Investigations launched into inmate's death
Darrell Greer
Northern News Services
Arviat (Feb 07/01) - There are no plans to abolish Nunavut's Alternative Justice Land Camps in the wake of last month's tragic death at the Arviat camp near Maguse Lake.
Inmate Bruce Aasivaaryuk, 25, of Baker Lake died when he lost his way during a blizzard on Jan. 28.
The inmate was being supervised at a distance by an elder when the blizzard struck.
Aasivaaryuk had the camp's only snowmobile and severe weather conditions prevented search and rescue efforts.
Aasivaaryuk's body was found at 2:30 p.m., Jan. 29, about 24 kilometres from the camp. It was the same day Aasivaaryuk was scheduled to be released from the correctional camp.
Minister of Justice Paul Okalik says the Nunavut Government will investigate Aasivaaryuk's death to learn how safety at the camps can be improved.
The land camp's inmates will be moved to the Baffin Correctional Centre while the investigation is being conducted. The RCMP and the Coroner's Office are also investigating.
Okalik says the corrections investigation will be conducted by an independent agency.
"We've actually requested corrections officials from Yellowknife to investigate the incident for us. We want an independent view of what took place. We don't want the investigation tainted in the eyes of the public by investigating ourselves."
He says the Justice Department was shocked and deeply saddened by news of the death, even though it was expected there would be some problems.
Accepted risk
Okalik says every time an inmate is placed at a camp it's a risk for the inmate, corrections officials and the supervisors at the camps.
"Everybody takes the risk willingly with a view to improving the chances of rehabilitating the inmates at these camps.
"We always screen the individual and their record before we put them in the camp and those steps were taken in this incident.
"With a death occurring, we have to look at the program and what happened very closely so we can do whatever we can to ensure this type of tragedy doesn't happen again."
Okalik says despite Aasivaaryuk's death, the benefits of the land camps -- in terms of having inmates involved with traditional activities, and putting them more in touch with their culture and tradition -- far outweigh the negative points.
"This is the first case where such a tragedy has occurred. Overall, it's been a very positive experience for all concerned. The people working at the camps really appreciate helping younger people out and it helps the younger person get a focus on their culture and their future."
