Many get traffic tickets, but few pay them, Iqaluit councillor says

Iqaluit municipal enforcement’s department’s boss, Kevin Sloboda, presents his 2014 annual report to city councillors June 9. (PHOTO BY DAVID MURPHY)

Hundreds of traffic tickets were handed out in Iqaluit last year, but apparently, they’re not worth the paper they’re written on.

Municipal enforcement officials gave their annual report to city councillors June 9 saying they handed out 787 tickets in 2014.

But many of those pesky lawbreakers aren’t paying their tickets — and they’re getting away with it.

The annual report breaks down traffic violations, insurance reports, municipal animal shelter activities, animal control calls and general calls to service for 2014.

The most frequent traffic violations include:

• 249 for speeding;

• 151 for operating a vehicle without documents;

• 130 for parking violations;

• 77 for seat belt infractions;

• 25 for failing to obey traffic control devices; and,

• 25 for taxi bylaw offences.

But Coun. Terry Dobbin said it’s well-known that failure to pay a ticket from the RCMP or municipal enforcement results in no penalty.

“I keep hearing time and time again that people are saying — ‘I don’t have to pay my traffic ticket. There’s no repercussions,’” Dobbin said.

This issue isn’t new — in 2013 the topic came up in the Nunavut legislative assembly when then-South Baffin MLA Fred Schell said about 50 per cent of fines are never collected.

Dobbin said when people go to the motor vehicles office to renew insurance stickers on their license plates, the territorial motor vehicles division has no record of outstanding fines.

There are “some repercussions” and municipal enforcement does collect fines in different ways, said Kevin Sloboda, Iqaluit chief enforcement officer.

We tried to find out how municipal enforcement collect those fines, how many tickets are outstanding, and how many tickets were paid in 2014.

But Sloboda could not answer our questions by Nunatsiaq News’ publication time.

During his presentation to city councillors, Sloboda blamed an aging computer system used by the motor vehicle division.

RCMP Sgt. Jean-Guy Lalonde explained.

“The court system is not rigged up to transfer information to the motor vehicle branch. Because the motor vehicle branch system is so outdated, they’re not able to keep track of all the fines,” Lalonde told councillors.

“So it’s common knowledge for people to know this and not to pay their fines,” he said.

Although the MVD does track driver’s license demerit points, it doesn’t track or collect fines, said James Demcheson, manager of motor vehicle safety and inspections with the Nunavut government.

The department is looking to change its ways, however. They’ve issued a request for proposals to overhaul their computer system.

“Unfortunately our database is rather antiquated,” Demcheson said. “We are in the process of setting up a new system in the near future.”

But that system won’t come online until 2017 at the earliest, Demcheson said.

“We’re just in the midst of awarding a contract to start that replacement process,” Demcheson said, and that will include new hardware and software.

“We’re aiming for it to be more encompassing than the current system. Because the current system is rather antiquated and again things like the fines — we’re not able to properly track them for clients,” Demcheson said.

Right now the only motor vehicle division offices are in Iqaluit, Rankin Inlet, Gjoa Haven and Cambridge Bay. Demcheson said when the new motor vehicle information system is in place, “the intent is for direct accessibility by more communities.”

“However, that depends on the existing telecommunications network,” Demcheson said.

Aside from traffic violations, the municipal enforcement office also reported 198 “dog at large” calls.

And speaking of canines, there were 44 found dog calls, 26 dog bite calls, 10 dog attack calls, and seven cruelty to dog calls.

Municipal enforcement officers destroyed six dogs in 2014.

There were also six cat complaints.