Municipal Enforcement

The Town of Inuvik is concerned with the safety of the public and animals, therefore Peace Officers will impound dogs running at large (off their owners’ property). If the dog is wearing a licence tag, the officer will attempt to contact the registered owner as soon as possible. The officer will not be able to contact the owner if the owner’s information on the system is not up to date. Likewise, the officer will be unable to return the dog if there is no licence affixed to the dog at all.

If the officer is unable to get in contact with the owner, the dog will be taken to the Town of Inuvik dog pound. Once the dog is brought back to the pound it is checked again for identification, examined for obvious health problems, and placed in the kennels with fresh food and water by the attending Peace Officer. If the dog does not have identification, it is the owner’s responsibility to contact the Municipal Enforcement Division at (867)777-8616 within three business days before the dog becomes property of the Town of Inuvik and is made available for rescue. It is important that if there is no answer that you leave a message, so the Peace Officer knows how to contact you.

Municipal Enforcement does not monitor social media and will not act on facebook posts. It is the owner’s responsibility to contact Municipal Enforcement.

Immediately check around your home and neighbourhood. Ask family, friends, and neighbours if they have seen your dog. If you don't find your dog after this initial search, the following actions are vital in helping to locate your missing pet:

• Call (867)777-8616 to give a detailed description of your dog, including their licence number (if licenced). In this description please include your name and phone number, the last known location as well as the last time you saw the dog.
• If you believe your dog is injured or in distress and it is outside the regular business hours of 9am-5pm Monday to Friday, please contact the MED 24 hours emergency line at (867)678-2196

Yes, the Municipal Enforcement Division accepts dogs being surrendered by owners for all reasons. These dogs are then sent to an appropriate rescue shelter.

To surrender a dog, please contact us at (867)777-8616 during business hours.

If possible, approach your neighbour and tactfully discuss the problem with them. Believe it or not, many people do not realize that their dog barks when they are not home or that it disturbs their neighbours. Many dog owners react well to such friendly approaches and are able to find a solution without an official visit by a Peace Officer.

Contact Municipal Enforcement

If no results are achieved by your friendly visit or you choose not to make contact with the dog owner, call the Municipal Enforcement Division at (867)777-8616. Be prepared to leave a voicemail message with name, address and phone number as well as the address of the barking dog, its recent barking history, description of the dog and name of the owners if known.

The Peace Officer will make contact with the dog owner and advise them a complaint has been made. The complainant's identity is kept confidential, they will only be referred as, "the complainant." The Officer uses this opportunity to first confirm that the complainant has identified the correct source of the barking and to educate and inform the dog owner about barking regulations. The Officer will provide the dog owner with possible causes and solutions in efforts to assist the dog owner to correct the problem. The Officer will also ensure the dog is currently licensed and forewarn the dog owner that the complainant will be counselled to keep a Barking Log if they are further disturbed.

If Barking Continues

If the barking continues unabated and the dog owner is obviously doing nothing to resolve the situation the complainant will be directed to complete a Barking Log (see below for details). The attending Peace Officer will likely issue a Warning Notice to the dog owner if the Officer is satisfied a disturbance is occurring. If barking still continues the Peace Officer will, in most cases, need to identify a second complainant willing to corroborate the disturbances. The original complainant may already know of someone in the neighbourhood willing to come forward, if not, the Officer will conduct a door to door canvass of the neighbourhood to determine the validity of the complainant's allegations. If the canvass confirms a violation has occurred a Final Warning Notice will likely be issued to the dog owner. The dog owner will be directed to rectify the problem immediately and advised of pending penalties.

If disturbances continue the complainant and other concerned neighbours must keep very detailed Barking Logs and use other means of documenting the disturbances (audio recordings, photographs, video tape). The Peace Officer will review evidence presented and where warranted issue fines to the dog owner. If the dog owner disputes the tickets, witnesses may be subpoenaed to court to provide testimony.

Barking Log

The Barking Log is to be used by persons who have recently reported a barking dog to a Peace Officer. The Officer has spoken to the dog owner about the disturbance, but there appears to have been no change and the dog continues to bark as before.

Once given direction to keep a Barking Log, be sure to follow all of the specific instructions on the form. When five-seven days of significant barking has been recorded in any 10-day period, call the Municipal Enforcement Division as soon as possible so they can review the log and take steps to resolve the matter while it is still fresh. Contact phone numbers are on the bottom of the Barking Log form. Do NOT complete a Barking Log prior to contacting the Municipal Enforcement Division and receiving direction to do so. Barking Logs completed without direction to do so will not be accepted.

Yes, pet owners are responsible to ensure that their dog is licenced starting as soon as the dog reaches 4 months old.

The costs for all animal control related fees can be found here. 

Applications for dog licences can be found either online at *insert link* or picked up at the town office in person. Once the application Is received and applicable fees are paid the dogs information will be entered into the Town of Inuvik’s tracking system ensuring that if your furry friend gets loose, the attending officer will have all information needed to return him/her to the owner.

If you want the noise to stop immediately or if you think the noise is caused by criminal activity, notify the Inuvik RCMP at (867)777-1111.

To request an investigation by the Municipal Enforcement Division, call (867)777-8616.

To aid us in responding faster, please be ready with the following information:

• Your name and address.
• A primary and alternate phone number.
• The address and exact location of the property for which you wish to register a complaint.
• A brief and concise description of the complaint.

We handle noise complaints in a manner similar to other types of complaints.

• The information is assigned a file number and entered into the computer system by a Peace Officer.
• The assigned officer will visit the location of the infraction described in the complaint.
• Complaints are handled on a priority basis. Priority is given to those with a serious public safety implication.
• If there appears to be a bylaw infraction, the procedure will depend upon the type of infraction.

If you have witnessed a Taxi driver conducting him or herself in an unprofessional manor, or have witnessed a Taxi operate unsafely within the Town of Inuvik, please contact Municipal Enforcement at (867)777-8161 and leave a detailed message, including the Taxi’s information.

If you feel you have been a victim of assault or observe a criminal offence, contact the RCMP at (867)777-1111 or 911.

The Town of Inuvik has an extensive Passenger Transportation By-law that encompasses driver conduct, licensing information, driver/ vehicle qualifications and fare rates. Please see below for a link to the By-law.

Passenger Transportation By-law