.

Home page

Text size

E-mail this page

TSIIGEHTCHIC/ARCTIC RED RIVER - Some Tsiigehtchic residents are losing faith that an RCMP officer will be permanently stationed there.

Long time resident James Cardinal said he’s not holding out much hope that one will be appointed to the community soon. Although, he said it’s an essential service.

Premier Floyd Roland heard issues surrounding policing during the Gwich’in NWT Leadership meeting in Inuvik on Monday. - Andrew Rankin/NNSL photo

“It’s been years and years of bickering and nothing ever became of it,” said the 64-year-old. “I brought it up when the MLAs came here in the fall. Ah heck, it’s just like a guy talking for nothing.”

In July 2008, the community began a full scale push to have a permanent RCMP detachment established in Tsiigehtchic after a man was stabbed to death on Canada Day.

Since then the issue has been raised in both the legislative assembly and a recent Gwich'in leadership meeting.

During an Oct. 23 sitting of the legislative assembly David Krutko, Mackenzie Delta MLA, urged the government to supply more police to deal with what he calls the community’s struggle against alcohol abuse and alcohol smuggling.

Last week Krutko added to the debate. He said communities with out RCMP detachments -- such as Tsiigehtchic -- can’t be expected to provide residents with the most basic services.

“How can you expect to attract nurses? How can you attract teachers? They won’t come if there’s no police presence in those communities,” he said.

The issue was also a main talking point at the Gwich’in NWT Leadership meeting in Inuvik on Jan. 26, which Premier Floyd Roland attended.

Richard Nerysoo, Gwich'in Tribal Council president, pushed the premier to solve the policing and nursing shortage in several communities like Tsiigehtchic. He emphasized the council would be willing to help provide housing and office space if an officer is provided.

“We need to have partners in government working to find a solution,” said Nerysoo. “If we don’t, we’re just going to go back and forth and debate this issue, such as infrastructure, as opposed to trying to solve the problem. All we can do is say we’re prepared to assist.”

Roland admitted the shortage is a problem and the government is working on a long-term solution. But he said the government simply doesn’t have the money to pay for permanent police services in each territorial community.

“The problem is overall government funding: whether it’s RCMP services, whether it’s nursing services, whether it’s infrastructure in our communities,” said Roland. “We’re challenged to meet the goals of people across the territories.”

Nine other communities in the NWT are without RCMP officers.

Currently, RCMP officers travel to the community from Inuvik or Fort McPherson when services are required, but it can take up to two hours for them to arrive. Following July's stabbing death Krutko said it took six hours. Shortly after the incident residents circulated a petition in support of a community based police officer.

Tsiigehtchic currently employs a bylaw officer, but Krutko said residents are still demanding more.

“There should be ongoing scheduled police presence, whether it be on the weekends or come into the community for a couple days,” he said. “It’s time that the government seriously looked at doing something about this crisis.”