Bryan Pearson sues city over AWG arena location

A former mayor of Iqaluit is suing the city, alleging that noise and traffic at the nearby Arctic Winter Games arena is a nuisance reducing the value of his house.

Bryan Pearson, who lives next door to the AWG, is seeking $325,000 in damages and injunctions that would bar the city from hosting events at the arena, or any "further development."

"Pearson has suffered damages to his premises from loss of quiet enjoyment for his property," reads a statement of claim filed in the Nunavut Court of Justice last November.

In the court documents, Pearson alleges the city is violating its own noise bylaw and hasn't done enough to control noise coming from the arena.

He also accuses the city of allowing users of the arena to park their cars in places that block parts of his property.

The AWG is no longer used for hockey because the floor is sinking into the tundra, but the arena still hosts concerts, community events and trade shows.

In October, council voted to spend $2.1 million to fix the concrete pad that lies under the arena.

It's not clear if the court action means any delay in that project, but community events have continued unabated at the AWG, most recently with the Celebration of the Seal event this past weekend.

For its part, the city denies Pearson's allegations. Even if the city was responsible, a statement of defense states any noise "was of a temporary, short-term and sporadic nature."

And if parked cars blocked parts of Pearson's property, that's not the city's fault, the statement reads.

Reached at his home this past Monday, Pearson said he had no comment on the case.