Deputy chief Jobie Epoo selected by KRG councillors

KRPF gets new interim chief

By Jim Bell

New interim chief for Kativik Regional Police Force

At their recent meeting in Kuujjuaq, the Kativik Regional Government councillors approved the appointment of Jobie Epoo as the interim chief of the Kativik Regional Police Force, effective Sept. 21.

"I am ready for the job," Epoo told the council.

Epoo, formerly the KRPF's deputy chief, remains an interim chief of the police force. That's because Brian Jones, who was fired by the KRG last September, is still officially the chief of police.

Jones filed a lawsuit against the KRG, which will be heard next month in Kuujjuaq. Since leaving the KRG, Jones has been employed by the Whapmagoostui First Nations police force as a special investigator.

After the KRG fired Jones last September, Luc Harvey replaced him as interim KRPF chief.

Harvey told the council he would stay on as interim deputy chief to help negotiate the KRPF's new long-term funding agreement with the federal and provincial governments and finalize the new collective agreement for police.

Councillors praised the efforts of the KRPF.

"In the old days, it used to be okay, but now we can't function without a police officer," said Coun. Mosesie Munick of Tasiujaq.

Police struggle to recruit staff

The Kativik Regional Police Force wants to increase its number of Inuit police and maintain staff levels.

But reaching that goal is tough, Jobie Epoo, the new interim police chief, told the Kativik Regional Government councillors at their recent meeting in Kuujjuaq.

"Until such time as we have Inuit more interested in policing we have no choice but to recruit in the South," Epoo's report to the council said.

Recruiting police in the South "will have to be developed because we have also a low success rate in retaining even non-native staff," he said.

Recruitment of beneficiaries is "more difficult" than the KRPF thought it would be.

"We have changed the salary scale to reflect the going rates and made housing available. Still, they are not breaking down our doors for a job," Epoo said.

"We are looking for people who want to work," Epoo said, making a pitch at the meeting, which was broadcast live in Nunavik over the Taqramiut Nipingat Inc. network.

The KRPF is looking at a possible program with the Kativik School Board to recruit Inuit right from school. Under the program now under consideration, high school dropouts or students at risk of dropping out would be encouraged to finish their high school studies through a work-study program, which would include working for the KRPF and regular school classes.

Epoo said the KRPF is also pushing for a regional police training program. He said the KRPF does not plan to send any more trainees to special constable training program at Ecole nationale de police du Québec police academy.

At present, the KRPF has 57 police officers, with captains filling vacant positions in Kangiqsujuaq, Kangirsuk, Aupaluk and Tasiujaq.

Arena ­renovations ahead

Eleven of Nunavik's 14 arenas are to be renovated, starting in 2008, and a pool will be built in Salluit, thanks to Quebec government programs.

Quebec's education, recreation and sports department, the Ministère de l'éducation, des loisirs and du sport, is providing financial support to improve sports and recreational facilities.

Drawing on this program and from another infrastructure program, the government is prepared to pay up to 80 per cent of the cost of projects, which have an impact on the economy, jobs or land use planning.

The Northern Villages will have to come up with 20 per cent of money needed for the projects. This money may be drawn from the millions of dollars which flow into the region every year from the Sanarrutik agreement on social and economic development.

The cost of renovations will range from $569,750 in Inukjuak to $2.8 million in Tasijuaq, Kangirsuk, Quaqtaq and Puvirnituq. During the 1990s, Makivik Corp. built arenas in nearly every Nunavik community for about $1 million each.

Salluit's new swimming pool is to cost at least $2.8 million.

KRG eyes ­private homeowner's dwelling

Not all councillors with the Kativik Regional Government were keen on a proposal to buy a local homeowner's dwelling to give the KRG more staff housing in Kuujjuaq.

At the recent meeting of the KRG council, the KRG's management said it needs more housing to meet the need of an ever-increasing number of employees.

Several councillors said the KRG shouldn't buy a privately-owned dwelling when it has encouraged Nunavimmiut to move out of social housing and subsidized staff housing into their own homes.

The council was asked to support a resolution, which said the "the KRG considers that the purchase of one house in Kuujjuaq would address partially the urgent need for fall 2007."

Four of 14 councillors voted against the resolution, which gave the KRG's executive committee a mandate to approve a contract for the purchase of the house, if necessary.

Inuit under 15 per cent at Raglan Mine

According to statistics presented at the recent meeting of the Kativik Regional Government council, Xstrata's Raglan nickel mine has less than 15 per Inuit employment.

Out of 768 workers at the mine near Kangiqsujuaq and Sallujit, 112 are Inuit and 768 non-Inuit.

The highest number of Inuit on site are found at Kiewit Nuvumiut, a joint-venture company for heavy construction where there are 15 Inuit out of 66 workers, for a rate of 22.27 per cent Inuit employment.

The rate of Inuit employment is the lowest at two other joint ventures, Kattiniq Transport and Bradley Nuvumiut, which have no Inuit employees at all.

At present, Xstrata Raglan is training nine underground miners. This past summer, 23 Inuit were working in jobs underground, according to the KRG report.

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