Haines Borough manager Debra Schnabel approved the issuance of Alaska Excursions’ Glacier Point canoe tour permit after company owner Robert Murphy appealed the borough’s earlier decision to deny the permit’s renewal over failing to register his canoes.
An Alaska State Trooper investigated the drowning that occurred during a canoe tour last summer. In the trooper report, the officer noted that Murphy had not registered his canoes as required by state law. Because borough code requires tour companies to comply with state law, borough clerk Alekka Fullerton last month denied Murphy’s application to renew the tour. Murphy said he registered his canoes within days of the investigation.
The death came six months after former employees criticized the company publicly for what they described as safety and maintenance neglect. Those criticisms prompted concern from assembly members Sean Maidy and Tom Morphet who, after the drowning, said they wanted to discuss revoking or suspending Murphy’s Glacier Point tour permit.
During the public hearing on the appeal, Murphy told Schnabel he hired a director of safety to audit his tours, updated his safety protocols and training practices and ensured proper safety equipment was available to guides.
In her approval letter, Schnabel said she approved his permit because he brought his canoes back into compliance.
Morphet said he thinks Schnabel is giving the company the benefit of the doubt, and that he trusts her judgement. “I don’t know, based on the company’s record, that I would just take Mr. Murphy’s word that the company’s culture is going to change,” Morphet said. “I maybe would have waited to have seen some more documentation, but I generally trust the judgment of the manager.”
Maidy said the manager’s decision shows that the borough doesn’t really consider public safety. He wants to see the borough’s goal to protect public safety, outlined in its tourism code, go away. “It seems as though the intent for which code was written, we’re not considering so we need to discuss what our intent really is.”
Murphy said he is “excited to now focus all of our energy and efforts on our business, our team and our future guests.”