Emotional letter from slain officer’s parents read at Kolola hearing

“Our son is dead forever.”

Crown lawyer Trisha McCarthy read those words in court Tuesday from a victim impact statement written by the parents of murdered RCMP Const. Douglas Scott.

Scott died at age 20 while on duty in Kimmirut in 2007 after he was shot by resident Pingoatuk Kolola.

The officer had responded to a call about a suspected drunk driver in the hamlet. When Scott found Kolola behind the wheel of a truck, Kolola shot the constable in the head.

Kolola was sentenced to life in prison for the murder in 2010 without the possibility of parole for 25 years. He’s been incarcerated since 2007.

The convicted man is in Kimmirut this week, in front of a jury of his peers who will decide whether Kolola should get a chance to apply for early parole through the now-defunct “faint hope” clause.

This law allowed anyone sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for more than 15 years to seek early parole after serving 15 years.

The faint hope clause was repealed in 2011. But because Kolola was convicted while the law was still in force, it still applies to his case.

Tuesday was the second day of Kolola’s hearing.

“Mr. Kolola continues to receive food, shelter, medical care, time outdoors, learning opportunities, escorted visits with family,” McCarthy said, reading from Scott’s parents’ letter.

“We are left to visit a stone, in the ground, in remembrance of our son.”

Before the parents of Scott read their letter out loud, the majority of Tuesday’s testimony involved Kolola’s current parole officer Jeremy Pelletier, and from Kolola himself.

Kolola has made steady progress, Pelletier said, moving from a maximum security institution to medium security in 2018. Then in 2022, he was moved to a minimum security institution without fences or gates.

In particular, the Inuit Intensive Correctional Program has played a large role in Kolola’s improvement, Pelletier said.

He noted that Kolola was sexually abused as a child and had deep distrust for those in authority or from outside his community.

The Inuit Intensive Correctional Program involves a series of steps, including reviews by Inuit elders, and is part of the healing process for Inuit inmates. These are run in parallel to Inuit correctional programs which operate on more of a daily basis, Pelletier said.

Drug and alcohol abuse was a major contributing factor in Kolola’s criminal behaviour, the parole officer said.

Kolola’s testimony also touched on substance abuse. He said drinking and drugs was “like adding fuel to the fire” and that he has not consumed alcohol since his arrest 17 years ago

“When do you think you can drink alcohol again?” his lawyer, Lauren Shadley, asked.

“Never,” Kolola replied.

In their victim impact statement, Scott’s parents note Kolola has been moved to a lower-security facility.

“Which in our opinion lessens his hardship,” they wrote. “Our loss and pain do not lessen or improve and will not end even after 25 years.

“There is no closure for us, only coping.”

The hearing continues Wednesday.