Inuvik road renamed to honour deceased worker
Monument and street dedicated to David Vinnicombe
Stewart Burnett
Northern News Services
Thursday, June 29, 2017
INUVIK
Robbie Vinnicombe approached town council in tears Monday, June 25.
Jacqui Vinnicombe and Robbie Vinnicombe, the aunt and father of David Vinnicombe, who died in June last year in a heavy machinery accident, speak to town council Monday, June 25. - Stewart Burnett/NNSL photo
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"On behalf of my family, thank you very much," he said while choking up.
Robbie is the father of David Vinnicombe, who died in Inuvik last June in a heavy machinery accident while working on the Inuvik Satellite Station Facility. David had come to town for work from Longreach, Australia. On Wednesday, the town and Allen Services, David's employer at the time, dedicated a monument to David. The town also named the road heading up to the government satellite station after the Vinnicombes' hometown of Longreach.
"What happened to David could have been your son; it could have been any one of the workforce in Inuvik," said Jacqui Vinnicombe, David's aunt.
She said the family did not come to Inuvik seeking to blame anybody.
"We're not here on a headhunting mission with Allen Services or anything like that, although we're not denying the fact that employers have an obligation to look out for their employees no matter what industry or what circumstances," she said.
She said Allen Services has been supportive since the incident.
"The bottom line is we don't believe that machine was fit for purpose for this environment," said Jacqui of the machinery that had rolled onto her nephew.
The Vinnicombes are hoping to get some sort of improvement in worker safety, whether that comes through the machines' manufacturer or government legislation or otherwise.
They would also like to involve themselves more in Inuvik and conduct a public education campaign. The details are still up in the air, but the family are considering working with the town's library.
"We want something that's going to be effective," said Jacqui.
She's also pushing for an ombudsman in the territory, who would investigate and report on whether government agencies have followed fair policies and procedures.
The NWT is one of only three jurisdictions in Canada that don't have an ombudsman, along with Nunavut and Prince Edward Island.
Last February, the 18th Legislative Assembly promised to create an ombudsman's office within two years, but in May, Yellowknife MLA Kieron Testart raised concerns that the work wasn't progressing fast enough.
"This ombudsman legislation has been very slow going and has met with a tremendous amount of resistance from the cabinet," Testart told Northern News Services in May.
Coun. Alana Mero told the family the fact they came to Inuvik and want to help is truly remarkable.
"Your son was a member of our community and we all grieved when he died," she said.
Mayor Jim McDonald, whom the Vinnicombes have had regular communication with over the past six months, said he can only imagine how difficult it was for the family to work through something like this, especially considering their distance from Inuvik.
"It's only generally through tragic accidents or incidents like this that change comes," said McDonald. "It usually takes tragedy to make change and we certainly hope that there will be change made."
The Workers' Safety and Compensation Commission filed nine charges in Northwest Territories' Territorial Court against Allen Services & Contracting Limited and supervisor Brian McCarthy Sr. in May.
