Snowmobiles a “huge” problem, coroner warns

In comments made to Iqaluit city council this past Tuesday, Tim Neily, Nunavut’s chief coroner, warned that snowmobiles are becoming a “huge” safety problem in the community.

Council invited Neily to appear before them so that he could talk about last year’s coroner’s inquest into four fatal municipal accidents in Iqaluit and Qikiqtarjuaq.

But his appearance soon sparked a long, wide-ranging discussion among councillors about vehicle and pedestrian safety in Iqaluit. During that discussion, Neily suggested the unsafe use of snowmobiles is out of control in Iqaluit.

“You see skidoos with engines bigger than some cars, driven by people with no licence, no registration, no helmet… They’re operating a powerful, extremely dangerous motor vehicle,” Neily said.

Neily said he has no problems with hunters driving through town to get out on the land, but he warned that Iqaluit may be heading in the direction of Yellowknife, where, in the 1980s, snowmobiles on public roads were eventually banned.

“You don’t see skidoos going 65 miles an hour racing down Main Street in Yellowknife at two in the morning anymore, but you see it here about every night,” Neily said.

Neily also praised the City of Iqaluit for how it’s responded to recommendations made by the jury in last year’s inquest.

“I have seen changes… I definitely can see that,” Neily said.

At the same time, Mark Hall, the city’s director of public works, presented councillors with a long list of safety-related measures that the city is taking in response to recommendations made by the jury in last year’s inquest, such as the creation of walkways, the installation of convex rear-view mirrors on city trucks, and the hiring of a safety officer by June 1.

Councillors also talked about reckless behaviour by pedestrians, such as crossing the road without looking, ignoring crosswalks, and walking with their back to traffic.

“We have to educate the public,” Coun. Nancy Gillis said.