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Nunavut expects more inmates Jeanne Gagnon Northern News Services Published Monday, October 17, 2011
The ruling party introduced the Safe Streets and Communities Act on Sept. 20. The proposed bill, dubbed omnibus since it contains nine previously-debated pieces of legislation that never became law, would toughen sentences for a number of crimes. It calls for tougher penalties for sexual offences against children as well as for the production and possession of illegal drugs for the purpose of trafficking. It also seeks an end to house arrest or conditional sentences for serious and violent crimes, such as motor vehicle theft, criminal harassment, sexual assault and theft over $5,000. It will also increase the time those seeking pardons would need to wait. Nunavut's deputy justice minister Janet Slaughter said provinces and territories are expecting a 15 per cent increase in the number of inmates. How this will impact day-to-day operations in Nunavut, however, will probably take another eight months to a year to determine, she added. The territory currently has an agreement with Ontario and the NWT to take inmate overflow as required. Nunavut currently has 14 inmates in Ontario and more than 30 in the NWT. "Those agreements are still in place but both jurisdictions have indicated it is not likely they will be able to continue taking as many inmates as they have been in the past," she said. Inmates could be sent back to Nunavut for lack of space, she added. An increase in prisoners would further strain correctional facilities, explained Slaughter, so the provinces and territories are looking to Ottawa for help. The Baffin Correctional Centre is over-capacity as the facility currently has more than 90 inmates. It was originally built to hold 42 inmates before an expansion increased it to 66. "We are clearly over our limits at BCC," said Slaughter. Inmates, especially those from the Kivalliq, might be brought back from Ontario and the NWT when a new 40-person jail in Rankin Inlet opens early next year, said Slaughter. "That is going to be a welcome addition to our correctional facilities, here in the territory," she said. Meanwhile, discussions are continuing to establish an interim holding facility, said Slaughter. She said a proposal is being prepared but nothing is finalized. Despite the strain it looks to put on the territory's resources, Nunavut MP Leona Aglukkaq defended the bill via e-mail, stating Canadians gave her government a "strong mandate" to continue making streets and communities safer when it voted the Conservatives in with a majority in the spring federal election. "By moving quickly to reintroduce comprehensive law-and-order legislation, the government is taking action to protect families, stand up for victims and hold criminals accountable," she stated. "Nunavummiut can count on this government to stand up for victims."
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