RCMP agree with coroner jury recommendations, but challenge is in feasibility
Majority of 32 calls to action are aimed at police, including one to keep bilingual staff member available at all times
Hamlets need three officers stationed at all times, says RCMP Supt. Kent Pike, but it’s difficult to actually make it a reality. (File photo)
RCMP agree with recommendations from a coroner’s jury to improve police relations with Inuit, but the real challenge is finding a way to actually implement the changes.
Last week, a six-member jury considered the circumstances around the death of George Arlooktoo, a Kimmirut man who died by suicide on Feb. 9, 2019, during an interaction with police. The jury made 32 recommendations to RCMP, the Nunavut government, the hamlet and health centre to prevent deaths like this in the future.
Ten of those recommendations are aimed at police, including one to keep three officers stationed in the hamlet detachment at all times.
On the day of Arlooktoo’s death there were two officers stationed in the community that has about 425 residents.
“In a perfect world, if we could have three people all the time, we would. I can tell you with 100 per cent certainty, that is always our goal,” said Supt. Kent Pike.
“The organization faces [a human resources] crunch across the country.”
Pike is the criminal operations officer for Nunavut RCMP. He runs operations for detachments across the territory.
Even if three officers were permanently retained in every hamlet, Pike said, holidays, training and other considerations would still cause the actual number of officers stationed to drop at certain times. He estimated police would be able to fully maintain three officers in a hamlet six months out of any given year.
The majority of the detachments in the territory are two to three-person postings, Pike said.
The inquest jury also recommended a bilingual staff person be hired on a permanent basis to assist officers with interpretation when needed.
“Is it doable? Anything is doable. Is it a high probability? No, it’s not,” Pike said about maintaining bilingual staff who could be available at all times.
There are Inuktitut speakers on staff at the Operations Communications Centre, where all calls are directed to, and they can assist officers and dispatchers. There are times when an Inuktitut speaker may not be available at the communications centre, which delays interpretation services, Pike said.
The force also has public service assistants at some detachments.
“Our main goal is to fill that position with someone locally and the majority of the time the local person does speak [Inuktitut],” Pike said, adding it can be hard to keep the position staffed.
Recommendations made at a coroner’s inquest are not legally binding.
Other recommendations to the RCMP include:
- Continue to build relationships between the hamlet and police;
- Provide orientation to new members specific to the community being served;
- Develop regular interagency meetings between police and GN;
- Continue to implement and promote the GN’s Inuusivut Annirnaqtut action plan against suicide.
The jury also called on the territorial government to declare a “suicide crisis” in Nunavut, noting there have been four more suicides in the hamlet since Arlooktoo’s death in 2019.
The recommendation does not lay out what declaring a suicide crisis entails, and the Department of Health did not respond to a question clarifying what the implications would be to declaring one.
Leaders across the territory have called on the government to treat the suicide epidemic in Nunavut as a public health emergency.
Coun. Kyle Sheppard made a comment to that effect in 2018 in the wake of two suicides in Iqaluit, expressing frustration to city council at the time about “action plans” and “lip service” paid to the crisis whenever somebody is lost to suicide.
In 2023, Iqaluit-Sinaa MLA Janet Pitsiulaaq Brewster renewed the call, saying she’d like to see a “whole of government” approach to the issue.
The Nunavut government unveiled an action plan last year to prevent suicides in the territory.
Nunavut’s suicide rate is five to 25 times higher than the rest of Canada, according to Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami. There were 451 suicides among Inuit in the territory between January 2010 and March 26, 2024.
Premier P.J. Akeeagok declined to comment on the jury’s recommendation, deferring the request to Health Minister John Main, who is also the minister responsible for suicide prevention. Main also declined to comment.
“The Department of Health would require more time to consider the inquest recommendation,” said Health Department spokesperson Charmaine Deogracias.
Resources are available to people in distress and who need to talk with someone:
Kamatsiaqtut Help Line is Nunavut-specific and offers services in Inuktitut. Phone: 979-3333 for Iqaluit residents and 1-800-265-3333 for other Nunavummiut.
The Suicide Crisis Helpline is available 24/7 in English and French by phone or text at 9-8-8.
The First Nations and Inuit Hope for Wellness Helpline: 1-855-242-3310 or chat online at hopeforwellness.ca.
Now they are trying to say like this until someone died in detachment and they call it suicide. Since the police came to inuit land, there was always supposed to be inuit working too. There’s a lot had died inside police station and always rejected and authorities always listen to RCMP for sure their excuses to get away with. Truth will be told like residential school survival students. And there’s video surveillance too inside and outside the buildings and trucks and their body when the news they make that there will be an body cam. And if there is threaten only they will use it.