Screen Nunavut-bound parcels for alcohol, drugs, say leaders
Justice Minister David Akeeagok, RCMP, write to Canada Post; municipal leaders draft resolution on issue
Justice Minister David Akeeagok said on Oct. 29 in the legislative assembly that he’s written to Canada Post to request parcel screening in Nunavut for drugs and alcohol. (File photo by Jeff Pelletier)
This story was updated on Friday, Nov. 8, 2024, at 1:45 p.m. ET.
Nunavut’s territorial and municipal leaders are asking Canada Post to enhance screening of parcels, to combat the import of alcohol and drugs into communities.
The request was one of the 21 resolutions supported Thursday by the majority of Nunavut mayors at the annual general meeting of the Nunavut Association of Municipalities in Iqaluit.
“Canada Post shipments from southern regions are frequently used as a means to transfer alcohol into restricted and vulnerable communities,” the resolution stated.
It asks Canada Post to scan all parcels coming to Nunavut.
Municipalities in the territory have the power to prohibit or restrict access to alcohol through plebiscite. Six communities prohibit alcohol: Arviat, Coral Harbour, Gjoa Haven, Kugaaruk, Pangnirtung and Sanikiluaq.
Thirteen restrict alcohol: Arctic Bay, Kinngait, Chesterfield Inlet, Clyde River, Sanirajak, Igloolik, Kimmirut, Kugluktuk, Naujaat, Pond Inlet, Qikiqtarjuaq, Resolute Bay and Whale Cove.
The rest — Baker Lake, Cambridge Bay, Rankin Inlet, Iqaluit, Grise Fiord and Taloyoak — are unrestricted.
The topic came up Oct. 29 in the legislative assembly as well, when Justice Minister David Akeeagok responded to a question from Uqqummiut MLA Mary Killiktee on what work has been done to reduce the number of alcohol-related crimes in the territory.
Akeeagok said he and the Nunavut RCMP had written to Canada Post about the issue.
“They have the tools,” Akeeagok said in an interview, adding that there was a pilot project in Nunavik that showed the effectiveness of thorough screening of parcels entering the region.
In 2019, Canada Post teamed up with northern and southern police services on an operation that stopped nearly $1.8 million worth of illegal substances from arriving in Nunavik over the span of two months.
Akeeagok said his department is willing to support Canada Post with resources if needed to do similar work in Nunavut on permanent basis.
Canada Post already has several security, screening and safety protocols to help identify suspicious items, but to “avoid undermining the effectiveness” of the approach the corporation doesn’t share it publicly, Lisa Liu, spokesperson for Canada Post, said in an email to Nunatsiaq News.
She didn’t confirm whether the corporation has received the request from Akeeagok or if the suggestions would be considered.
Postal inspectors have the authority to inspect mail and engage with law enforcement to facilitate the “detection and removal” of parcels containing alcohol or drugs, Liu said.
In 2023, Canada Post identified and removed 3,191 items suspected of containing “illicit substances” with an estimated street value of $4.4 million inbound to Indigenous and northern communities, according to the Crown corporation’s 2023 sustainability report.
“We understand this is a serious issue and are always looking to find ways to improve our processes and appreciate input and suggestions as we continue to work with police and other local officials,” Liu said.
Correction: This story was updated to correct the list of Nunavut hamlets that restrict access to alcohol.
Same thing for Nunavik ” SCREEN ” all cargo and mail comming in ” !!!
lots of drugs and alcohol are coming in through air cargo. not just a canada post problem
No one will use Post Office anymore if this happens. There will be unfortunately a lot of unlawful checking of peoples property and risk of damage. I can’t see this passing any law.
Good thing there’s no laws to change.
There are inspection powers in the Canada post act that allow for the inspection of all items in the postal stream to ensure they do not contain non-mail able matter includes alcohol (without permits), illicit drugs of any kind, hate speech material or any material that may degrade or otherwise spoil other mail (perishables etc.).
Inspections are periodic, and done with the participation of police including NPS, the RCMP (FED & V DIV).
Inspection is an under resourced activity, relative to the harms it reduces.
Also make yellowknife to iqaluit canadian north flight go thru security everyone knows that’s where most drugs to rankin and iqaluit come’s from
Also screen for cigarettes people are ordering ther cigs thru the mail from them Indian reservs in Ontario and then selling the packs for 20$ when u can buy a hole carton of packs for 50$
Also the medical traveler’s who get 2 free bags on Canadian North always stuffing ther bags with beer and liquor. This is government of nunavut paying for the shipment of this booze and liquor into these dry communties
It’s a start yes, not a solution, people will move back to huffing products to deal with their depression.
I don’t know what the solution is, smarter people may have the answers.
It is encouraging to observe the government’s efforts to address the illegal sale of alcohol and drugs within the Territory. Such actions may lead to a decrease in reports related to hit-and-run incidents and vehicular collisions and, ideally, a reduction in cases of domestic abuse.
Cargo coming to ARV is the major source of illegal trafficking of anything illegal so the sources say. Booze, hard drugs. Stores that have lot of cargo are the sources they say….
Please Canada Post, I’m crying and begging you with my fellow Inuit to apply screening–substances are causing hardship, death and crime!
Getting 2 free checked bags to go to a medical appointment is rediculous, while the rest of us paying folks are stuck with only 1 free checked bag.
If you need more than a carry-on to go to a routine medical appointment, you should pay for the checked bags yourself. Our tax dollars hard at work once again, thanks medical travel.
Nunavummiut account for only around $150 million of the $3 billion tax dollars the federal government gives to this territory every year. (Excluding businesses, that’s personal tax)
Every other Canadian is paying for these bags too, not just the residents of Nunavut
Pay your rent, power bills and taxes IN full, Nunavut. Like Canadians
Why o why do you want someone or something else to control your lives. Be an adult and make good choices. Why make everyone pay for few people’s weaknesses. Be an adult and make good choices. Why expect someone or something else to protect you. Be an adult and make good choices. Pretty simple really
Thank you, W.u.d.; your post is the most meanungful comment I’ve seen for weeks at NN
Make the liquor that in being shipped in available for sale in Nunavut, banning hard liquor does nothing to help except help the bootleggers. Just like Nunavut ask Canada Post to do the work. Send the bad apples back to there communities wouldn’t hurt either
Also screen boxes leaving Rankin and Iqaluit post office lot of people sending booze and liquor from B&w store to dry community like Pang Coral Kimmrut and Arviat
not sure if the average reader knows this but its illegal for anyone including canada post to hinder the delivery of mail. If CP does run into a package that is suspicious they need a warrant to open it. So they have internal processes that they dont disclose to the public that relate to screening. So this Ageeaok statement is pure theatrics. Anyways how do you actually enhance screening? shake the package a little more?
Like closing the barn door after the horses are gone.
And beating on a dead husky team.🤯🤣🤯
Nunavut government is embarrassing
Minister Akeeagok is embarrassing!
The Canadian constitution of 1867 and the “Freedom of Choice” have a tendency to get in the way don’t they?
Stupid freedom of choice and rights.
I need a baby sitter to look after me
I see this being a problem with the Charter. You can’t just randomly search people’s stuff. The Charter, and our democratic way, does not allow for virtue testing. The Liquor Act does allow for warrantless searches but who knows if that will survive a legal challenge.
There could be a few ways around it, though. A court could find that because of the particular danger alcohol and drugs pose to Indigenous communities where health services are limited, the breach of the Charter is justified under section 1 of the Charter. Another way would be if the airlines made random inspection for alcohol part of their terms of carriage. The Charter only protects against government intrusion (and some organizations fulfilling government roles) but private intrusion is not Charter protected; that’s what regular laws do. However, if the airlines, on their own, say that a condition of buying a ticket is you must allow inspection of your bags for alcohol and/or drugs, then the Charter doesn’t come into it. They could be sued, I guess, but it wouldn’t be a Charter violation.
The point of the searches will not be to prosecute offenders (Charter would exclude the evidence of warrantless searches) but rather to remove the substances. The RCMP do this is some more remote communities already, apparently they pour out the booze and are done with it.
And make criminal records check MANDATORY across all jobs in Nunavut. All jobs. And for Public housing
There goes half the GN and housing tenants Lol
Good.
Time to clean up the Joke of Canada
Maybe the lady police officer’s wife who said…”Inuit are primitive and simple….” was an understatement.
Honestly, these Ministers should read the charter, because they obviously don’t have a clue. Here’s a news flash for you: plebiscites don’t work. Sure, they made some gangsters very rich during prohibition, and a fortune in tax money was spent trying to enforce it, but people still drank. I guess these low level beauracrats think they can do it better? Oh and by the way, I have most of the ingredients in my kitchen right now to make alcohol. I just need yeast. Are you going to start inspecting people’s kitchens too? Absurd.
Canadian north has a huge role in this, they need to do their part too.
No they don’t.
It’s your choice and all individuals.
Complain about paternalism later?
“Bid-ness is Bid-ness”.
Maybe airlines can stop going to Nunavut (big fat welfare place) and Inuit can go back to iglus and have mail delivery by RCMP dog team.🤘🤯😩😩😩😩😩😩
Please tell us how you really feel. 🙄
just because he could not get a bootleg…get mad at everyone.. even the post office. no one else to blame…
Constantly expecting to baby sat NUNAVUT. Too much “hard working and thinking” to make your own choice, Nunavut?
And Nunavut MLA candidates.
Most of which aren’t employed with only long time employees parking whole of Nunavut creation. It’s boring, no jobs, just do whatever you want.
They don’t need to “screen packages” for alcohol, barely anyone works with old school bootleggers down south trying to sneak it up. Its 2024, so many people in towns all across Nunavut and even Nunavik are now ordering beer wine and spirits from stores through their online shopping sites in Alberta. All the rcmp have to do is to contact the major liquor outlets in Alberta and tell them to stop and they are not allowed to be sending here (unless to wet towns) or else packages will be busted with no shipping refund. Sellers in town buy directly from them with their credit card and have it delivered legally through Canada Post because they have agreement permits to ship all across Canada. Just deterring this would stop like 60% of drinks coming in (the rest being brought in by luggage or sent at cargo).