City stalling on resuming Wednesday water delivery, says Iqaluit councillor
'May 18 is not immediately,' says Terry Dobbin
An Iqaluit city councillor says the city is stalling the return of trucked water service on Wednesdays "because we're asking to see the savings, and I don't think they exist, personally."
At the last council meeting on April 26, councillors voted on a motion by councillor Terry Dobbin to restore water delivery immediately until city staff provides them with how much money the mid-week stoppage is saving the city.
The city stopped trucked water service in the middle of the week nine months ago in the hopes of saving money while it faces a $9.4 million debt, leaving many residents on trucked water to conserve their usage.
In a release late Monday afternoon the City of Iqaluit announced water delivery on Wednesdays would resume May 18.
"That's a slap in the face. That's three to four weeks after a motion was made. That's a blatant disregard for council's decisions, in my opinion," said Dobbin.
"May 18 is not immediately."
Dobbin said he was informed by the the city that employees require a 14-day notice when their work schedule changes, as per the city's collective bargaining agreement.
"The motion [to restore Wednesday water delivery] being introduced April 26 and they say 14 calendar days, so wouldn't that be May 10?" Dobbin said.
"I presumed [Wednesday delivery] would have started tomorrow [May 4]. And then they came out with a stall tactic saying they would have to give the workers a 14-day notice."