IQALUIT
Iqaluit's mayor and city council kept their promise of meeting more often with residents by holding their first town hall meeting Nov. 3, one year into their terms.

They were met mostly with appreciation and little outright criticism.

However, one resident condemned council for its overworked firefighting force, and another noted the lack of foresight to include Inuit in the meeting.

Sandra Inutiq, who is a firefighter's wife, said her husband began with the department 20 years ago as a volunteer and has been a full-time employee for 17 years.

"I'm here because in the 17 years that he's worked full time, this is the most I've seen him stressed out," Inutiq said. "I understand there's been some effort to try and communicate some of the frustrations by the firefighters to city councillors."

Inutiq, who said she was speaking of her own accord, said the stress levels are because the schedule does not meet industry standards with full-time firefighters working 300 hours of overtime each, and in a toxic work environment. She cited a media report out of Yellowknife that said its 24 firefighters work 200 hours of overtime and face a similar morale problem.

"The schedule was changed with the statement that it would save costs," she said, adding that schedule costed out indicates "in the past six months $80,000-plus has been spent compared to the previous schedule."

Inutiq said, "morale has been crushed and the community that used to exist between the firefighters and volunteers is no longer there."

All this is affecting the health and family life of firefighters, she said, and staff turnover is one-third annually. She also said some firefighters suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder because, along with fire calls, they attend suicides, domestic violence calls and murders.

"What are you doing as a council to ensure the workplace is a healthy one, a sustainable one?" she asked.

"We are currently negotiating the collective bargaining agreement with the union," Redfern responded, "and those issues have been directed for union discussion. Those are processes we need to respect. Each side has a bargaining team. The scheduling issues with the firefighters, I understand, are regularly brought up and discussed. The council does get updates but we are not the bargaining team."

Councillor Joanasie Akumalik, who surveyed the assembled crowd of about 50 residents and city staff prior to the start of the meeting, expressed disappointment at the lack of Inuit representation.

"We should be having these meetings at the parish hall," he told Nunavut News/North, adding he'd made the attempt to convince his fellow councillors and would try again in future.

Norman Ishulutaq echoed these sentiments later during the question and answer period.

In translated Inuktitut, he said he noticed many trucks in the Frobisher Inn's parking lot, adding the meeting should be held at the more centrally located parish hall.

"Because Inuit live in an impoverished situation and don't have vehicles."

Each elected official had their opportunity to speak as chairs of a variety of committees, with Redfern leading the charge.

"I know you had high hopes and expectations of your city this term," she said. "This past year we have worked hard to address some of the concerns residents had expressed."

The city was in dismal financial straits when the current council was elected. Redfern spoke of the city's biggest success, the completion of a strategic plan "that will guide us in future to ensure we can develop a prosperous and bright community."

"We're in good financial shape," deputy mayor Romeyn Stevenson said. "We've moved from a position of significant financial instability to a place where we're firmly headed in the right direction."

He attributed the success to new chief administrative officer Muhamud Hassan and the finance department, who worked hard to reorganize departments and to create efficiencies within the city.

"There was certainly a renewed emphasis on fiscal management," he said, adding "the city is on track to have back-to-back surpluses in the general fund."

He said he expects the city to be deficit free by 2018.

Akumalik spoke of issues related to public works and engineering.

"We get a lot of complaints about garbage pick-up. That's something we're working on. We hear it on the radio, we see it in the papers, we see it on Twitter and Facebook. But we're working hard on that," he said.

Akumalik noted the new wastewater treatment plant, the result of a federal infusion of $26.5 million. The city is also working on a strategy for the care and maintenance of the cemetery and the Apex road.

Coun. Terry Dobbin noted the city was finally issued a 10-year water licence in mid-June.

The city also completed the treatment of landfill run-off water from the 2014 fire and the removal of 30,000 tonnes of scrap metal and tires.

Other comments from those in attendance related to business incentives, staff retention, community involvement, the care of snowmobile trails, and a call that council make their meeting accessible by televising them, among other items.

Redfern concluded the evening by saying that council intended to hold a town hall meeting annually and that council meetings are open to the public.

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