Pubdate: Fri, 20 Oct 2006
Source: Nunatsiaq News (CN NU)
Copyright: 2006 Nortext Publishing Corporation
Contact:  http://www.nunatsiaq.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/694

WELCOME TO NUNAVIK, THE STONER'S PARADISE

At this early date, it's still too soon to say exactly when the 
Kativik Regional Government's mishandling of its policing file 
actually began. It's now clear that the KRG's incompetence on this 
issue goes back several years, at the very least.

That being said, it's now obvious that the regional council blundered 
badly on the evening of Sept. 14, when they voted to dump the 
popular, tirelessly devoted, and under-appreciated chief of the 
Kativik Regional Police Force, Brian Jones. The move sparked outrage 
among most KRPF members and their union, and led to a chain of events 
that has seen the people of Nunavik lose effective control of their 
police force.

The KRG did this because, among other reasons, they don't like the 
work that Jones did to combat the flow of illegal drugs and bootleg 
liquor into Nunavik. This includes the KRPF's participation in the 
Aboriginal Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit, which last year, 
in an operation that led to the arrest of 42 people, broke up a ring 
that shipped between $125,000 and $250,000 worth of drugs into 
Nunavik and Nunavut every week.

Because of that and other activities, the International Association 
of Chiefs of Police presented the aboriginal combined force this week 
with an award for "quality in law enforcement."

But all that means nothing to the KRG, who complained that the KRPF's 
interdiction activities cost too much money and time. Given that 
booze and dope are linked to nearly every life-threatening instance 
of violent crime in the region, not to mention its appalling health 
conditions, this is a bizarre motive. The simplest, and most likely 
explanation, is that KRG councillors, egged on by incompetent 
administrators, were just too ill-informed to figure it all out.

We'll have more to say about that below. But first, it's worth 
recognizing what happened after Sept. 14., especially the chain of 
events that led to the $300,000-a-week intervention by the Sirete du 
Quebec, who moved 39 police officers into the region not long after 
the police chief's departure.

They did this because it turned out that only six of the KRPF's 54 
officers and special constables are legally sworn in, and have been 
subjected to routine background checks.

And who is it that's responsible for doing the KRPF's human resources 
work? It's the KRG, of course -- but that awkward fact still didn't 
stop the KRG from trying to blame Brian Jones for their own incompetence.

This kind of administrative bungling raises serious questions about 
whether Nunavik is ready to handle the responsibilities that will 
likely come with the new regional government their leaders are now 
negotiating with Quebec and Canada.

And the SQ's willingness to send so many members, so quickly, into 
Nunavik suggests the provincial government has been watching the 
situation closely for a long time and has no faith in the KRG's 
ability to handle their self-inflicted fiasco.

But what's worse is the message that the KRG sent out to the region's 
bootleggers and dope peddlers. And that message is this: welcome to 
Nunavik, the stoner's paradise.

If you think that's an exaggeration, here are some numbers from the 
2004 Qanuippitaa health survey:

60 per cent of Nunavik residents admit to using illegal drugs, 
including cocaine, and injectable substances; about half of all 
Nunavik residents over the age of 18 admit to binge drinking; 44 per 
cent of pregnant women admit to drinking alcohol during their 
pregnancies. Those numbers, of course, help to explain these ones:

20 per cent of Nunavik residents admit to being victims of serious 
acts of violence, such as strangulation or knife attacks; 33 per cent 
of residents say violence is a serious problem in their communities, 
a number that gets bigger among older people; 36 to 67 per cent of 
children in Nunavik, according to the recent commission of human 
rights' review of youth protection services in the region, have been 
sexually abused. These facts are all available within public 
documents. They're not unique to Nunavik either -- the same social 
evils thrive with equal if not greater vigor in Nunavut.

The members of Nunavik's "government," however, either don't know 
this or know it and don't care.

Either way, they're not fit to govern. It's also well-known that many 
prominent people, including elected officials, participate in the 
illegal economy as consumers and suppliers. Some have suggested that 
this is why the KRG opposes police action against drug dealers and 
bootleggers. This may be unfair, but you can't blame people for 
thinking it. It's estimated that the eastern Arctic's illegal drug 
and booze economy is worth somewhere between $30 and $60 million a 
year. That makes it a bigger economic development activity than 
tourism or arts and crafts. Somebody is making a lot of money, and 
not all of that money is leaving the North.

Others suggest that KRG bureaucrats don't like the bad publicity 
about Nunavik that is generated by assertive policing, believing that 
it gives the region a bad name. The KRG, however, has ensured that 
this reputation is richly deserved. JB
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MAP posted-by: Elaine