Nunavut communities struggle with junked vehicles

It's that time of year back to school for students and back to work for adults returning from vacation and the renewed "rush minute" means the streets in larger Northern communities are packed with vehicles during peak hours.

Making matters worse, hundreds of new cars and trucks arrive in Nunavut by sealift every year with no means of removing the derelict vehicles they're replacing, and that's a big problem for communities such as Iqaluit.

Iqaluit Coun. TerryDobbinsays there are nearly 6,000 vehicles in the territory's capital, butonly 30 kilometresof road. He says that's a huge number given the city'spopulation,estimated at just above 8,000.

Dealing with old vehicles shouldn't just be the responsibility of the city, Dobbinsays.

"If there was a small import levy that you could place on those vehicles when they were brought into the city, that way a system would be in place a fund would be in place and available when it's time to ship these vehicles back south."

Last year, Arviat and Gjoa Haven took part in a Tundra Take-Back program, in which professional recyclers visited the two communities and trained locals in ways to "de-pollute" contaminated metal waste including old vehicles.

"If it's not properly de-polluted, there is risk there for contaminantsto get into the land. Ourmetal dump is close to the community. It's an eyesore," said Steve England, Arviat's senior administrative officer.

Arviat's plan is to clean up and then ship out the scrap metal to dealers in the south, England said, adding the next step is to breakdown the metal so more of it can be stuffed intootherwise empty sea-lift cans.

"We are currently working out some proposals and some ideas to get a metal shredder into our community, hopefully as early as next summer."England said. "We can then proceed with shredding vehicles and any type of metal waste."