Bylaw officer focuses on safety on the trails
Photo by Vince Fedoroff
For Daniel Stach, hitting the trails around town by ATV or snowmachine is all in a day’s work – that and a whole lot more.
Stach, 27, has taken on the role of the city’s first bylaw education constable, with his job specifically focused on the use of the city’s green spaces.
Along with getting set to patrol popular trails, Stach is busy visiting schools and community groups. He’s out to let them know the importance of watching their speed, wearing a helmet and other safety precautions they can take when they’re enjoying their ATVs, snowmachines and the like.
“Our goal is to have public safety and to make the trails as safe as possible and to, you know, protect the green spaces and protected areas in the city and to educate the public on the bylaws,” Stach said in an interview Thursday at the bylaw offices downtown.
The position of an education constable was created by the city earlier this year amid mounting concerns from residents over how the trails are used around town.
While the bylaw department was able to accommodate the role within its budget, council did vote to spend up to a further $35,000 on an ATV, snowmachine and a trailer to haul the two pieces of equipment around during patrols.
Having just started his new job, Stach is focusing on the education component now. He spent part of Tuesday speaking with students at Elijah Smith Elementary School. He’s also been getting in touch with the community associations and the injury prevention coalition to arrange presentations.
“So far, everyone thinks it’s really great,” he said. “A lot of people have concerns for people riding without helmets and speeds at which the sleds and ATVs are travelling on the trails and (there’s) a lot of concerns about kids driving motorized vehicles.”
That said, Stach can’t be in more than one place at a time, and he knows it. So bylaw officials will be looking at what key areas they want to focus on and where riders can be stopped and informed of the bylaws, safety issues and that they are in areas where motorized traffic is permitted.
But don’t expect any high-speed chases if he comes across a rider speeding through the bush, Stach said.
“That just creates a dangerous situation,” he said. “And that’s the opposite of what we’re trying to do. We’re trying to protect the public and make people aware of the safety issues.”
In those cases, he said, he would likely let it go at that moment, but try to investigate further.
“I would maybe follow his tracks to see where he’s going and then maybe I’d see him at the gas station or at his house and then that’s when I’d confront the individual,” Stach said.
Though he’s in an entirely new position with the city, Stach didn’t have to venture too far from his previous job to take this one on.
For the past six months, he worked as a parking meter attendant with the bylaw department.
Stach’s background is in parks and recreation, having spent a year in Yellowknife working in the city’s parks and recreation department.
When he came to Whitehorse, there weren’t any job openings in the parks and recreation department here.
Enjoying work outside, Stach spent some time working at Mount Sima last winter. He then learned of the parking meter attendant job opening and thought it would be a good way to begin working with the city.
When the new job opened up, he knew it was for him, combining his love of the outdoors with an interest he had in enforcement.
“When I was in college, I took park operations and outdoor recreation, so I knew I wanted to work in the outdoors,” he said.
“When I came here, the opportunity came up to start as a parking meter attendant, so and I was doing that for about six months, getting to know the ropes here at bylaw services and then the opportunity came up to apply for this position and I thought it would be a great opportunity.”
While much of his work, especially now, will focus on ATV and snowmachine use on the trails, he will also incorporate bicycle safety into next summer’s work, he said.