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IQALUIT- A number of recent RCMP-issued warnings about high-risk offenders living in Iqaluit has raised questions as to whether the city is collecting more than its share of the territory's ex-convicts.

“Yes, we are a dumping ground for all these types of individuals,” said city council Simon Nattaq through a translator in November. “It seems like they’re just dumping these individuals into Iqaluit without going to the proper authorities.”

The public perception of Iqaluit as a “dumping ground” for offenders is due to the presence of the territory’s correctional facility, says the RCMP. Carolyn Sloan/NNSL photo

City council was especially concerned with the most recent warning issued about Louie Evaloakjuk – a Coral Harbour man who had recently finished a seven-year sentence for manslaughter and had a history of using extreme violence.

According the RCMP release, Evaloakjuk was supposed to return to his home community, but ended up relocating to Iqaluit.

“I’ve been thinking about this issue,” said councillor Jimmy Kilabuk through a translator. “Did they have to ask anyone if this person could move to Iqaluit?”

Sgt. Peter Pilgrim of the Iqaluit RCMP has heard similar concerns from the public.

He said Evaloakjuk was released in his community, but decided to move to Iqaluit due to the response he received at home.

“He did return to Coral Harbour, but because of media awareness to him, apparently, he returned to Iqaluit,” said Pilgrim. “The RCMP did not put him on a plane. His family, because of pressure of the community, bought him a ticket and asked him to move to Iqaluit.”

Once offenders serve their time, they are returned to their own community, but nothing prevents them from then relocating elsewhere, he added.

“My understanding … is once you finish your sentence, you return to the community you came from,” said Pilgrim. “Either the community welcomes the person back in or there is a lot of pressure put on the family. If the person can withstand the pressure, that person remains in the community.”

Holly Knowles with the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) said 95 per cent of convicted offenders will re-enter society and that most of those individuals choose to return to their home community.

“That’s really where the community support is, where they have family, where they have connections, where they have social, spiritual connections already,” she said. “Usually that’s what happens. CSC doesn’t usually determine where an offender goes.”

Depending upon the conditions of their release, the National Parole Board may impose restrictions on where prisoners can relocate.

“If the board can justify that a certain area poses a risk to the offender to re-offend, then they have some leverage,” said Knowles.

In many cases, prisoners choose where they want to be released and put under supervision, she added. Whether or not these offenders can be rehabilitated and reintegrated back into the community during this time is always an uncertainty.

“Human behaviour is never 100 per cent predictable,” said Knowles. “We have so many tools in place for assessing risk. We have lots of professionals looking at every case.

“We’ve seen it go both ways.”

But according to Pilgrim, most Nunavut communities seem to want to help these individuals rebuild their lives back home.

“That’s the Nunavummiut way,” he said. Pilgrim believes the perception of Iqaluit as a “dumping ground” for offenders is due to the presence of the correctional facility.

"Iqaluit gets that appearance because the correctional centre is here,” he said. “Most communities don’t have a correctional facility in their midst.”