The motion made last week by Hay River Town Council to shut off energized parking behind the Godwin Mall and open it up for public use has been tabled to a future meeting.
The decision to table the item was made after business owners and residents spoke up against the idea.
During the Oct. 18 Committee of the Whole meeting, it was noted that consultations had been made with the seven building owners and that a survey requesting further input had been sent out. Only three were returned.

The original motion was to remove the infrastructure in the parking lot, put in speed bumps instead of metal rails, turn off the power and open up the lot to reduce the downtown parking crunch.
The gallery was nearly full at Monday’s meeting, as business owners within the nearby buildings awaited the result of the discussion.
Councillor Kevin Wallington made the motion to table the decision until councillor Bernie Langille returned as he was not present for this week’s meeting.
In addition to requesting more public input, the Council raised discussion over whether or not Langille is in conflict on the matter – being a building owner.
Councillors debated for an extended time whether to continue discussing the matter in his absence, or wait for his return. Both sides were taken in the discussion, moving the conversation away from the parking issue.
“I don’t think we should continue without Councillor Langille,” said Wallington.
Maher agreed, stating that whether or not he is in conflict should be the first discussion, before Council discusses the fate of the parking lot further.
The discussion will resume at the next regular council meeting.

A new court date has been set for a local woman charged with animal cruelty after allegedly hoarding dogs on her property.
Linda Hobson, 66, made her second court appearance last Wednesday, after the RCMP raided her property in June.
Her appearance, in front of Judge Garth Malakoe was brief, to which Attorney Michael Hansen asked to reserve plea until Nov. 24. until disclosure matters are dealt with. Hobson is due back in court at 9:30 a.m. on Nov. 24.

Twenty-three of the dogs on the property were taken to the Hay River SPCA in June, but were put down in mid-August. The decision was made by the Town with assistance from the SPCA and a veterinarian.
The remaining 83 dogs are still on the property, and are under Town supervision.
According to Mayor Kelly Schofield, the dogs are entirely under Hobson’s care, but the Town is monitoring the situation to ensure the animals are taken care of.
Schofield said that the Town is waiting to make a decision on the dogs until a later date, when several matters are taken care of.
“We are waiting to hear what the verdict is,” said Schofield. “And there are a couple of mitigating issues as to why we won’t go ahead and make a decision.”
The recent addition of a Bylaw Officer to the Town staff will make it easier for the town to monitor the situation and help with animal control in the area.
“We really don’t want to put the animals down, but we didn’t have a choice in the other case – for public safety and for liability,” said Schofield. “This town cannot justly give away animals that may harm the public.”

A third fire in just under a year torched part of the Hay River Landfill last Tuesday.
According to the Hay River Fire Department, the fire call was received at about 3:30 p.m. and the fire was put out by 5:30 p.m.
According to Chief Trent Atwell, the cause of the blaze is believed to be connected to the previous fire.

“I believe it was remnants of the previous fire,” he said. “They were moving the pile around, and it lit up. We think it was still smoldering in there from the last fire.”
He also said that there is no cause for concern at this time regarding the repeated landfill fires.
The last fire started on March 14 and took the Fire Department two days to extinguish.
It is believed that a burn pit swelled out of control, setting the landfill ablaze.
The town was unavailable for comment at the time of publication.

Crowds recognize volunteers, delegates, Brendan Green

Hay River’s Ben Sivertz arena was the hub of action on Monday, as the community gathered to celebrate its squad of Olympic representatives in an Olympic Pep Rally.

Put on by the Town of Hay River and a few dedicated citizens, the pep rally was centered around celebrating Brendan Green’s name on the roster for the men’s Canadian biathlon team.
Skaters and mascots sailed across the ice waving the Canada flag as hundreds of people poured in to the arena doors, each with a small Canada flag of their own. Wally Schumann’s Smart Car sporting Brendan’s name was parked on the ice, as were the volunteers chosen to go to the Olympics to represent the NWT.
With community members from the reserve, Enterprise, and Hay River travelling to the Olympics this month, there will be representatives from all facets of the community.
“It’s an honour to have our people going to the Olympics,” said chief Roy Fabian. “Congratulations to Brendan Green. Get lots of medals, and put Hay River on the map.”
Mayor Kelly Schofield took the opportunity to point out Green’s example to others in the community.
“He has achieved quite a feat,” said Schofield. “He is a shining example. He stayed tobacco free, alcohol free, and drug free. That’s how he got to be number one. Stay the course!”
Although MLAs Jane Groenewegen and Paul Delorey were in session at the time of the pep rally, they sent their congratulations via video message for the whole community to see.
“The North is a spectacular place to live, and you, Brendan Green, are more than spectacular,” said Delorey in his message.
Green’s hard work and achievements were summed up in a short video clip. The beginning showed him as a young boy jumping hurdles in his back yard, skating, and golfing. Present-time clips showed Green on grueling climbs during training, summating a mountain in Italy, and overcoming competition in World Cup races.
Because of his lifetime of dedication to sports and his achievements as an athlete, the Hay River Ski Club announced their decision to name a trail after Brendan. Bob White presented Bruce and Marilyn Green with a trail sign reading Brendan Green Olympic Trail, a duplicate of which will be erected on the trail itself.
Bruce Green spoke to the community, acknowledging Brendan’s coach, Pat Bobinsky.
“You don’t get a world class athlete without a world class coach,” said Green. After thanking the community for its unending support, Green reverted back to his teacher ways to derive a lesson from his son’s example.
“The lesson here is to dare to dream,” said Green. “Dare to dream big dreams. They can take you a long way.”
Emcee Kevin Wallington closed the pep rally with a final cheer for Brendan.
“Brendan can’t be here today, but I think we can cheer loud enough that he can hear Hay River from wherever he is,” he said, sparking hundreds of people to roar for Hay River’s Olympic athlete, Brendan Green.
A video of the pep rally will be available within weeks, for those who were unable to attend.

Town Council passes first increase since 2006 Budget

Hay River residents will pay a little more for water next year after Hay River Town Council approved a plan Monday to increase water rates for all residents next year – the first increase since 2006.

Piped water users will see their water rate increase from $16.74 per 1,000 gallons to $20,24 per 1,000 gallons.
Vale Island residents will see their water rates increase from $25,28 per 1,000 gallons to $38,77 – an increase of $13,49 per 1,000 gallons.
Corridor residents will now pay $45,74 per 1,000 gallons, up from the current $23,35 – an increase of $22,39 per 1,000 gallons.
The increase will cover a deficit of $347,998,00 in the town’s utility operating fund.
Councillor Ken Latour asked council to consider other options.
Councillor Andrew Cassidy, a Corridor resident, raised issues with the plan, which would increase those rates by 96 per cent.
“We’re a little bit concerned about that”, he said during a lively debate.
Mayor Kelly Schofield said he was not willing to have residents on piped water subsidize those whose water was trucked in.
“I’m a firm believer that you pay for what you use,” he said.
Deputy Mayor Mike Maher agreed.
“We have to be realistic – there’s a cost to delivering services”, he reminded council.
Town administration had originally provided three options for recovering the deficit in the utility operating fund. These included increasing the Access Fee by $15 per month for all users plus an increase in the cost of delivery for trucked water users; an Access Fee increase of $10 per month for all users, plus a water rate increase of $1.10 per 1,000 gallons plus a delivery cost increase for those on trucked water; and the approved option, which increases the water rate by $3.50 for all suers while increasing the cost of delivery for water truck users.
Councillors Bernie Langille, Reiss Kruger, Mike Maher and Bernard Duek voted in favour of the proposed water hike, while councillors Andrew Cassidy, Kevin Wallington and Ken Latour voted against it.
Councillor Dawna O’Brien was absent from Monday’s meeting.