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Wanted: Hay River bylaw officer

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Coun. Vince McKay said Ross Potter, the director of protective services and the fire chief, has been working hard to enforce bylaw compliance on top of his regular duties. NNSL file photo

The town of Hay River may have to cast a wider net if it wants to recruit a bylaw enforcement officer.

The job of a protective services specialist, with duties that include enforcing bylaws and serving as deputy fire chief, was posted to the town's website on June 25.

Coun. Vince McKay said Ross Potter, the director of protective services and the fire chief, has been working hard to enforce bylaw compliance on top of his regular duties. NNSL file photo

But by the July 6 deadline, the town had not received any worthwhile applications, said Ross Potter, the director of protective services.

Though the town would prefer to hire a Hay River or Northern resident, said Potter, administrators may have to advertise the job nationwide.

Judy Goucher, Hay River's senior administrative officer, had not yet reviewed the applications at the time her interview with the Hub on July 12.

Goucher plans to meet with Potter soon to discuss whether they should look further afield.

One option could be to reach out to their contacts in fire departments elsewhere in Canada, and other professional groups that may know of qualified candidates. Goucher described this as "a networking-type approach."

Hay River has been without a bylaw officer for more than a year.

In the meantime, Potter has been handling bylaw enforcement in addition to his duties as director of protective services and fire chief.

For one person to play all those roles, "is a huge amount of work," said Coun. Vince McKay on July 11.

"(Potter) has been working really hard and he does the best he can," he said.

McKay said that without a designated bylaw officer, not all the rules have been enforced.

He said bylaws that affect people's safety have taken priority.

Still, McKay does not view the vacant bylaw position as a major issue.

"Traffic and stuff like that can be a pain in the butt sometimes, but we have some good members of the RCMP, and they do that also," he said.

McKay would favour a bylaw officer who gets to know the community and uses a measure of discretion when enforcing compliance.

"Communication is very important. The first thing to do is not to start slapping fines on everybody," he said.

"In the past that's been our issue: we've had some pretty strict bylaw officers that, no questions asked, start slapping fines," McKay continued.

"It doesn't work in a small town."

This summer, seasonal docking spots will be made available for rent at Porritt Landing, which will add to the bylaw enforcement workload. Boaters who park overnight without paying could see their vessels impounded and face a fine of $300.

Mayor Brad Mapes has said that a bylaw officer will help address the issue of parking enforcement at Porritt Landing.

On July 12, Mapes said the town has not been enforcing bylaws to the extent that it could be.

"It's been an issue," he said.

Efforts have been put toward explaining the rules and encouraging compliance, said Mapes, but "we weren't really pushing any enforcement."

Having a bylaw officer will mean infractions are addressed more quickly, he said.

Mapes said the town does not expect to bring in more revenue through increasing enforcement and, potentially, handing out more fines.

Ticket revenue "probably barely covers 10 to 15 per cent of what it costs to run a bylaw officer," he said.

"It's more ensuring that we have people conform to our guidelines on how we run our community."