Latest news with #DanBoyd
CBC
7 days ago
- General
- CBC
Whitehorse eyes fix for derelict train tracks cited as safety hazard
A Whitehorse city councillor says it's time, after decades of waiting for trains to return to the Yukon capital, to do something about rail crossings on downtown streets. Coun. Dan Boyd says he's gotten complaints from cyclists and others about the tracks that cross 4th Avenue near Robert Service Way. "I'd want to be very careful crossing that with a motorbike or bicycle or even a small vehicle," he said. Mobility advocate Darryl Tait, who uses a wheelchair, said the crossing is a hazard. He said wheelchair users effectively have to pop a wheelie to get over the rails. "Falling into the crack at any kind of momentum could cause you to grab the front caster wheel and they'll just like eject out of the front of your chair," he said. The tracks are part of the White Pass and Yukon Route railway, which hasn't run revenue service into downtown Whitehorse since the early 1980s. Despite occasional rumblings that the railway might try to restart service, Boyd said there's no point waiting any longer, especially because tracks south of downtown were buried by repeated mudslides on the clay cliffs. Boyd said city crews have already done some work to patch up the 4th Avenue crossing, but called for a permanent fix. The tracks also intersect 2nd Avenue, but there's no crosswalk there. "The long term solution I think is just to put the road through properly and deal with the right of way of the railroad tracks later, if it comes to be that for some reason the train is going to run into downtown Whitehorse again sometime in the future," Boyd said.
CBC
29-04-2025
- Business
- CBC
City of Whitehorse to offer building design templates to streamline permitting
Whitehorse city council wants to make building design guides available to the public, to combat a permitting backlog. The idea is that creating templates for common aspects of buildings, like snow stops on metal roofing, could streamline the permitting process for home builders. Coun. Dan Boyd introduced the idea with a motion on Monday. Boyd said it's been "tough" trying to improve the permitting process. A backlog last year resulted in approval timeframes exceeding eight weeks. Part of the issue, Boyd said, is the National Building Code adding more requirements for houses and small buildings, which increases the demand for local engineers to review building plans. "It slows everything down, and it's expensive, and those costs get passed on to home purchasers and the cost of our housing," Boyd said. Providing template designs could expedite builders' ability to get approved, he said. City manager Jeff O'Farrell clarified the templates won't eliminate the need for engineers. It will only provide guidance on some specific, common aspects of buildings. Coun. Lenore Morris said the idea makes sense because many new buildings in Whitehorse have similar design features. "If we can avoid duplication of work by doing some of the preliminary work for builders, then I think that's excellent," Morris said. City councillors voted unanimously for Boyd's motion, which asks staff to budget a maximum of $50,000 for the project. It will require councillors to approve a budget amendment later this year.
