Rehab facility would help to lower crime rate, Okalik says

Nunavut's premier, Paul Okalik, wants to see an alcohol abuse treatment centre built in the territory.

Nunavut routinely leads the country in the number of violent crimes committed each year, and the majority of these crimes inevitably involve alcohol.

"There are some problems that are obvious," Okalik said during an interview on Tuesday, referring to the link between alcohol addiction and crime.

He says building a rehab centre is the obvious solution to lowering the crime rate.

It's too early to say where the facility will be located, or when it will be built, Okalik said. Money has yet to be set aside for its construction.

But he says, as someone who underwent alcohol abuse treatment in Dettah, NWT in 1991, he knows the importance of developing programs that address the needs of Inuit.

"We have to find [programs] that work," he said.

Iqaluit once had an alcohol rehab facility, prior to division from the Northwest Territories. But Okalik said the facility fell into disrepair, and until now, Nunavut has been unable to commit to reviving the programs.

A future rehab centre is one of several commitments made by Okalik, following a cabinet retreat in Kugluktuk, Sept. 6 to 8.

Okalik also says his government plans to do more to woo nurses to stay in Nunavut.

Nunavut makes up its shortage of nurses by hiring temporary nurses through agencies. These agency nurses receive many perks, such as free rent and flights north, which are not available to nurses who are full-time employees of the government.

"We have to treat our long-term nurses a little better," Okalik said. "They deserve to be treated better, compared to nurses who fly in and out, and may not be of much benefit to the community."

Cabinet also ordered a review of its medical travel policies, in order to address complaints often heard by MLAs that unilingual elders are sometimes left stranded in Ottawa, awaiting a medical appointment, with no translator to assist them.

Okalik said the review will "hopefully allay some concern."