No gunsmoke at high noon for Nunavut’s top sheriff

VALERIE G. CONNELL

He doesn’t wear a star or pack a six-gun, but he’s still the sheriff of Nunavut.

Jonathan Ellsworth, 22, became Nunavut’s sheriff in early November after serving as one of the territory’s two deputy sheriffs for six months.

His fair hair flying, Ellsworth hops off a late-model snowmobile, his transportation around Iqaluit, and with helmet in hand enters the Nunavut Court of Justice, ready for another day’s work.

Ellsworth said his duties as sheriff are different than those depicted in movies about the old West.

His job has a variety of aspects, ranging from jury administration to courthouse security to seizing property when a court orders it.

In Nunavut, jury trials are the responsibility of the sheriff, who oversees everything from summoning jurors to meeting their needs during trials, Ellsworth said.

“I can say [to the judge], ‘This juror doesn’t understand. Can you explain?’ And the judge will explain in open court in front of all the jurors. That’s one duty that we perform,” Ellsworth said.

In another aspect of the sheriff’s role, Ellsworth said, he consults with creditors to help them handle debt repayment.

“Like a truck owner defaulted on their truck payments, or it could be one company ripped off the other company, so now they’re suing for an amount of money,” Ellsworth said. “Generally they will write me a letter of instructions saying please go conduct a seizure or take the other route of garnisheeing wages.”

Ellsworth said his job demands that he be a good communicator, whether he’s talking to people face-to-face or dealing with law firms across the country.

“Without people skills, I think, it would be difficult for someone to get a good job done,” he said.

Born in Sudbury, Ont., Ellsworth moved to Iqaluit when he was three. He returned to Sudbury for grades 12 and 13 before returning to Iqaluit and joining the Town of Iqaluit’s bylaw department, where he worked for two years before moving to the sheriff’s office.

As part of his bylaw training Ellsworth took courses in crisis intervention, management skills and non-violent conflict intervention. He was also trained in issuing tickets and warnings. He said the experience gave him a good background for his present job.

The cross-cultural aspects of Nunavut are appealing to Ellsworth. Although there are problems here, he said, being in Nunavut proves to him people of different cultures can work together to get things done.

Although not fluent in Inuktitut he said he can speak enough to get by.

“People respect me and know that I’m trying and a lot of people wouldn’t even try to speak the language,” he said.

On his time off the job, Ellsworth likes playing guitar and getting out on the land on his snowmobile.

Ellsworth said travelling and meeting people are what he enjoys most about his job.

He does a lot of it. This week he is in Edmonton being trained in taking care of trial exhibits.

As soon as he returns from Edmonton it’s off to Baker Lake for a jury trial there, and then back to Iqaluit for one here, Ellsworth said.

“We don’t just look after jury trials in Iqaluit. We look after every jury trial in the jurisdiction of Nunavut,” he said. “It’s just non-stop.”