No public feedback as Iqaluit council advances cabin plan
New rules will establish zones and licensing process for building
Three bylaws intended to regulate the way Iqaluit residents can build cabins await third reading after passing a second reading during Tuesday’s city council meeting. (File photo)
A proposed framework on how the City of Iqaluit would regulate cabin building will move to a third and final reading after city staff received zero public feedback on the matter.
The city had issued a notice inviting residents to submit comments about its proposed plan to establish specific zones where people could build cabins, as well as a cabin licensing framework.
The city has had a moratorium on cabin building since 2020. Despite that, people have continued building cabins, creating a situation Coun. Kyle Sheppard has described as an “absolute mess.”
Mayor Solomon Awa called on Mathew Dodds, the city’s planning director, during the public-hearing portion of the meeting to share feedback the public submitted. Dodds said he had received nothing.
Then Awa asked if anyone in the room wanted to speak on the issue, but there were no members of the general public in the gallery — just the usual crowd of city staff and journalists who regularly attend council.
A new cabin policy includes amendments to three bylaws: the city’s general plan would be amended to introduce cabin zones to the plan and outline where they would be located; the zoning bylaw would be amended to add cabin and legacy cabin zones; and the administration bylaw would be amended to outline the way the city grants cabin licences.
The three amended bylaws passed first reading March 25.
Councillors had little to add before giving the proposed changes second reading on Tuesday. Much of the debate on the proposed policy happened during the Jan. 22 planning and development committee meeting.
Coun. Simon Nattaq asked if the city would establish fees as part of these bylaws.
Dodds said that setting fees would happen in a “separate conversation” — specifically, an amendment to the fees and charges bylaw.
“For now, the policies being presented are just for the licensing mechanism,” he said.
The three bylaw amendments passed second reading unanimously and will be given a third reading at a future meeting.
Sheppard was the only councillor absent from Tuesday’s meeting.
Triadically no permanent Structure should be allow along a river with fish, all The Cabins along the river needs to be put down in respect to Fish,
If not we Inuit should do something about it reclaim our right and principals.
To all those who do not Agree with my comment, have not Idea and do not respect Inuit Traditions and Inuit unwritten Laws.
In that case feel free to leave our land and our Traditions and our Unwritten Laws.
One cannot life here and disrespect us Inuit traditions, these are knowledge and our Culture which everyone here need to respect and acknowledged Our ways and traditions. if not one do not deserver to be here on our birth right grounds.
Nunavutmiuta