Friday, January 30, 2026
ADVT 
National

Nunavut prison still squalid, drug-ridden a year after watchdog's report

Steve Rennie, Canadian Press, 25 Aug, 2014 10:31 AM
    You won't see it on the itinerary for Stephen Harper's annual northern tour, and it's somewhere the prime minister would probably rather not be seen, anyway.
     
    But while Harper is in Iqaluit trumpeting his government's spending on science and technology, scant attention will be paid to one of the North's most notorious jails, just a short distance away.
     
    It's a place the federal Conservatives want no part of, one they are more than happy to leave in the hands of the territorial government, which is responsible for the jail, but seems reluctant to do much about its squalid state.
     
    The territory hasn't done a whole lot to deal with a list of serious problems that Canada's prisons watchdog identified more than a year ago.
     
    In fact, federal Correctional Investigator Howard Sapers hasn't heard from the Nunavut government since he submitted his report on the Baffin Correctional Centre in April 2013.
     
    "Once we gave them our report, of course we don't have jurisdiction and they have no particular obligation to reply," Sapers said in a recent interview.
     
    "That's why there weren't recommendations. We just simply gave them the observations that they asked for and it was then really a matter for the territorial government to deal with."
     
    Sapers' report, which quietly appeared on the Nunavut Justice Department website in the spring, listed a slew of serious problems at the jail.
     
    The place is rife with drugs and illegal contraband. Inmates live in constant fear of beatings and sexual assaults. It is so overcrowded that prisoners are kept in cells with up to four times the intended occupancy rate. Some cells have no toilets or running water. The prison is filthy, drafty and mouldy. The smell is overpowering.
     
    "When I first walked through, I was quite taken aback. I was taken aback at its state of disrepair, said Sapers.
     
    "The conditions of confinement were certainly well below anything I had seen in a federal penitentiary."
     
    Not just in Canada, either. Sapers puts the Baffin Correctional Centre on par with some of the worst jails he's seen around the world.
     
    "I have visited prisons across Canada and in several spots in the United States and in many places around the world, including China, (South) Korea, the Czech Republic, Singapore," he said.
     
    "The conditions in the Baffin Correctional Centre were certainly as bad as any I've seen anywhere."
     
    Neither Nunavut Justice Minister Paul Okalik nor his department have responded to questions about the jail.
     
    Ottawa has an agreement with Nunavut to hold federally sentenced offenders, under certain circumstances, in territorial jails.
     
    But the Conservatives aren't eager to be associated with the Baffin Correctional Centre.
     
    In a November 2012 response to questions on the Commons order paper from former Liberal MP Denis Coderre, then-public safety minister Vic Toews repeatedly said the jail belongs to Nunavut and isn't the federal government's responsibility.

    MORE National ARTICLES

    Winnipeg's 'Homeless Hero' Dies In Same River Where He Saved People From Drowning

    Winnipeg's 'Homeless Hero' Dies In Same River Where He Saved People From Drowning
    WINNIPEG - A transient, frequently-jailed alcoholic, who became known as the "Homeless Hero" after saving two people from drowning, battled his demons right up until his death in the same river where he made his rescues.

    Winnipeg's 'Homeless Hero' Dies In Same River Where He Saved People From Drowning

    Conservatives Block Bid To Review Canada Revenue Agency's Charity Audits

    Conservatives Block Bid To Review Canada Revenue Agency's Charity Audits
    OTTAWA - Conservative MPs have blocked an opposition bid to study allegations the government has been targeting certain charities, saying it's "shameful" to suggest ongoing tax audits are politically motivated.

    Conservatives Block Bid To Review Canada Revenue Agency's Charity Audits

    Calgary Radio Station Hits Stop Button On Format Featuring Shorter Songs

    Calgary Radio Station Hits Stop Button On Format Featuring Shorter Songs
    CALGARY - A Calgary radio station has given up a format featuring shorter versions of songs which it said gave listeners twice the music.

    Calgary Radio Station Hits Stop Button On Format Featuring Shorter Songs

    Bertuzzi-Moore Lawsuit: Ten Years Later A Settlement Is Reached

    Bertuzzi-Moore Lawsuit: Ten Years Later A Settlement Is Reached
    TORONTO - A settlement has been reached in Steve Moore's lawsuit against NHL forward Todd Bertuzzi, more than 10 years after the infamous on-ice attack ended Moore's career.

    Bertuzzi-Moore Lawsuit: Ten Years Later A Settlement Is Reached

    Nunavut Land-Use Plan: Federal Government Sued Over Funding by Nunavut Planning Commission

    Nunavut Land-Use Plan: Federal Government Sued Over Funding by Nunavut Planning Commission
    An Arctic planning body has taken the federal government to court, claiming Ottawa is blocking efforts to create a land-use plan that would guide resource development in Nunavut.

    Nunavut Land-Use Plan: Federal Government Sued Over Funding by Nunavut Planning Commission

    Justin Trudeau Blasts Harper For Bungling Pipelines Needed By Alberta, PM's Home Turf

    Justin Trudeau Blasts Harper For Bungling Pipelines Needed By Alberta, PM's Home Turf
    EDMONTON - Justin Trudeau says Prime Minister Stephen Harper is "all hat, no cattle" when it comes to pipelines. The Liberal leader is in Harper's home province of Alberta, plotting strategy for the coming pre-election year with his three dozen MPs.

    Justin Trudeau Blasts Harper For Bungling Pipelines Needed By Alberta, PM's Home Turf