Metal-waste disposal should not be city’s responsibility, say councillors
Iqaluit administration proposes plan to clean city of derelict vehicles and other garbage, local leaders want more information
Iqaluit city councillors voted this week to defer a decision on waiving tipping fees for metal-waste disposal until more information is provided. (Photo by Arty Sarkisian)
Iqaluit city councillors have voted unanimously to defer a decision on whether to approve a proposed metal waste collection program, with some arguing that cleaning up abandoned vehicles is not the city’s responsibility.
The program would address the “accumulation of metal waste within Iqaluit,” said the proposal, which was included in Tuesday’s council agenda.
It’s the first program like this beyond the city’s annual community cleanup efforts, city spokesperson Geoff Byrne said in an email.
“This should not be the city’s responsibility,” said Coun. Kimberly Smith.
“But unfortunately, it has become that because people just refuse to responsibly dispose of their old vehicles.”
In order to properly dispose of large waste, including cars, snowmobiles or construction debris, residents or businesses have to visit city hall to obtain a waste-disposal permit and pay tipping fees ranging from $15 to $575, depending on the type of waste.
The city’s metal-waste disposal program would run eight weeks from Aug. 26 to Oct. 18 and cost approximately $150,000.
The program would include waiving tipping fees for residents, along with transportation assistance with larger items to clear the streets of old vehicles, ATVs and other metal debris.
Two vehicles sit burned and abandoned in a parking lot on the west side of Iqaluit’s core area following a fire earlier this month. (File photo by Jeff Pelletier)
A number of derelict vehicles have burned in the city this month in what RCMP suspect are “deliberate” acts. In one incident, two people were hospitalized for smoke inhalation.
Although this program predates the recent fires, Byrne said, one of the listed benefits includes the reduction of “fire hazards” in the city.
“Derelict vehicles are known as fire hazards, as they often contain chemicals that are mostly combustible in nature,” he said.
Coun. Kyle Sheppard said he would support the proposal on the condition the city administration would work with the Government of Nunavut to implement an import tax on vehicles, with revenues flowing to the City of Iqaluit.
“This needs to be a one-time event where we take on that responsibility,” he said.
Sheppard said he believes the budget must be a “very rough” guess, adding little work has been done to estimate how much metal waste is littered across the city.
Coun. Romeyn Stevenson agreed more work needs to be done on the proposal and said he also wants administration to consider working to have new import taxes on vehicles.
“It’s not the paying citizens’ of Iqaluit responsibility to pay for those who refuse to, to spend the money to dispose of their vehicles,” Stevenson said.
The only member who spoke in favour of the program was Coun. Simon Nattaq. He agreed with former Iqlauit city councillor Joanasie Akumalik, who attended the meeting and spoke as a delegate.
Akumalik said removing fees would give people time to “clean up our community.”
Front-end the fee if people are refusing to be respnsibke for their own messes. Charge a tipping fee upon vehicle registration, rather than expecting it to be paid once the vehicle is left abandoned. The city shouldn’t have to babysit its residents but here we go again.
Guys…that’s what an import tax would accomplish. The City isn’t responsible for registering vehicles, the GN is. The GN has to implement the import tax.
Could city charge when vehicles arrive and are registered, charge a flat fee that would include disposal at end of life, that way all vehicles are covered all the time.
It’s amazing how many people seem to have missed the basics of civics—or perhaps it’s not taught in Nunavut? Vehicle registration is the responsibility of the GN, while metal waste management falls to the municipalities.
The GN is too caught up in debates over language laws and devolution, yet they fail to provide the necessary financial support for municipalities to handle day-to-day operations like this.
This is a problem across Nunavut, not just in Iqaluit, so GN staff and elected officials get this fixed!
This makes sense and council should pass this. I get it I don’t want my taxes paying because other people choose to leave their vehicles rotting on their lot but we also can’t have the junk overrun our town. We can’t keep having fires or the environmental hazards of these sitting around. Tipping fees are discouraging the disposal of these so it makes sense to have a reasonable period where the fee is waived then have a cost recovery plan through registration fees or import taxes.
Or we can do nothing and let this continue indefinably
es have nothing to do with Nero, some crazy people just light anything they see, this time it was 2 vehicule,s most of the time its a shack,a tent and the favorite: house s and windows of course the damp shelter too allmost burnt, so dont you dare blame cares and truck for neros furry,and keep your tax were the sun dont shine,you must be filfy rich to want more tax
It should be the City’s responsibility and sell as car truck salvage, we badly need that here in Nunavut.
Garbage, refuse falls under Municipal ordinance i do believe. The GN does not run any “municipal dumps”
often theres lots of good parts at the dump keeps hiding and they guard their garbage like if it was gold,other city have scrap yard that for a fee you can come take off parts off yourself and fit on your vehicule and recicle, not here, cant touch this..
check out this scrap yard online to see what I mean… https://kennyupull.com/
Property Standards Bylaw. If they don’t have one they need one. Since the majority of buildings are gn or nhc owned the enforcement for that part is simple, the rest issue an order, failure to comply, removal, put charges against property, bale up the crap and send south for recycle, any overages in expense vs revenue assessed to property. On sale of property costs are recovered by registered line. The mechanisms are in place to compensate for the for the residents who don’t give crap about the city they live in.
Yes, you are correct. It 100% is Iqaluit’s responsibility, and they do already have a mechanism in place. All members of Council should really be aware of that already, because it’s their own Bylaw, “Unsightly Land Bylaw No. 714”.
The bylaw permits the city to issue warnings, following by a cleanup order, and if the cleanup order is not followed thennnnnn, (and I quote)
8.13 After obtaining the amount of the expenses incurred by the City in carrying out the Clean-up Order, the Director of Corporate Services shall send a demand for payment for the expenses to the Owner.
8.14 Where the City carries out a Clean-up Order under this By-law and the Owner fails, within the one (1) year after demand for payment, to pay the expenses incurred by the City, the Director of Corporate Services shall place the amount of the expenses incurred in carrying out the Clean-up Order on the tax roll as an additional tax against the property concerned and that amount:
(a) Forms a lien on the property in favour of the City; and
(b) Shall, for the purposes, be deemed to be taxes imposed and assessed on the property and delinquent under the Property Assessment and Taxation Act from the date the expenses were incurred, and this By-law shall apply to the enforcement, collection and recovery of the amount.
Seems like the councilor just doesn’t want it to be the city’s responsibility and doesn’t want the city to actually do the work that it’s supposed to do. Getting paid the amount you get paid for your position, you should know better, and you should do better.
I made a suggestion when I was on city council in the 1990s and I was shot down for it. I will make it again. Scrap metal, including old vehicles (cars, skidoos, etc) should be hauled far out onto the ice in spring and allowed to sink into the ocean when the ice melts. Remove the gas tanks and batteries and tires first, then sink them. The metal will slowly oxidize and create better marine habitat for sea life. This was done in Arctic communities in the 1960s. I remember it being done in Qikiqtarjuaq. When my son lived in Bermuda, he was part of a diving club. The government there had an old barge that was surplus, and asked he club where they should sink it. It was sunk and over time created a great marine environment for diving. Oxidization will happen more slowly in the Arctic, but it will happen, and the marine environment will benefit. This will be an unpopular suggestion. But it deserves to be investigated. Other solutions being bandied about are unaffordable. And shipping the north’s garbage south should be a non-starter.
This should be John Fanjoy’s responsibility.
Iqaluit, a small village with a big city attitude.
Last I checked this is Canada and you can’t charge import fees between provinces. That is federal.
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Nunavut is not a tax jurisdiction that will ever be able to cover its expenses. It is 99.9% federally funded. Forget fees and nonsense, I mean most people don’t even register their vehicles because no one enforces those lawns either. Simply lobby the GN for more money that they get from Ottawa.
The % of Federal contribution to Nunavut’s economy is 92% not you guess of 99%
With the implementation of the devolution agreement in 1997 the contribution level will drop as Nunavut expands its tax base on things like mines.
Pessimism really doesn’t help those working to improve Nunavut.
We can agree that virtually all revenue is from Canada so you can be pedantic. I expect the other 7% is from income earned from industries propped up by the federal government, for example the income from the employees paid by the federal dollars and the companies earning income from projects mostly funded by federal grants.
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This is the largest land mass ever. Haul it all to the middle of nowhere. Apply for some federal green grant to do it. Council and the city really don’t do a great job of applying for federal programs. Working for the city is putting out fires, never looking forward to be proactive.
The city should ask Nuuk how they handle their metal waste, landfill, recycling, works very well over there and I’m sure it could work here too.
its really dangeous
and it would be helpful if you guys clean it up