Latest news with #Iqaluit
CBC
5 days ago
- Health
- CBC
Fewer alcohol bans being ordered for people on probation, Nunavut justice minister says
Nunavut courts are issuing fewer alcohol abstinence orders for people on probation than previous years, according to the territory's justice minister. "They're hard for people who may be addicted to alcohol," Pamela Hakongak Gross said in the Nunavut Legislative Assembly Wednesday. Iqaluit-Manirajak MLA Adam Arreak Lightstone asked for how many court orders to abstain from alcohol were made in the 2023-24 fiscal year. Gross was unable to provide an exact number, but said there were "fewer." Gross said when orders are issued, community corrections officers monitor and support those individuals who are required to abstain by helping them complete programming to "avoid behaviour that leads to criminal activity." "The officers may also order a breach of the individual's conditions, which can result in an individual being placed in custody," she continued. Lightstone said interdiction orders can be given. Such an order would prevent someone under it to not be issued any alcohol by an approved private or government establishment. "The Minister of Finance … indicated that in Nunavut's 26 years, there's only been one interdiction order given by Nunavut courts," Lightstone said. "With our high rates of alcohol-related crime, why have our Nunavut courts not utilized an interdiction order more frequently?" Gross said interdiction orders are "viewed as outdated and are rarely used" and that the only other jurisdiction that includes them in law is Newfoundland and Labrador. "Interdiction orders are a private law remedy and they need to be issued by a justice of the peace under the Liquor Act," Gross said. "With that, the Department of Justice does not issue or oversee these orders and has no role in initiating them." Iqaluit-Sinaa MLA Janet Pitsiulaaq Brewster followed up on Lightstone's questions with a set of her own that dealt with alcohol use and intimate partner violence. "Other than a court order to abstain from alcohol, what does the Department of Justice do in order to change the behaviour of a person who is charged with an offence related to intimate partner violence or any violence against any other member of the community?" Brewster asked. Gross said the Therapeutic Justice Program, located in Cambridge Bay and Arviat, is available, which aims to provide an alternative to the criminal justice system. "This is by offering accused persons with Inuit-led supports and services that focus on addressing the root cause of their criminal behaviour," Gross said. "This program offers clients a combination of cultural and mental health programming and other support." When asked by Brewster what supports are available for family and friends who are concerned about someone who may be at risk to violence from someone they know, Gross highlighted the Family Abuse Intervention Act which allows for measures such as emergency protections, community intervention orders, family abuse intervention orders and peace bonds.
CBC
23-05-2025
- Business
- CBC
NTI and Nunavut gov't hold joint Iqaluit meetings: here's what was discussed
On Tuesday, Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. and the Government of Nunavut held a joint meeting in Iqaluit. The CBC's Carl Cardinal breaks down what was discussed.
CBC
22-05-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Nunavut premier looks back on government's achievements as MLAs return for spring sitting
Nunavut's premier says he is looking back on the progress his government has made as the Legislative Assembly enters its final spring sitting. The sitting begins Thursday and will be the second-last one before the territory goes into an election in October. Premier P.J. Akeeagok said he knows there are some who feel there are issues his government was too slow to respond to. "But there's been work around huge advancements, around key areas like concluding some of the longstanding negotiations that have been ongoing," he said. "I look back to the devolution agreement being one of them, where it really is the next biggest chapter in the territory's history." Elder care expected to be discussed in spring sitting He said he expects subjects like elder care will be discussed in the legislature at this sitting. Joe Savikataaq, the MLA for Arviat South, also expects elder care to be a focus. Savikataaq said this is also the last chance to hold the government accountable for things they should have done. "I think there'll probably be lot of questions on housing, elder care strategy and the elder vans that appear to still not being used yet even though it's been almost a year since they were purchased," he said. Akeeagok announced in October that five vans, meant to help elderly residents get around in their communities, were purchased for about $1 million by the territorial government. These were expected to be used in Iqaluit, Cambridge Bay, Coral Harbour, Pangnirtung and Rankin Inlet. The MLAs are also expected to address a report from Canada's Auditor General about public housing, which will be presented on Monday. Savikataaq said he looks forward to reading the report. "It'll be interesting because housing's been in the spotlight a lot," Savikataaq said. "Not just the lack of housing, but like the allocation process or the ways that communities are allotted housing from the Nunavut Housing Corporation," Changing portfolios and outstanding legislation Iqaluit-Tasiluk MLA George Hickes said he has concerns over the constant changing of ministers' portfolios. The most recent shuffle occurred on May 13. "I've had that responsibility. It typically takes six months to a year to really get your head wrapped around what you don't know, never mind actually learn the intricacies of your responsibilities as a minister," he said. "With all the revolvement in this cabinet, I'm not surprised that we're getting frustrated with the lack of responses that we're getting." Then there's outstanding legislation. David Joanasie, the government house leader, said five government bills and one money bill need to be presented. The session is scheduled to run until June 3.
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
NDP holds Nunavut after Elections Canada validates results
After a delay due to a blizzard, Elections Canada has validated the results in Nunavut and confirmed NDP incumbent Lori Idlout has prevailed over Liberal challenger Kilikvak Kabloona. The results were posted on Elections Canada's website Friday evening. Validation is a procedure in which Elections Canada double-checks and verifies the numbers reported on election night. It took more than two weeks for Elections Canada to validate the results because the final ballot box from the community of Naujaat was delayed. It was sent to Iqaluit but got stuck at the airline cargo facility in Rankin Inlet when a rare late-spring blizzard hit Iqaluit on Thursday. Because of the delay, Idlout could not be sworn in as the Nunavut MP — something she told The Canadian Press was frustrating because constituents were reaching out to her for assistance but she could not officially act as an MP. The validated results show Idlout beat Kabloona by 41 votes. That's a thinner margin of victory than the preliminary results Elections Canada posted shortly after election night, which showed Idlout beat Kabloona by 77 votes. The 41-vote difference is not enough to automatically trigger a judicial recount, which occurs when the number of votes separating a winner and a runner-up is less than 0.1 per cent of the total votes cast, according to Elections Canada's rules. There were a total of 7,868 valid votes in Nunavut, according to Elections Canada's website. That means the difference would have needed to be seven votes or less to automatically trigger a judicial recount. The current standings have the Liberals two seats shy of a majority government, with 170 MPs. The Conservatives have 143 seats, the Bloc Québécois 22, the NDP seven and the Green Party one. There are still two outstanding judicial recounts, but the Liberals need to hold one riding and flip another, meaning the most seats they could have is 171. The Liberals need to hold onto the seat they have in the Newfoundland and Labrador riding of Terra Nova-The Peninsulas. A judicial recount there is still in progress. Before the recount, Liberal Anthony Germain led Conservative Jonathan Rowe by 12 votes. WATCH | Here's how an automatic recount works: A recount in the Ontario riding Windsor-Tecumseh-Lakeshore is scheduled to begin on May 20. The current result shows Conservative Kathy Borrelli beating incumbent Liberal Irek Kusmierczyk by 77 votes. On Friday, a judicial recount in the southern Ontario riding of Milton East-Halton Hills South confirmed that Liberal Kristina Tesser Derksen won the seat by a margin of 21 votes over Conservative Parm Gill. Meanwhile, the The Bloc Québécois is calling on the Superior Court of Quebec to order a byelection in the riding of Terrebonne, where the party lost by one vote, as Elections Canada revealed issues with five more mail-in ballots. The House of Commons is set to resume on May 26.
CTV News
17-05-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
Elections Canada confirms win for NDP incumbent Lori Idlout in Nunavut
Member of Parliament Lori Idlout is shown in Iqaluit, Sunday, Jan. 21, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Dustin Patar IQALUIT — Elections Canada has confirmed NDP incumbent Lori Idlout has won the riding of Nunavut over Liberal challenger Kilikvak Kabloona. The results were posted on Elections Canada's website Friday evening after a vote validation process. In that process, the federal agency double checks the numbers reported on the night of the April 28 federal election. The original result had the incumbent win the unofficial result by 77 votes, but the validation shows that margin shrank to 41 votes. The agency has said it required two weeks to complete the procedure because the final ballot box from the community of Naujaat was delayed and held at an airport due to a blizzard. The current standings, as of Saturday, have the Liberals two seats shy of a majority government, with 170 MPs. The Conservatives have 143 seats, the Bloc Québécois 22, the NDP seven and the Green Party one. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 17, 2025.
