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Iqaluit councillors slam court system

Lenient sentences "not protecting our community"

JIM BELL

In a series of statements this past Tuesday, Iqaluit city council members condemned Nunavut's court system for imposing too many lenient sentences on people convicted of serious violent crimes and for failing to protect the community.

"The courts continues to give these ridiculous sentences for assaults, sexual assaults, assaults on police officers…," Coun. Glenn Williams said. "I feel that by doing this, the courts are letting our citizens down."

Williams and other council members made these comments after Staff-Sgt. Ed North of the Iqaluit RCMP detachment delivered a report on crime at the June 29 council meeting.

His report contained a reference to an Iqaluit man who received a one-month conditional sentence for assault, aggravated assault and assault on a police officer.

"That's outrageous. What can our community do? This is not protecting our community. We have to get our courts to recognize this and say that you cannot do these kinds of things to other people," Williams said.

Coun. Simanuk Kilabuk said Williams' comments were "like music to my ears."

"No one is supposed to be assaulting any other individual," Kilabuk said.

Mayor Elisapie Sheutiapik said "it's obvious" that lenient sentences are not a deterrent to violent crime, saying two of her family members, a cousin and a sister, have been murdered.

"Even during the day, you have to start locking your house," Sheutiapik said.

Staff-Sgt. North said the majority of crimes in Iqaluit are alcohol-related. He also said that the RCMP is working with justice officials on restorative justice and family conferencing to deal with spousal abuse.

"We look at making our community safer, with safe homes," North said.

And he pointed out that the police have no control over what happens in court after they turn cases over to the Crown.

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