Whitehorse Daily Star

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Photo by Vince Fedoroff

RECOMMENDATIONS UNVEILED – Bylaw manager Dave Pruden (foreground) discusses some of the recommendations for changes in his department with members of city council Monday evening. Among the ideas are online payment options for parking tickets.

Drones, parking kiosks among recommendations

Drones patrolling city trails, online payment options for parking tickets and possibly consolidating the city’s animal pound with the Mae Bachur Animal Shelter could be the way of the future for the city’s bylaw department.

By Stephanie Waddell on July 17, 2018

Drones patrolling city trails, online payment options for parking tickets and possibly consolidating the city’s animal pound with the Mae Bachur Animal Shelter could be the way of the future for the city’s bylaw department.

Those were a few of the recommendations brought forward as part of a review presented to council at its Monday evening meeting.

Bylaw manager Dave Pruden was on-hand at last night’s meeting. Consultant Todd MacDonald of Performance Concepts Consulting presented the review by phone through a Power Point presentation on screen.

The recommendations fall under six categories: downtown parking enforcement, animal control, First Nations, trail patrol and enforcement, workflow management tool and performance indicators, and moving violation enforcement.

Looking at the possibility of aerial drone patrols prompted the most discussion among council.

Another staffer with Performance also taking part in the conference call explained that a bylaw officer would be responsible for controlling the drone and monitoring the data collected.

The drones could cost upwards of $25,000, the report noted.

These drones would not be the same as the recreational type anyone might find for a few hundred dollars in stores.

“These are sophisticated drones,” the Performance staffer said.

The devices would be the type of machines that could be used to find a lost child in the dark, the staff added.

“There are a lot of benefits.”

It was also acknowledged though that drone patrols could be seen by some as “big brother” interference. The city would have to look at legislation before pursuing such a purchase.

“Mentioning drones, there’s a lot of fear of big brother, and we have to make sure that privacy laws are being followed, and we are not seen as being too officious,” Pruden said.

The recommendation is one of a few that would take advantage of technology.

Among others would be the online parking ticket payment options, the potential replacement of parking meters with kiosks and parking apps, and working with the Yukon government to look at implementing photo radar.

Further work with the territorial government would see the city advocate for the ability to charge vehicle owners for moving violations and for sufficient hours for RCMP to provide adequate enforcement for moving violations.

Meanwhile, consolidating the city pound with the 20-year-old Mae Bachur shelter could mean a cost savings for the city.

As MacDonald told council, meetings were held with Humane Society Yukon staff and some board members. It appears the society would be willing to move forward with the possibility.

There are a number of “inadequate design features” at the city pound off Quartz Road, council heard. Those include the slope of the floor, the close proximity of the isolation unit to the general population and more.

The Mae Bachur shelter on Tlingit Street would be a better location for animals brought into the care of a shelter, it was noted.

Also recommended in the report is the creation of a hybrid position between the bylaw department and the Kwanlin Dün First Nation community safety officer, and computer system improvements.

Council will vote next week on whether to approve the report on the review as a guiding document.

Any funding for the recommendations outlined would be brought forward during budget deliberations.

Comments (23)

Up 7 Down 1

Josey Wales on Jul 22, 2018 at 10:32 pm

I think it would be a better idea to lace every civic building INSIDE with cameras the public can access.
See who is doing what they should not, whom loots the civic stores via their entitlements, what time folks saunter into the chair warming area, how many smoke breaks we fund...civic funded cancer wow.
Y’all see where I am going with this, personally there is more damage being done from inside those hallowed civic entitlement zones to our community...than Anybody is doing outside requiring them to buy a commercial quality drone...or a PRC cheap one.

Surveillance, regulation, fines, user fees, wealth redistribution, compelled speech are the narrative these days.
They are outta control, they, their ideological fantasies, their inept many managers....they simply must go.
We must make them go, with numerical clairity absolute decimate the gravy train...pull the tracks and daily hold them to account.
Frankly the folks whom pay property taxes, residential, commercial should set the bar and not pay them collectively.
Even if 20 % did that?
National attention shone on serious, serious entitlement.

Up 9 Down 12

Wilf Carter on Jul 20, 2018 at 11:22 am

Why don't we do like a lot of other cities around the world do. Use horses. No noise, friendly, more fertilizer, a low carbon output, people like horses, bears do not like the smell of a horse, horses keep order. This just does not make any sense. WE need a true leader to move the City forward in a respectful and common sense manner.

Up 15 Down 2

Reality check on Jul 20, 2018 at 6:17 am

Just reading this seems to me like a bad script for a tv show or something...
Looks like that the COW has way too much money and too many citizens who just nod and nod and say: "Sure, it's fine - all good" or is the pot dispensary already open?

What comes next? A Skytrain to Whistle Bend? 55 storey skyscrapers? A 20% property tax add-on for supporting local developers to build more high-end condos? Tracking devices to monitor every citizen?

It would be funny if it isn't so sad already...

Up 12 Down 1

A Yukoner on Jul 19, 2018 at 9:44 pm

Paying tickets online is a good idea. Very efficient. Combining pound and shelter is a good idea too especially if it means ppl can pick up their dogs faster. A family member was doing some yardwork, dog was outside with her, he stepped off the property for 5 minutes and got immediately picked up. She noticed he was missing right away, called bylaw, sure enough they had him. She asked if she could go get him. They said there was no officer available to let him out of the pound. Called a few more times and each time was told the same thing. He ended up being stuck in the pound for 2 days because all their officers were too busy. When someone was finally available to let him out, they charged her the fees for keeping him there 2 days when she had literally been available to go get him immediately after he was picked up.
However the drone idea is terrible. Huge invasion of privacy. Ppl are already complaining about the private drones kids are flying all over the place. Imagine how they will feel having the city take pics and video of them when they think they are alone on the trails doing who knows what to be stored who knows where for who knows how long and to be watched by who knows who. So many unknowns of where the footage could end up. Now can ppl even feel safe taking a dump in the woods when they are miles away from a toilet? Or will bylaw be watching that? It's so creepy. I can see it being good for catching illegal dumping and maybe poaching but doesn't Dept of environment take care of that stuff anyway? I mostly see it as a waste of resources.

Up 14 Down 5

Bandit on Jul 19, 2018 at 3:22 pm

@north_of_60
Just get up of yer duff and go walk the trails.
Undercover bylaw officers on ATVs to patrol the trails.
Make up your mind, they are confused enough without giving them choices. Just make sure if you are in Whistlebend it is on foot patrol because If I can't ride the trails neither should you, or else you may feel the wrath of Keith Lay.
And as for drones NO F - IN WAY

Up 11 Down 5

Wilf Carter on Jul 19, 2018 at 3:16 pm

Young people of Whitehorse watch what you do dadie City leaders will be watching. In real terms, what is more important to residents of Whitehorse people:
Trails, big costly buildings or land development of lots at a reasonable price?
These leaders are not focused on real issues of the day.
This is just not smart.

Up 9 Down 2

Josey Wales on Jul 19, 2018 at 12:35 pm

Indeed Elleen...and give the zealots enough time to ponder ridiculous solutions for problems not there nor their mandate and often the solution sought is final.
So much so that entire generations will pay the price in the civic future as a result of authoritarian zealots seeking solutions to what ...”key word”——
——> THEY deem a problem!
So fantastic you send the administration a few boxes of donuts and a card of appreciation for their quest for a final solution to build a civic utopia, Okay?
...and I will do what I do, offer dissenting opinions creating potential discomfort in cultural Marxists.
Blind faith will have you before ya know it...chugging the Kool-Aid

Up 12 Down 3

When you're lazy and want to disturb birds... on Jul 19, 2018 at 11:54 am

In other news, pellet gun sales are through the roof!

Up 3 Down 12

EIleen Duchesne on Jul 19, 2018 at 10:44 am

There sure seems to be a lot of NAY sayers out there. I commend the City for bringing these ideas forward for consideration. At least they are attempting to seek solutions.

Up 14 Down 2

Ridge Runner on Jul 18, 2018 at 9:00 pm

@ Josey Wales “Drones eh? Wonder what absolute idiot thought that one up.”
Likely Betty Irwin. She used a thinly veiled threat to Copper Ridge residents that if they didn’t rezone a vacant lot a *GASP* Sex Shop could move in.

Personally I’d prefer a sex shop rather than a future ghetto row house.

Up 9 Down 0

woodcutter on Jul 18, 2018 at 4:34 pm

Thank god I sold out and moved to the bush. Now I can sit back and watch as the out of control bylaw function gathers momentum and flattens the city budget. As the home values rise, the taxpayers will be the ones paying to have Snoop Dog Dave able to look into your windows in the dark and ensure your in compliance, or else you'll get a ticket. However these drones can track the bears in the dark, however its not always dark out when the bears are out and about.

I miss the time there was only two bylaw folks on the street and it seems the city has not grown so big that now, every 10th person on main street during the day is writing tickets, which I never pay and its not caused me one problem

Up 13 Down 13

Max Mack on Jul 18, 2018 at 4:04 pm

Drones to "monitor" trail use? A big fat no on that one.
Photo radar? A big fat no on that one.
Moving violations? A big fat no on that one.
Melding the bylaw shelter with Mae Bachur? Another big fat no. Why didn't you offer Cuthbert some support instead of throwing yet more money at Mae Bachur?

Any other stupid suggestions? Staffers and Council need to stop looking for revenue generation streams.

Up 13 Down 9

north_of_60 on Jul 18, 2018 at 2:43 pm

Undercover bylaw officers on ATVs to patrol the trails would be far more effective than drone toys, and cost a heck of a lot less.

Up 15 Down 2

Blonde on Jul 18, 2018 at 1:09 pm

I'd say its time to move but I cant afford the hit I'll take selling my recently purchased home.
Just boggles the mind, this City

Up 12 Down 11

Miles Klondike on Jul 18, 2018 at 12:44 pm

We need bylaw on ATVs and on foot patrolling the trails.
They will be finding a low level of compliance since most people feel they can do whatever they want

Up 28 Down 2

mike smith on Jul 18, 2018 at 10:30 am

Oh, just wait and see how quickly that $25,000 drone will get shot down.

Up 30 Down 2

north_of_60 on Jul 17, 2018 at 5:46 pm

Bylaw doesn't need $25k+ toys to 'patrol' the trails. Drones can't apprehend the motorized users causing problems. Just get up of yer duff and go walk the trails.

Up 24 Down 2

Josey Wales on Jul 17, 2018 at 5:21 pm

Drones eh?
Wonder what absolute idiot thought that one up.
Enough with your gadgets CoW, enough with the stupid, enough for bylaws....defund that department.
A financial hemorrhage if there ever were one, probably already have one...lip service of a process?
Someone with a serious drone has been getting air time in the last few months, not a fan....
Boy is this community in serious trouble with all the stupid that has like a cancer...infected our community.

Up 23 Down 2

Pete on Jul 17, 2018 at 5:06 pm

Good luck with those drones! It’s an expensive waste of taxpayers money first of all, just so some under educated goof ball behind a bylaw desk can fly around the city “patrolling”. Get out of your office and start walking around to patrol. If there’s not enough bylaw manpower on the street, the manager should leave his office cave and start helping to walk the streets.
Then there’s the issue of those expensive drones being shot down by a few idiots, as they think big brother is watching them. Say good bye to the tax payers money faster than those officers can write a meter ticket!
As for the animal shelter, it’s about time they invest better money into it. The city animal shelter is a piece of crap building that’s way past it’s due date, and a public building offering public service should be open for more then just 2 hours each day! They should also be open for at least one of the weekend days! I could go on, but let’s just start there...

Up 9 Down 0

SedativesArePainless on Jul 17, 2018 at 5:01 pm

Whitehorse City Council meetings would render both nitrazepam and mogadon obsolete if they could be synthesized and administered to insomniacs in tablet or liquid form. No known side effects have been detected, such as a freak original thought or an inspirational idea.

Up 23 Down 2

Thomas Brewer on Jul 17, 2018 at 3:58 pm

Because our taxes aren't high enough that you want to buy a $25k toy (and likely a spare one) and pay for training and licencing??

Also, isn't RCMP responsible for searching for lost people in the territory? Pruden is getting a bit big for his britches IMO

Up 17 Down 0

Politico on Jul 17, 2018 at 3:05 pm

20 yrs ago there was also a proposal to meld the City's pound with the shelter. Memory seems to say that at the time the city thought it was too expensive and cumbersome.

Up 25 Down 3

ProScience Greenie on Jul 17, 2018 at 2:57 pm

Want to use a drone then get a warrant. Then make sure it's painted a bright color so people will know it is an official drone rather than some private user snooping on folks minding their own business out on the trails.

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