INUVIK
The Town of Inuvik is rewriting the rules around passenger transportation and will be seeking public opinion in early January.

Couns. Joe Lavoie, left, Terry Halifax and Clarence Wood discuss a new passenger transportation bylaw while senior administrative officer Grant Hood looks over documents at the Dec. 8 committee of the whole meeting. In the new year, council is expected to vote on a new bylaw regulating all passenger transportation in Inuvik. - Elaine Anselmi/NNSL photo

"The biggest change would be that we're adding in other types of vehicles, like limos and shuttle buses," said senior administrative officer Grant Hood. "Also clarifying some of the licensing for taxis because parts of that were out of date."

The Passenger Transportation Bylaw came out of a regular review of town bylaws, said deputy mayor Jim McDonald.

"The bylaw department reviews all bylaws on a regular basis to make sure they are still relevant and up to date," said McDonald.

In the coming year, Hood said there would be a number of bylaws re-examined, particularly because it will be the last year of the existing council's term.

"The taxi bylaw is probably the most contentious one we have," said Hood. "Taxis are an integral part of this community."

A draft version of the bylaw was distributed to council before its Dec. 10 meeting, where it was given a first reading and approved.

A public meeting on the bylaw is expected to be held Jan. 7, with the draft posted online and distributed to affected companies and drivers by late December. By late February, Hood said administration hopes council will give the revised bylaw a second and third reading.

One area of taxi regulations that has been brought up in the past is the issue of transferring permits. Enabling drivers to transfer permits has, however, not been favoured by council in the past, said Hood.

"Council was very adamant that they didn't want that. They've had issues with temporary people in previous years," said Hood, although he would not go into specifics.

"If cab companies want to bring it up they can talk about it, but council was quite adamant when we first started this."

The previous bylaw allowed for permit transfers following an application process and fee payment of $2,500.

The new bylaw proposes to increase that fee to $3,000, also with a significant application process.

The previous bylaw also required a 15-year waiting period once a person transferred their licence, in order to attain another.

"We deemed that to be kind of difficult," said Hood. "Now, you wait five years or you can apply for an exemption to those five years from council, unless you had your permit cancelled for a violation of the bylaw, then it's 10 years and you can't apply for an exemption."

Whether applying for a new permit or transfer, the draft bylaw outlines strict regulations for drivers' permits.

Drivers can have no more than five motor vehicle infractions in the past two years (including parking tickets); no convictions under the Criminal Code, Controlled Drug and Substances Act or Liquor Act over the past five years and cannot have had their driver's licence suspended in the past five years.

With the new bylaw encompassing all forms of passenger transportation, the requirements would be the same whether drivers are operating a taxi, shuttle, limo or accessible taxi.

"It's just more encompassing," said Hood. "So the public has faith that whatever they're getting into, the vehicle is safe no matter what it is and the driver is properly licenced."

We welcome your opinions. Click here to e-mail a letter to the editor.