Rutted roads take toll on businesses, emergency services

IQALUIT — Driving isn’t the only thing being slowed by Iqaluit’s growing maze of potholes.

Rainer Launhardt, the general manager of the Frobisher Inn, says business was slow at the inn’s bar and dining room all weekend.

“A good night is a full house and we didn’t get a full house once last weekend,” he says. “On Friday night our dining room wasn’t that busy, and it’s usually a good night for us.”

Business also appeared slow at the Royal Canadian Legion on Friday night. Rather than the usual capacity crowd, the attendance was comparatively sparse.

Launhardt says the slow weekend probably happened because most people planning to go out couldn’t be bothered to navigate the roads, or were uncertain whether they would be able to hire a taxi later in the evening.

However, the lack of pleasure-seekers out on the town may also have been a product of the city’s two strikes, which dramatically reduced the disposable income of many Iqalungmiut.

Regardless, the reduction of vehicles on the roads didn’t improve the quality of the overall driving experience, says Neville Wheaton, Iqaluit’s fire chief and director of emergency services.

Wheaton says emergency-response times haven’t yet been seriously affected by the road conditions.

“When we got the call on Friday night about the fire, our response time wasn’t slowed,” he says.

“But it would have been a better ride and easier on the volunteers if the roads were better.”

Wheaton is more concerned about ambulance-response times than those of the fire department.

“We’re having to take more time getting back on ambulance calls,” he says. “And depending on the call, if we have critical situation the roads might pose a problem.”

Bob Brouillet, strike captain for the locked-out city workers, says that even if Iqaluit’s potholed roads pose a danger to public safety, the union is not to blame.

“We are not required to take care of the roads according to the essential services agreement between the city and the union,” he says.

“As long as the roads are passable, we don’t have to fix them.”