New jail slated for Kugluktuk

Prisoners from the Kitikmeot region will be able to spend short jail terms in their region after a new 20-person facility opens in Kugluktuk next year.

That was the news brought by Premier Paul Okalik, the minister of justice, during a visit to Kugluktuk this week.

A news release from the Government of Nunavut says Kugluktuk’s “healing facility” will house up to 20 offenders serving short sentences or completing their sentences at the Baffin or Yellowknife correctional centres.

The GN will save costs by renovating an existing building in the community. That was a key element in locating the new facility in Kugluktuk, the release says.

The new jail, due to open early next summer, will create 12 new positions for the community.