic that we are dealing with," the mayor said. As Wind has held during all of the discussions involving the city's Harbour Plan, building new infrastructure for the city to maintain is irresponsible because it is trying to pay down an infrastructure deficit of $74 million.

"The point is that if we are talking about infrastructure and we are creating new infrastructure and we have to maintain that infrastructure and we are worried about an infrastructure deficit, we should be damn careful about embarking on new ventures," Wind said.

Other councillors pointed out, however, that municipalities having small facilities accommodate floatplanes and small boats isn't an uncommon occurrence.

"I just Googled floatplanes and marinas and the entire Vancouver Island is dotted with them," said Coun. Lydia Bardak.

"We are not inventing the wheel here."

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