Three weeks ago, when a man accused of assaulting and threatening a woman walked out of the Iqaluit courtroom, charges were dropped because travel arrangements for the complainant could not be made.
This situation may not happen often, but every time someone charged with a crime is freed without a trial, it is a disservice to the victim.
The same day, the court spent time trying to find lawyers for eight jointly-accused men from Panniqtuuq.
While the crimes were committed in early July, as of Sept. 20 it was still unclear how many of the eight men had lawyers appointed.
Hopefully a new poverty and civil law office planned to open in Iqaluit will get lawyers more quickly.
And once a case finally winds its way through Nunavut's legal labyrinth -- which can take a year or more -- an offender may wait even longer to be sentenced.
At least one community has reported cases of attempted suicide by those waiting months to receive their sentence.
A lack of elder input into the sentencing process was added to the list of problems seen within the system during a Qikiqtani Inuit Association meeting held in Arctic Bay last month.
Adding to the problem is the number of cases before the court.
When the court is on circuit, a week of trial time is set aside in each community.
Some towns require the entire week and more, others do not have enough cases to fill the time.
More than one lawyer has quietly said the Iqaluit courthouse has been getting busier over the last few years.
It often appears to be merely a shuffling of dates, with the overloaded docket little more than a guide as to what may happen that day. Those accused of crimes sometimes sit looking bewildered at the front of the courtroom, having to be told their "matter" has been dealt with and it is time to move back to the gallery.
There must be a way to adjust the circuit system and help alleviate the backlog.
Every day that can be cancelled in the communities should be, with those days being put to use in Iqaluit or other busy communities.
While it is difficult to get flights out of some communities, charters could be used in these cases.
Should Nunavut have more judges to increase the number of cases being heard?
The people working within the Nunavut justice system seem to be doing the best they can, but it seems to be in a constant state of crisis.
Problems need to be recognized, and something needs to be done for this system to better serve everyone involved.
Northerners know having a place at the federal Cabinet table is about the only way to guarantee a healthy serving of government money these days.
Having Western Arctic MP Ethel Blondin-Andrew sitting at that table - even if it's as a junior minister of state for Northern development - means the NWT can look forward to some benefits when it comes time to divide the money pie.
Blondin-Andrew boasts that "references made to a Northern Strategy (in the Throne Speech) speaks to my new role as minister of state. Northerners will benefit from many of the themes mentioned in the speech." Northern concerns have "landed" in Ottawa, she says.
The federal election showed us how tough a customer she can be. If there's anyone who can elbow her way to Paul Martin for a fair share of federal government spending, it's the MP for the Western Arctic.
It was also encouraging to hear Prime Minister Martin say: "As a government, we will work with the territories and aboriginal groups to further develop the economy of the North - and we will do so in a way that sustains the environment and benefits the people."
With Blondin-Andrew at the cabinet table, we expect to see that promise kept.
There are rewards and risks that come with hosting the Arctic Winter Games.
Hay River and Fort Smith understand that. The effort to prepare a bid for the 2008 Games will spell them all out. The rewards are obvious: building of new sports and recreation facilities, international exposure for the South Slave and host communities, the chance to meet people from around the Arctic, and the economic boost of hosting 1,100 athletes and officials and several hundreds of spectators. The risks are also clear: potential for cost overruns and the chance the games will overwhelm South Slave communities. Yellowknife has also indicated its interest in bidding for the Games.
But when it comes down to making a decision on who gets the event, size should not matter. We know Hay River and Fort Smith have what it takes to put on a good show.
They have great people ready to put their hearts into a volunteer crew second to none. See you in the South Slave in '08.
Editorial Comment
Lisa Scott
Kivalliq News
Kivalliq residents recently got the chance to join the millions of people carrying the Marathon of Hope started by a 21-year-old man almost 25 years ago.
They were up to the task and then some.
Hundreds of Kivalliq residents should be commended for their efforts in the annual Terry Fox Run, held Sept. 17 in many communities.
Rankin Inlet, Baker Lake, Repulse Bay and Chesterfield Inlet held their own versions of the 10km run, raising almost $10,000 for cancer research.
Each hamlet bent the race to best suit its needs -- some turning it into a shorter walk, others opting for a 7km run. Another decided a penny sale after the walk would raise the most money.
Raising money and awareness
The format of the event isn't the measure of the matter. Raising money and awareness about the disease that first took Terry Fox's leg and then his life is what is important.
Students, teachers and community members knocked on doors for pledge money, bought T-shirts and calendars, and logged kilometres to add to Fox's 5,373km effort to run across Canada.
Fox is an important emblem for Kivalliq children to look to -- for his strength in the face of death and for his benevolent actions that have lived on after him.
Though he died in 1981 at the age of 22, Kivalliq residents have embraced his lofty plan with the annual event, adding to the $340 million raised worldwide since his run ended outside Thunder Bay.
Teachers go the distance
With money tight for school operations around the region, teachers and other staff naturally turn to generosity to foster education.
Jennifer Sheldon and Taras Humen, both teachers at Rachel Arngnammaktiq in Baker Lake, made a visit by two Stanford University neuroscientist a reality recently.
Their own air miles, along with their resourcefulness, brought the Brain Day program, which gives students a chance to interact with and learn about neuroscience in a classroom presentation.
The day was a great success. One the students won't soon forget.
Sheldon and Humen are just two of a large group of educators who strive to maximize learning for Kivalliq students.
Editorial Comment
Jason Unrau
Inuvik Drum
As the assembled crowd at Aurora Campus waited for Western Arctic MP Ethel Blondin-Andrew to show up Friday afternoon to announce funding for aboriginal skills development, I perused the usual literature that accompanies such staged photo-ops.
"The Honourable Ethel Blondin-Andrew, Minister of State for Northern Development, on behalf of the Honourable Joe Volpe, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development, announced (on Oct. 1) federal funding of up to $9.9 million for the Northwest Territories Oil and Gas Aboriginal Skills Development Strategy as part of Human Resources and Skills Development Canada's Aboriginal Skills and Employment Partnership (ASEP) program," the press release stated.
Lordy begordy, what a mouthful -- apart from the fact that we were all still waiting for the "official announcement" to actually occur.
Time continued to tick by and when Blondin-Andrew finally rolled in to the college foyer a full 30 minutes late, most appeared anxious to get things going.
Following a prayer by elder Elizabeth Hansen, Blondin-Andrew rose to the podium and began her speech about how wonderful it was to achieve such a thing.
I suppose somebody forgot to inform her about "how wonderful" it is to be on time: Blondin-Andrew failed to even make passing reference to her tardiness, let alone express her regret.
Granted, in this day and age of wars under alleged false pretences and rampant trough-loitering at all levels of government, an apology, or even an admission of wrongdoing, are rare things these days.
Nevertheless, it was a touch befuddling for an MP to be late for an appointment to announce, of all things, a job training initiative.
I wonder how successful applicants are who show up 30 minutes late to their job interviews -- not to mention the fact that arriving a half-hour late to one's first day on the job usually means it's that person's last day on the job.
But those things obviously don't matter to some big-time politicians, as was evident last Friday afternoon. They already have jobs.
And while we are on the topic of punctuality, how about addressing the importance of actually showing up at all.
Though Monday's all-candidates forum was a well-attended event that gave interested community members a chance to evaluate their choices for the upcoming Oct. 18 municipal election, there were several candidates for councillor who were conspicuously absent.
One incumbent candidate has already withdrawn from the race, saying he could only guarantee his attendance at half of the coming council meetings. Considering the time commitment involved in being a councillor, one has to question the suitability of candidates who failed to turn up at the election forum.
If appearing at the forum was too difficult to manage, how important is attending council meetings going to be for those who missed the "great debate?"
Editorial Comment
Derek Neary
Deh Cho Drum
One less cop.
As Fort Simpson residents pointed out last week, that's not just one less body in a uniform. It's one less respected member of the community, one less income in the local economy, one less person to ease the burden on his co-workers, one less volunteer coach.
For the past few months, the RCMP's top brass had been dropping hints that Fort Simpson -- and Wrigley and Jean Marie River by extension -- would be cut from seven police officers to six. Until last Wednesday, nobody came right out and said it.
Last week, Inspector Greg Morrow tried to present the bad news in a way that would make it a little easier to swallow. The RCMP's numerical formula, he explained, indicated that Fort Simpson really only requires five police officers. Therefore, the law enforcement decision makers are good guys because they are only eliminating one position, not two. Of course, that rationale went over like a lead balloon.
Morrow, in an unenviable position, obviously steeled himself for the backlash, stating a few times during the meeting that he was expecting resentment over the decision. Of course he was. There is no community where people would simply nod politely and reply, "We understand."
Staff Sgt. Bob Gray touched on an interesting point: there are only 700 police recruits graduating from RCMP Depot in Regina each year. Yet there are 1,400 members of the RCMP who are eligible for retirement this year. The real question, though, is how many of them are actually going to pack it in?
One has to wonder how residents in the NWT's smaller communities perceive this dispute. Unfortunately none of them stand to inherit the police position taken from Fort Simpson. In the Deh Cho alone, Wrigley, Trout Lake, Nahanni Butte, Jean Marie River and Kakisa have no law enforcement presence whatsoever.
Even so, outraged Fort Simpson residents have a perfectly valid point: their community is being penalized for having a low crime rate. The police love to talk about "proactive" initiatives, doing something to ward off crime before it happens. By having seven members on staff, that is essentially what they have done in Fort Simpson. Yet now they are willing to tamper with success.
Will six police officers serve as well as seven? Will the deterrence factor drop? Nobody knows for sure. The RCMP's formula doesn't predict the future. It only reflects the present and the past.
What does look to be a sure thing is that the RCMP, not the community, will have the final word on Fort Simpson's staffing level.
Well done
A tip of the cap this week to the organizers and volunteers at the cross-country running championships in Fort Providence -- particularly to Greg Reardon, who had a million and one details to oversee.
Kudos as well to the staff of CIBC's Fort Simpson branch.
They went above and beyond in fund-raising efforts for this year's Run for the Cure. Everyone who donated to the cause and participated in the event deserves a pat on the back, too.
On Page 21 of the Sept. 27 edition of News/North and Nunavut News/North the Business Development Investment Corporation was incorrectly identified in the story entitled, "Time to Crack the Books, say MLAs." News/North apologizes for this error.