Nunavut gets more money to help crime victims

The Government of Nunavut, using a $1.4 million contribution from Justice Canada, will spend more on travel assistance for victims of homicides and other crimes who want to travel to court hearings outside their communities, Justice Minister Dan Shewchuk said March 6 in a minister’s statement.

“With this funding, more families of victims will be able to attend court hearings when they take place in a community other than where the crime occurred,” Shewchuk said in his announcement.

He said the GN will spend $75,000 in travel and accommodations for crime victims in the current year and afterwards spend $200,000 a year for the same purpose until 2016.

“We, at the Department of Justice, are pleased to collaborate with our partners at Justice Canada in working towards the healing of victims of serious crime in our territory,” Shewchuk said.

He said the Nunavut justice department will also use the money to pay for the development of policies and procedures, and a manual, to guide use of the money.

And the department will use funds to hold training and capacity building programs for community justice workers and other stakeholders in each region, Shewchuk said.