Iqaluit council to hold public meeting on water delivery changes

Iqaluit city council voted to schedule a public meeting on recent changes to the city's water truck delivery system, after more than 20 Iqaluit residents voiced their displeasure with the changes Tuesday night.

The City of Iqaluit recently announced a change from an as-needed refill system — trucks would patrol a given neighbourhood and fill tanks when drivers noticed a tank fill light is off — to scheduled delivery, which some people say penalizes large families who consume more water. The plan was announced via a letter sent to residents earlier this month.

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At a Tuesday night city council meeting, however, a group of concerned residents said council should have consulted the public on the matter.

"We don't know what other options the administration presented to council," said Joe Kunuk, a former mayor of Iqaluit who was part of the group. "We don't know what else was considered, other than now water delivery, and sewage pump out on Wednesdays."

Julie Miller, who runs a licensed day care out of her home, said that she wasn't given enough time to adapt to the changes before they were put in place.

"When these kind of wholesale changes are made you would expect some kind of consultation ahead of time," said Miller. "Perhaps I would have put a larger tank on the sea-lift to make accommodations."

Ultimately, council voted in favour of having a public meeting on the water delivery changes, with only Mayor Mary Wilman voting against the motion. Wilman said the public response to the changes was not great enough to warrant such a meeting.

A date for the meeting has not yet been announced.