Iqaluit city council called on to deal with “illegal occupation” of industrial area
Some parents living in the West 40 want buses to bring their kids to school
People—and especially families with children—are not supposed to live in Iqaluit’s West 40 area, along the road leading from behind the airport, past the sewage lagoon, to the tank farm and the municipal dump. But they do and some have asked for Iqaluit school buses to take their children to Nakasuk Elementary School. That’s an issue for the Iqaluit District Education Authority, because it doesn’t have the funding to pick up children outside residential areas. (Photo by Frank Reardon)
Iqaluit city councillors plan to investigate the issue of families that live in an industrially zoned area of the city who want their kids bused to school.
That’s after the Iqaluit District Education Authority’s chairperson Doug Workman came before the council on Tuesday, April 23, to complain about the cost of busing children from the area known as the West 40, which is located past the airport and sewage lagoon, on the way to the tank farm and municipal dump.
Workman said he wants the city to decide whether to allow people to live there or enforce its zoning of West 40 as an industrial area.
It’s no secret that families are living in the West 40, and in summer you often see small pink plastic bikes and other children’s toys scattered outside the units.
During the school year, parents have asked the IDEA to send buses out to the West 40, so their children can attend school.
This is a problem for the IDEA, because it has a contract with a bus company to provide services to children in residential areas only, so it can’t respond to a request for busing.
Workman said as well that they don’t have the money to extend the route to other zones, such as the West 40.
To get the attention of the council, Workman wrote a letter earlier this month to Mayor Madeleine Redfern about the “illegal occupation” of West 40 units in buildings 2017 and 2019.
“Building 2017 is one multi-residential unit that has people renting units. Some renters are families with children who request bus transportation for their children,” he said.
Over the past year and a half the IDEA has received three requests for busing, he said.
Workman wanted to know how anyone could have housing units to rent there if it’s an industrial zone, and he questioned whether, “given the zoning, is the city not concerned about child safety?”
During the council discussion, Coun. Kyle Sheppard acknowledged that it is “a bad situation” and that families should never have been living there in the first place.
But, given the lack of housing in Iqaluit, it’s not surprising, he said.
However, when families live in these areas, they can’t expect the same level of services.
Before making any decision, councillors decided they needed to know how many people live in the West 40 and hear more from them.
Deputy Mayor Romeyn Stevenson suggested that the planning and lands committee bring a list of known residences in that area to council, while Coun. Joanasie Akumalik offered to invite Workman to the public works and engineering committee, which he chairs.
The next council meeting is scheduled for May 14.
With files from Patricia Lightfoot
I get that these homes should probably never have been built in the industrial area but they are there now (dont let anymore be built with out approval and their understanding about the rules, Like NuBrew is doing). Housing is hard to get in all communities so can’t force them out with no place to go. But if you build or live in an industrial area then you need to put up with the lack of services that are residential in nature. such as school bus routes.
What is NuBrew being blamed for now?
They have had an employee living in a unit in the brewery for a year, or more, which is also not zoned for a residence. They applied for the variance only recently. The city does not actually follow through on bylaws and zoning, its rare that anyone actually gets fined. There are unpaid taxes in arrears for millions from defunked non for profits.
Residents of the West 40 need to be careful what they wish for! By bringing this issue to the attention of the DEA and hence the City they run the risk of being evicted from what may in fact be illegal dwellings. If I had to choose between the inconvenience of getting my child to school and eviction from my place of residence, I know which I would choose. In addition the residents in this area must realize that by living outside the residential boundaries of the city they forfeit their rights to access to funded services like bussing.
Wouldn’t these units be grandfathered in from the late 70’s or early 80’s, negating the zoning by-law and applicable for bus services?
Although the funding arrangement required to extend the service to West 40 by IDEA is long passed for the 2018/2019 school year, would they not be able to seek an increase of their 1.259m estimated contribution from the GN for the 2019/2020 school year?
I find it unfortunate that the issue has become a case of “illegal occupation” as opposed to finding a way to provide the same level of service for a few students based on an issue in which they have no control over.
What you’re talking about is called legal non-conforming use. It’s when a unit or property was used for a certain purpose (in this case residential) before that area was zoned for a different purpose (industrial). However, it’s only applicable if the property in question has been under the same use continuously since the zoning change.
And I’d like to know more about that as well, because if these units are legal non-conforming, then they should be entitled to bus service. I’m surprised that this was either not asked by council, or not reported on.
Of the two lots pictured, i am certain that one would apply as no structural changes have been made since the zoning by-law was passed while the other unit would have lost its status after a large renovation
Yeah I can’t say either way, Travis. It’s not necessarily about renovations, it’s about use.
It’s something that the city should know, and something they should be taking into consideration.
The cost? It is literally a two minute drive from Hanson’s, which is where the buses are stored and depart from to pick children up for school. It isn’t up to the school district to get involved in this city issue. There are families living in that area, and that has been the case for years. The area clearly needs a bus stop. Start the route from where that picture was taken (again, two minutes of driving), and continue from there.
That said, this is no excuse for parents to keep their children home from school. They should be doing everything they can to make sure they get there, even if it means walking 15 minutes in the cold to the nearest stop. They shouldn’t have to, but that isn’t the childrens’ fault, and their education shouldn’t suffer, especially at such a young age.
How about changing the zoning? It is the most ridiculous and needlessly confusing zoning I’ve ever seen.
What are they paying by way of municipal tax?
If they’re paying the same rate as someone in Apex or Tundra Valley or high Plateau then all of these other considerations are just a bunch of bureaucratic mumbo jumbo.
If they’re getting a sweet deal tax-wise, then those parents should stop whining and figure it out on their own.
They are renters who were probably just stoked to find slightly less expensive housing. They likely don’t pay municipal taxes. They pay no more or less than kids in Tundra Valley, etc and live in public housing. So just pick the darn kids up for school already.
If they’re renters then their landlords pay municipal tax and implicitly pass that tax on to them in their rent. The question remains, how much tax is being paid in connection with these residential units? The answer to that points to how the city should respond to the situation.
It’s kind of rich to hear council talk about how people shouldn’t expect ‘the same level of service’ out there, given how far City has bent over backwards to accommodate every whim of the brewery.
The Brewery? How DARE the city service an industry in an industrial area. The AUDACITY…
Clearly you are a worker or co owner. How dare the brewery build a massive brewery thinking that all of Iqaluit would like their inconsistent beer. At least the flat sealift beer at the legion and storehouse is consistently bad.
The problem is they let variances go for businesses. How can they say people can live at the brewery and provide emergency services and the like but deny bus service to the next building? They can’t have variances for one then contradict it by saying the next building cant do the same.
No consistency. Kids cannot get to school but the brewery threatens lawyers to get their way.
Why are we even arguing about kids going to school, shame on you Mr. Workman, being prejudice against students based on where they live, come on man education is for the kids, get them to school any way you can, damn it, use your own car if you have to, but get them to school.
There’s no school bus out at the West Forty? How about the poor kid that lived at bldg. 576 that had to cab to Nakasuk and home every day because he wasn’t allowed on the bus route that had a designated stop 100 feet away at the corner of the same street?
Bldg. 2017 (Morneau’s “Explorers’ Club” or “The Red Door”) was only moved there in the mid-nineties so why would the building be eligible for a “late 70’s or early 80’s” grandfather exemption, Travis? Kinda wonder what their tax rate is…residential apartment block or construction warehouse? Wonder if the electricity there is eligible for the standard business subsidy?
Bldg. 2019 is a staff house/warehouse so, in principal, there shouldn’t be any kids there. The owners appear to be local taxi business owners so they can probably arrange reasonable transportation terms for any employees’ kids residing there?
If I pitch a tent at the transmitter site, should I expect bus service for my kids or at any of the residences now established above or behind the garages on the Federal Road?
Jimmy Olson is right. People have known for years that the old booze can bldg is not designated as a residential structure. It’s supposed to be an industrial/commercial structure that can have a part to temporarily house workers. The government was stopping people from living there 15 years ago after Morneau died but yet these dumb scofflaws following in Morneau’s tradition of ignoring the law still refuse to listen!!! I have no sympathy whatsoever for these jerks!!!
When people come up north, they expect to receive the kind of services they left behind.
That’s ignorant. Not that it matters or makes a difference, but the most of the complaining about this has been from Inuit.
And good for them. Bus the kids already. It’s a minute away from the bus depot.
Well, you’re statement is incredibly inaccurate and also irrelevant. Kids need to get to school, regardless of the expectations of services and where you’re from.
Easiest thing to do would be to rezone the area to include residential space.
It appears the hands of the IDEA are bound by the contract.
The city must of known this was going to happen at some point, after all the city delivers water and sewage services to these buildings.
All in all, with housing shortage, and education being at the forefront of issues in Nunavut, do the right thing and help get the kids to school.