Ruling means man could get to hunt bear with a spear, dogs
Darrell Greer
Northern News Services
Coral Harbour (Jan 08/01) - A Coral Harbour man is one step closer to being able to hunt a polar bear hunt following Inuit tradition.
Noah Kadlak wants to hunt a bear with a spear and dogs, but was stopped from doing so by former Sustainable Development Minister Peter Kilabuk.
Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. (NTI) challenged the decision in court and last week a Nunavut justice overturned Kilabuk's decision.
In the eight-page ruling, Justice R.G. Kilpatrick found Kilabuk's decision to block the hunt constituted an unjustifiable infringement of Inuit rights under the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement.
NTI president Paul Quassa said the ruling upholds Inuit rights.
"It is a welcome event for Inuit when the rights acquired through the Land Claims Agreement are upheld by the courts," said Quassa.
With Kilabuk's decision quashed, the matter now goes back to new Sustainable Development Minister Olayuk Akesuk for reconsideration.
Quassa called the ruling a clear-cut endorsement of the traditional hunt and one which Akesuk has no choice but to endorse.
"Should the new minister try to uphold Mr. Kilabuk's decision, our first question would be how can this minister overturn the court's decision?" he said.
"The court ruling states very clearly that the minister cannot disallow this type of a hunt again."
Minister Akesuk has 30 days to respond to the ruling, and is expected to make a statement early this week after he reviews the court's decision.
