Darrell Greer
Northern News Services

Arviat ( Jun 07/00) - After years of planning, the first seven inmates have arrived at the Arviat Justice Land Camp.

The alternative program provides non-violent offenders with an opportunity to spend time on the land learning traditional skills in lieu of serving jail time.

Arviat senior administrative officer Darren Flynn has been a driving force behind the Arviat camp.

He says the inmates arrived in Arviat on May 29, after weather forced an unscheduled stopover at the Rankin Inlet RCMP station the night before.

"They got out here the next day and we headed out to the camp in some pretty sloppy conditions," says Flynn.

"It took us almost six hours to make the 93-kilometre trip to the camp site."

Upon arriving at the camp with supervisors Tony Ootuk and Peter Mikeyinuak, a food store was set up and inventory taken.

Flynn says once it was time to get down to work, the inmates didn't hesitate to jump right in.

The SAO took a couple of inmates along to build benches and shelves for the camp's cook house.

"A couple of others went to gather some meat with one of the supervisors, while the rest were doing camp chores, getting the washrooms ready, that type of thing.

"These guys seem willing to work, but, if you're not willing to work, it's going to be awful boring out there."

Flynn says the camp is proving to be in a good location, with large numbers of caribou coming close enough to provide the inmates and their two supervisors with easy access to meat.

He says the inmates have been anxiously waiting for the past couple of weeks to get to the Arviat camp.

"As soon as they got into camp they seemed very happy with the place.

"There's a lot to keep them busy out there. They're going to be hauling gravel by qamutik to fill in around the cabins and they'll be taught a number of traditional skills."

The hamlet has about $104,000 invested in the camp, with about $25,000 being spent on cabin materials for six cabins, $15,000 on labour, $40,000 on supply and outfit, and $23,000 going towards two snowmobiles, a boat and motor.

"It brings money to the community instead of spending it outside the Kivalliq Region or Nunavut. And it offers these guys a chance to get back on the right path, so it's definitely worth the investment," says Flynn.