Arviat looks at alternatives to circuit court
Darrell Greer
Northern News Services
Arviat (Jan 17/01) - If it's justice you want, you may have a long wait in Arviat.
There were more than 60 cases waiting to heard by the Nunavut Court of Justice in the community last week. The waiting period has almost doubled since the GNWT held court in the Kivalliq before division.
Nunavut has only two judges at present, and a third is expected to be appointed during the next few weeks.
Court convenes in Arviat only half as much as it does in Rankin, despite the two hamlets having almost the same number of residents.
Court is held every six weeks in Rankin, but only every 12 in Arviat.
Hamlet representatives met with Judge Beverley Browne last week to express their concern over the Nunavut court system.
Senior administrative officer Darren Flynn says the longer a case goes without being resolved, the longer it is before the healing process can begin.
"It's hard on the victims who need closure on the incident and it's a burden on the person charged because their life is in somewhat of a holding pattern waiting for the matter to be resolved," says Flynn.
Flynn said Judge Browne expressed a number of good solutions during the meeting and appears willing to work with the community.
He adds they left the meeting with a better insight into problems with the current system and realized there are no easy answers.
"Alternative measures is one area that could take a lot of pressure off of the courts.
"Once the community looks a little closer at how it can make alternative measures work, you'll see some improvements in that area.
"Better counselling services in the hamlet may also help resolve some of these cases before the court. It's something every level of government needs to work at co-operatively if we're to improve upon the present situation."
