Snowed in: Councillors grapple with stormy season in Nunavut capital

Councillor Kyle Sheppard asks why the city of Iqaluit can’t get back up and running sooner after a blizzard. (PHOTO BY BETH BROWN)

Iqaluit councillors say the city needs to look at how it removes snow after yet another storm blew through Nunavut’s capital this week.

An overnight storm on Monday was largely over by Tuesday morning but government offices, businesses and the municipality remained closed until late Tuesday because roads were still not safe for driving.

“We’re preventing our kids from going to school. It’s absolutely ridiculous as a northern capital that our kids couldn’t go to school this afternoon because our roads weren’t cleared,” said Coun. Kyle Sheppard.

Sheppard raised the issue in social media on Tuesday and also brought it up at a city council meeting that night, Nov. 28.

“I realize safety has to be paramount, but I feel we are being far too conservative. I don’t understand why heavy equipment was not on the roads much earlier today,” he said.

Sheppard, chair of the city’s public safety committee, asked that information on city snow removal policies be made available to councillors within a week so councillors could discuss the issue at the next council meeting and formulate solutions for quicker snow removal before the next storm hits.

“It’s not working right now at all,” Sheppard said. “The biggest issue I have is how quickly we are able to get back up and running again. We’ve got good operators. There is no question about the quality of work that we can get done. It’s just a matter of when it gets done.”

Mayor Madeleine Redfern said there are simple ways of communicating better with residents, such as making sure the city blizzard line contains current information.

“People want to understand the process better,” she said at the meeting.

To that end, the mayor took to Twitter Monday to tell her followers that, while city crews may begin clearing roads as early as 2 a.m., safety is the first priority and sometimes the city must remain closed even after a blizzard has ended so that streets can be cleared.

The goal is always to minimize work and school disruptions, she wrote.

However, “it clearly came to my attention,” Redfern said, that in order for schools to re-open after a storm, school bus contractors need more lead time for their staff to get back on the roads.

Redfern said the city will make snow removal and post-storm policies “a priority,” so that everyone understands the protocols and so any “much needed adjustments” can be made.

But not everyone was critical of the city’s storm response at the council meeting. Some noted that policies have, in fact, improved.

“We don’t see people being let go in the middle of the blizzard,” Coun. Kuthula Matshazi said. “To me that is a step forward.

He said the city has also improved communication and coordination with the Government of Nunavut so that closures are consistent between both employers.

And while crews can’t be out clearing snow when the storm is in full force, deputy mayor Romeyn Stevenson said operators could potentially get started when the storm is winding down.

“There is a sweet spot when they should be back on the roads working. And certainly this afternoon looked like a time when they should have been on the roads before they were.”

Coun. Simon Nattaq reminded his colleagues that caring for residents during a storm includes making sure everyone has enough water, that the roads are cleared and that updates are sent out.

“We cannot do much about nature as it runs on its own,” he said.

“Iqaluit is a growing city. We have more vehicles than ever before. We have to educate the public, inform them more about our roads. In the past, there wasn’t that much snow but things have changed.”

Nattaq said there has been more snow drifting, “this year especially.”

Councillors thanked the city communications team for round-the-clock storm updates sent on social media.