Hay River (Jan 10/05) - The South Slave legal community has formally objected to planned justice cuts in Hay River.

Five of the region's six lawyers sent a letter to Justice Minister Charles Dent on Dec. 6.

David MacDonald is the senior legal counsel in the South Slave, having worked in the region for 25 years. - Paul Bickford/NNSL photo

The lawyers minced no words in criticizing the budgetary changes set for April 1 -- closure of the court registry, a remand centre and the Dene K'onia Young Offenders Facility.

"In our view, the proposed changes will have significant negative impacts on everyone involved in the justice system... and will hinder the administration of justice," the letter states.

It was signed by lawyers David MacDonald, Stephen Shabala, Michael Hansen and Michelle Staszuk, all of Hay River, and Fort Smith's Louis Sebert.

The lawyers believe the closure of the court registry and remand centre will lead to more charges being dealt with in Yellowknife. They also believe the filing of documents and issuance of subpoenas will become more difficult for South Slave residents.

They argue the administration of justice will "perhaps even be brought into disrepute."

As for the closure of the Dene K'onia Young Offenders Facility for boys, they say: "The result is that youth who are convicted from the South Slave region will have to be sent to Yellowknife or Inuvik for incarceration, far away from their families and support groups."

The lawyers also note closure of the remand centre at the South Mackenzie Correctional Facility will mean extra cost to Legal Aid, since lawyers would have to travel to Yellowknife to meet their clients.

They say it would also mean more expense to police.

"We fail to see the cost saving in shipping everyone who is on remand to Yellowknife and back with costly police escorts."

MacDonald, the senior legal counsel in the South Slave, says he and the other lawyers don't see how the changes will mean any savings for the justice department.

The lawyers' letter also expressed concern about a decreased number of territorial court circuits in the South Slave over the last year-and-a-half, as indicated in a schedule prepared by the court's Chief Justice.

"We now have over a year of experience with it and we're deeply concerned," MacDonald says, noting it puts pressure on the system.

Dent recognizes Hay River will be impacted by the cuts.

"I've never tried to deny that," he says.

The minister says the closure of the court registry will make it more difficult for lawyers to practice in Hay River.

"But overall, the administration of justice is not going to be significantly impacted, because that's the way it is in other communities."

However, Dent notes the changes will result in significant cost savings. "You look at the balance," he says.

Will save $2.6 million

According to departmental numbers, justice cuts, including closure of the court registry in Inuvik, will save $2.6 million.

At Dene K'onia and the remand centre, Dent says there are not enough people in the system to justify their continued operation.

The minister says he hopes to have a response to the lawyers' letter sometime this week.