Group of Iqaluit residents calls for new shooting society
Robynn Pavia says current society has only has one board member, no oversight
Iqaluit resident Robynn Pavia, who appeared before city council on Tuesday night, wants to create a new shooting society in the city. (Photo by Emma Tranter)
A group of Iqaluit residents is pushing for the creation of a new shooting society in the city.
Robynn Pavia, who is helping to organize the new society, appeared before city council on Tuesday, July 23, to ask council to consider the creation of a new memorandum of understanding to create the new group.
“What we’re looking to do is create a society that actively takes control of the range, shooting membership, cleans up the range, maintains it, promotes safe shooting in the community. What we found is the shooting range is no longer being maintained,” Pavia said.
Pavia said she also wants to look at the location of the range. Right now, residents are using the Upper Base range in addition to the original range near the Road to Nowhere, which closes when the city pumps water from the nearby Apex River to refill Lake Geraldine.
“Do we know if the society is actively running, currently registered and still in an active state in this point and time?” Coun. Kyle Sheppard asked.
Pavia said she was unsure if the current group, the Iqaluit Shooting Association, was active.
“I understand there’s one person, and unfortunately he just doesn’t communicate,” she said.
That one person is a board member of the association, Pavia explained. Board members are the governing body, which is separate from the association’s paid membership.
Rod Mugford, the city’s new chief operating officer who was sworn in on Tuesday night, said that although he could not find a memorandum of understanding for the current society, they did sign a lease for the shooting range in May 2010 for 10 years.
Because the current lease is still technically active, Mugford said the city would need to look into the options for creating a new lease.
“Under that lease there’s terms and conditions that need to be met in order for the lease to be valid. So there would have to be, I presume, some sort of breach of contract,” he said.
Sheppard said he was concerned about the current range not being actively monitored by a society.
“If that society is no longer in good standing or is essentially defunct, that lease becomes null and void at that time, which puts it in a bit of a sticky situation with a range that’s not been monitored by a society,” Sheppard said.
“There’s gun owners in town that require a range in the municipality to own the firearms they own. So I think we need to determine the status of that society right now. Hopefully, to ensure that a new society is formed to take over responsibility for that site.”
Amy Elgersma, the city’s chief administrative officer, said the city has already started to think about a new location for the range.
“The city has looked at some other potential locations for the future. So it’s not out of the question to look at new shooting range,” Elgersma said.
Some councillors wanted more clarity on why the new society is needed.
“Make me believe that this society is going to work,” Coun. Joanasie Akumalik said.
Pavia said she has a full board ready to go if the city gives her the green light.
“There’s enough people actively shooting in the community that finding board members and people that are interested to sit on the board, for as much effort as it takes, hasn’t been difficult,” she said.
The whole point of the gun range and the society that monitors it is to foster safe, responsible gun ownership, she added.
Pavia also said that because the board of the current society only has one member, it is difficult to get answers.
“I’m not laying blame, I’m just saying that the laws, as far as guns go, specifically when it comes to restricted weapons, you’ve got to be tied to a range,” she said.
“It’s not enough that we have a range in theory. We need to have a range on paper and we need to have a range that’s being taken care of.”
Iqaluit Mayor Madeleine Redfern said the city would get back to Pavia with information about the new society’s next steps.
“As you begin to organize and we get some information and follow up as to the status of the current society, we can then move forward,” Redfern said.
Some false information. For those with restricted firearms the range or society does not need to be in the community. You just need to be a member of it. Many people live in communities without ranges and are members of other clubs for example Yellowknife or Ottawa. Now being able to use those restricted firearms is impossible in the community if there is no Club running a restricted firearms range. Which would basically mean they would collect dust in your gun cabinet.
How is the current Shooting association suppose to be active and do things like cleanup and competitions when the City keeps shutting down the road to access it. There is more then one person on the current board, and who is on this full board she has ready to go?
The association hasn’t filed paperwork for many years (CBC article). They’ve obviously lost interest in the range. Time for people who care about it to get together and do it properly.