Hot tub fine machine: Whitehorse officials investigate illegal dumping
Truck, trash, hot tub among debris found near Mount Sima
In theory, it's not a bad place for a hot tub.
The spot on Mountain Road, near Whitehorse's Mount Sima ski hill, boasts a view of the mountains, a nearby beaver dam, and the peace of the Yukon woods.
Problem is, the hot tub is somebody's trash, unceremoniously dumped by the side of the road alongside some scattered household waste and an abandoned pickup truck.
Sam Oettli, who manages the ski hill, drives by the spot daily. On Monday he spotted the mess, and called it in to police.
"I have no idea why the hot tub was out of the back of the truck — I assume it was in the back of the truck at some point — and then the side panelling on it had been ripped and the Styrofoam insulation was starting to float around everywhere," he said.
"People just drive in the middle of nowhere and push it all off the back of the vehicle and drive away."
Oettli said on his way home, the RCMP officer investigating the scene told him they'd identified the owner of the truck and told the person to clean up the mess.
A bylaw officer with the City of Whitehorse told CBC News the city was also investigating. Illegal dumping is covered by a municipal bylaw, and is punishable by a $300 fine.
By Monday evening the truck was gone, but Oettli said the hot tub was still there as of Tuesday afternoon.
The incident left Oettli shaking his head.
"Look at where we live. We have people from all over the world come to visit our beautiful territory and we take pride in that—I think most people [do]—and to see this is just gross," he said.
With files from Dave Croft