Abandoned Yellowknife couch makes it to shore ahead of lake thaw

A couch and other items left abandoned on Great Slave Lake near Mosher Island have made it to shore before the ice melts.

Earlier this month, Gerald Enns contacted Cabin Radio with concerns that a discarded heap of garbage could fall into the lake.

The Department of Environment and Climate Change subsequently said it would investigate. Inspectors found the items frozen into the ice and had safety concerns about removing them, superintendent of land and water Scott Stewart said on Thursday.

“If there’s a situation where we can safety remove it, we often do,” Stewart said of abandoned waste. “We’re not responsible for that, but we do our best to clean up when the opportunity arises.”

“We definitely prefer when responsible parties remove their stuff,” he added. “In many cases, whether because it’s been released to the media or word of mouth, folks often go back and get their stuff.”

Stewart said depositing waste into the water violates the territory’s Waters Act. That includes leaving waste on the ice until the ice melts.

He said inspectors will speak to people if they see something similar occurring, but won’t “put out an all-points bulletin” to try to find those responsible.

Stewart said the department relies on residents to report such incidents.

“It’s a public responsibility to not litter, and our tools for enforcement are not as strong as maybe some would like. But it’s in all of our best interests to not have waste going into the lake,” he said.

The couch and other items have since made it to the Con Mine wharf.

Who originally abandoned them remains unclear, as does who rescued them from sinking into the water.

Kelsey Worth said she saw the couch on the wharf when she recently pulled other garbage out of the lake.

Worth is now looking to borrow a truck to take the couch to the dump – or is hoping a good Samaritan with a truck will collect it.

“I fish there all the time,” she said. “It’s one of my favourite fishing spots.”

Worth said other difficult-to-reach garbage remains in the lake, including pop and beer cans that she aims to retrieve in the coming weeks.