We are not the only community with Firework problems

The following was sent to me by one of my readers I see we are not the only community that had problems with Fireworks. Thank goodness at the end of the day common sense prevailed.


 A fireworks cheer for fire chief

Mike W. Bryant
Staff columnist
Friday, December 31, 2010 

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Hats off to Yellowknife fire chief Darcy Hernblad and reasonable regulation minders everywhere.

Hernblad has broken the shackles of free-thinking men and women living in the city of Yellowknife so they can once again proudly purchase fireworks for private New Year's parties like normal grown-ups should, without fear of exorbitant fines and government retribution.

Gone are the dark days of his predecessor who would have had us cower in fear should we dare skip his $150 mandatory fireworks class and light off a Roman candle or cherry bomb without his suffocating hand to guide us.

It seemed incredible to me last year when former fire chief Albert Headrick decreed that henceforth no one in the city could purchase or handle consumer fireworks - the regular garden variety not used in large professional shows - unless they could find the time and money to attend his rinky-dink course, limited to a maximum 20 people.

It was even more incredible that not a single city councillor or MLA found it bothersome that an unelected, unaccountable bureaucrat could make a decision limiting the activities of taxpaying voters without their approval or consent.

How ironic then that Headrick was here barely long enough to witness the fruits of his directive. Two months after all but banning fireworks usage by adult Yellowknifers he returned to Saskatchewan after living in Yellowknife and serving as fire chief for 22 months.

"There's so much damage caused by fireworks displays and injuries that are sustained with them," said Headrick without providing a shred of evidence.

I say that because after poring through this newspapers' archives I couldn't find a single story related to injuries from fireworks in the Northwest Territories in 15 years. There are plenty enough involving, say, snowmobiles.

In fact, there have been two snowmobile-related deaths in and around Yellowknife just this year alone. Yet, as long as one has a valid driver's licence, there is no requirement from the city to take a separate course to learn how to drive a snowmobile.

I might be inclined to argue that driving a car and driving a snowmobile are two entirely different things. Nonetheless, take your snowmobile outside city limits and you're not even required to wear a helmet, let alone have a special licence to drive one of these potentially very dangerous machines.

Yes, in the wrong hands or in the wrong location, fireworks can spell disaster. It seems just as unwise to hand your 12-year-old a box full of Saturn Missiles as it would to fire them at your neighbour's house.

People, especially young people, do get hurt. Thankfully the rules require users to be 18, to have a permit and to set fireworks on ice a safe distance from people's homes.

Happy fireworks days are here again, and just in time for New Year's. It would have been nice to have some forewarning but still we have Hernblad, a Yellowknifer of 30 years, to thank for having the foresight and reasonableness of mind to let common sense rule.

It's a refreshing position coming from a public servant. Too often the impulse seems toward nanny statism and rules for rules' sake. 

Community Peace Officer Program (paying for itself?)

Community Peace Officer Program

Interesting I was reading last weeks council package and came across the following:

"The Community Peace Officer Program or any Municipal Enforcement if structured properly can be self sufficient and provide a needed service that the community rate payers expect at an affordable price.

For Example:

The City of Cold Lake AB with a population 12,000 has an enforcement division whom work collectively with the local RCMP detachment. They have three CPO's and since the inception of the CPO program three years ago they are now in 2012 experiencing additional revenue generation that will lead to self sufficiency.

The Town of Morinville AB with a population of 8,000 has two CPO's who work collectivity with the local RCMP detachment which are also experiencing the same outcome.

The City of Yellowknife NWT with a population of 20,000 who works collectively with the local RCMP detachment has 6 constables, 2 cpl, 1 manager, 1 parking constable, and two support administration personnel. They conduct the same duties and responsibilities as our CPO's. Therefore to operate this city program only $128,000 was funded by the rate payers.

The Municipality of Crowsnest Pass is no different with two CPO's who also work collectively with the Local RCMP detachment (which we do not financially compensate) compared to the other communities mention above. Our CPO program enhancement will be cost effective, efficient and we will strive towards being self sufficient".    

The comments above surprised me for one I see Cold Lake’s program which was put  into place three years ago, “they are now in 2012 experiencing additional revenue generation that will lead toward self sufficiency”. Wow, I thought this program was going to pay for itself? Maybe 5-10 years down the road.

The town of Morinville has two CPO’s (they also have about 40% more people than we do) and they “are also experiencing the same outcome”? Scary

The City of Yellowknife being compared to the Crowsnest Pass is just silly, they have a budget of close to $80 million dollars a year, and is the central hub of activity for the North West Territory.    

So being the inquisitive type of person I am I did a little bit of checking around to see how successful these other programs have been. I could only find financial information on Cold Lake.

 http://www.coldlake.com/municipal/coldlake/webcms.nsf/AllDocSearch/5FA22B2A16A95A0087257A1500736AD0/$File/2012%20op%20budget%20and%20graphs%20(internet).pdf?OpenElement

Under their budget for 2012 you can see for yourself, policing and bylaw services are “far” from paying for themselves under Police services they have a budget of $1,975,494 with revenue of $682,000 coming in. Under Animal Control/Bylaw Enforcement they have a budget of $503,967 and revenue of $60,700 coming in. I think the numbers above show “self sufficiency” being a long way down the road.

Is this what the Crowsnest Pass will face?