Nearly seven pounds of seized marijuana ruled inadmissible An Iqaluit man found with nearly seven pounds of marijuana in his luggage last year will almost certainly not be prosecuted, following a Nunavut Court of Justice ruling, issued Aug. 8, that found police violated his Charter right to be free from unreasonable search and seizure. Two RCMP members arrested Andrew Alainga at the Iqaluit airport on March 7, 2011. In a search of his luggage, they found 6.87 pounds of marijuana and charged him with possession of marijuana for the purpose of trafficking. [continues 416 words]
In Some Communities, Number Of Crimes Exceeds Population Number KUUJJUAQ - A dozen uniformed police officers from the Kativik Regional Police Force and the Surete du Quebec arrived Feb. 25 at this week's meeting of the Kativik Regional Government's regional council to make a symbolic show of beefed-up police activity in the region. Nunavimmiut listening to a live broadcast of council proceedings on the Taqramiut Nipingat Inc. radio network couldn't see the group's impressive physical bulk and serious expressions. [continues 624 words]
Iqaluit's medicinal cannabis advocate Ed deVries served notice to city council this week that he has applied for a licence to run a business selling pot in the city. Not just any pot, he told council during an appearance at its Tuesday meeting, but "healthy cannabis medicine." "I'm a healer, not a dealer," he said. DeVries said he could provide marijuana to his many "sick" customers illicitly - and he's already served jail-time for selling pot - but he wants to act openly and above board, and he appealed to council to help him do it. [continues 118 words]
Quebec Police Investigated -Allegations Against Brian Jones Brian Jones, the former chief of the Kativik Regional Police Force, has been charged with fraud and corruption after a complaint by the Kativik Regional Government. Jones is alleged to have misused money seized by police during drug busts carried out in Nunavik during his tenure as police chief, according to information obtained by Nunatsiaq News. The laying of the charge follows an investigation by the Quebec provincial police force, the Surete du Quebec, into the complaint made by the KRG. [continues 331 words]
I am a United States resident who lives in Wisconsin. For the past few years I have had an interest in Nunavut and read the Nunatsiaq News each week. I have also read a couple of books on Inuit life and on occasion listen to Iqaluit radio programming on CBC North. Your Inuit culture, history and the beautiful, challenging and special land that makes up Nunavut is fascinating to me. If I ever have the extra income to visit Nunavut, I certainly will. [continues 98 words]
"It Doesn't Seem to Be Slowing the Drug Trade Down Here." Drugs continue to arrive regularly in Sanikiluaq via scheduled Kivalliq Air fights from Winnipeg, say police at the local Sanikiluaq RCMP detachment. When Kivalliq Air launched its air service April 1 between Sanikiluaq and Winnipeg, security checks on passenger luggage came to a halt and the quantity of drugs and alcohol flooding into Sanikiluaq began to increase. "As many seizures as we're getting, it doesn't seem to be slowing the drug trade down here," said Const. Paul Robinson. [continues 235 words]
"It's Disturbing For A Community Of 800, Especially The Crack Cocaine." Drugs such as crack cocaine, along with illegal alcohol, have been pouring into Sanikiluaq since April 1, when Kivalliq Air started a new scheduled air service from Winnipeg. Before April 1, the Government of Nunavut chartered Kivalliq Air's planes to carry patients in and out of Sanikiluaq for medical treatment. Then, all bags were searched regularly in Winnipeg. But when Kivalliq Air launched a scheduled air service April 1, on a 16-seater, twin-engine Beech aircraft, security checks on passenger luggage came to a halt. [continues 653 words]
On March 8, RCMP found 3.8 pounds of crack cocaine remaining in Iqaluit after $239,000 of cash profit had already left this community the day before. It is understandable that the authorities are laying charges of possessing property obtained by crime, but what puzzles me in view of the scale and efficiency of this operation is that the charges do not allege membership in organized crime. The Road to Hell by Julian Sher and William Marsden, published by Vintage Books of Canada in 2004, indicates this market is well understood and almost certainly linked to known operations in Edmonton and/or Vancouver. (Name witheld by request) Iqaluit [end]
Facility Aims To Be Beacon For Inuit Seeking Freedom From Alcohol Or Drugs KUUJJUAQ - The Isuarsivik treatment centre in Kuujjuaq is back in operation, having recently completed its first six-week residential treatment program for a group of five male clients from several Nunavik communities. When the men came to the program, they were "scared, unsure, scattered and troubled," says executive director Annie Gordon. But when they finished, she says they were more grounded and sure of themselves. "Their self-esteem was higher and they have skills to deal with relapse," she said. [continues 598 words]
"Our Main Consideration In Developing These Policies Is With workplace safety." CAMBRIDGE BAY - The Kitikmeot Inuit Association wants drug- and alcohol-free workplaces for all mining sites and exploration camps on Inuit owned lands, KIA president Donald Havioyak told the recent KIA annual general meeting in Cambridge Bay. The zero-tolerance policy is now a condition for companies doing either mineral exploration or development in the Kitikmeot. And if they don't comply, Geoff Clark, the KIA's director of lands and resources, said the KIA will revoke the companies' permits. [continues 314 words]
Well, what can I say? I am joyous, ecstatic and also dismayed by the recent drug bust in Iqaluit. Firstly, a big nakurmik, thank you, quana, and merci to the Iqaluit RCMP detachment for the drug bust. Your efforts are appreciated and don't go unnoticed. Dismayed? Yes, I am alarmed that there is a market for 1.6 kilos of crack cocaine in my home town (though I cannot fathom what 1.6 kilos of crack looks like.) I'm dismayed because there are individuals who take this drug, who are hooked on it and rely on it for pleasure. [continues 201 words]
Hayward Wants RCMP To Report To Council More Often It might just be Iqaluit's dirty little secret, whispered in the corners of city bars and behind the closed curtains of homes. Crack cocaine is said to be the new drug of choice in Iqaluit and Deputy Mayor Al Hayward wants to hear what the RCMP plan do about the problem. Trouble is, he can't get them to come to a city council meeting. "On any given day you can look in front of Northmart and see drug deals going down," he said. "We're supposed to have trained professionals in town that are supposed to be able to look after these problems and they're not responding at all." [continues 442 words]
"People will buy drugs instead of supplying their children with diapers or food." Kangiqsujuaq is swamped with drugs and alcohol, police warn, because residents are flush with cash following the distribution of profit-sharing cheques from Xstrata's Raglin mine earlier this summer. The municipality and landholding organization has invested some of the money, but members of the Kativik Regional Police Force say many residents have used the payout, which amounts to several thousands of dollars per family, to travel to Montreal and return with beer, wine and spirits. [continues 414 words]
Nunavimmiut Shoulder Human Cost Of Police Force Cuts Don't arrest anyone unless it's absolutely necessary. That's what the Kativik Regional Police Force management told the ranking officers during a recent meeting in Kuujjuaq, says a member of the KRPF. A further memo sent to regular members told them not to enforce municipal by-laws restricting alcohol or to seize drugs. Nunavik's cash-strapped police force wants to keep -transportation costs down and save on manpower during the summer by reducing the numbers of arrests - even in -domestic violence cases where women and children may be at continued risk. [continues 618 words]
There's no evidence that a strawberry-flavoured form of crystal methamphetamine has entered Nunavut, or Canada, for that matter. Yet email reports of the drug have quickly circulated among alarmed parents in Iqaluit, spreading concern that their children may be the target of the crystal meth variation, sometimes called "Stawberry Quik," that's said to resemble Pop Rock candy. Cpl. Jimmy Akavak said Nunavut's RCMP have not seized crystal meth, flavoured or otherwise, in the territory. Nor have they heard reports of the highly-addictive stimulant being sold to minors. [continues 189 words]
Police Waited Seven Months To Charge De Vries The man who ran as Nunavut's Marijuana Party candidate in the last federal election insists he is no reefer recidivist. Police charged Ed de Vries, 48, in Iqaluit May 2 with drug trafficking, conspiracy to traffic and breach of undertaking, shortly after de Vries was released from a six-month prison term for drug-related charges. In fact, the marijuana seizure that led to these charges occurred in late September 2006, several days before de Vries was sentenced Sept. 24. [continues 431 words]
Police charged Ed deVries in Iqaluit with trafficking in a controlled substance, conspiracy to traffic and breach of undertaking, May 2. He was released from custody and will appear in court July 3. Police seized several pounds of marijuana, said Cpl. Randy Slawson. DeVries, 48, recently served a six-month sentence for trafficking marijuana and laundering the proceeds of crime, after police intercepted a filing cabinet in 2003 full of marijuana sent from Ontario to Iqaluit, addressed to a company owned by deVries. [continues 281 words]
In an editorial this past Oct. 20, 2006, on the firing of the chief of the Kativik Regional Police Force, Brian Jones, Nunatsiaq News stated that some elected officials participate in the illegal drug and booze economy. Nunatsiaq News has no basis to make that statement and it retracts it. Nunatsiaq News apologizes to any elected officials, including members of the Kativik Regional Government, who may have been harmed by that statement. [end]
Pot Politician Will Miss Igloolik's Christmas Cheer The man who ran as Nunavut's Marijuana Party candidate during the last federal election will spend Christmas inside a maximum-security prison. Ed deVries is presently serving a six-month prison sentence for trafficking marijuana and laundering the proceeds of crime at the Central East Detention Centre in Lindsay, Ontario. The Ontario prison holds convicts serving sentences of less than two years, such as deVries, as well as inmates detained before trial who are considered to be a flight risk, or too dangerous to be at large. The jail can hold 1,200 inmates. [continues 314 words]
Focus Shifts to Inuit-Friendly Program KUUJJUAQ -- With an all-new staff and a keen board of directors, fresh determination and ambitious plans for the future, Kuujjuaq's treatment centre is ready to start up again in January. That's when the centre's staff is planning to take the first treatment cycle the centre has been able to offer in more than a year. "It's really exciting," said Eva Lapage, who is now the executive director of Isuarsivik. "I want to know how people feel when they go through our treatment program." [continues 441 words]
I am a concerned beneficiary of Nunavut. I was so disappointed while I was in my old home town of Iqaluit last summer. There are so many cocaine users this year, more then ever before, and I noticed that there are more family issues then ever before with all the cocaine and crystal meth in town. There are kids out there who are not being taken care of because their parents are spending their money on cocaine and crystal meth. How could you live with yourselves knowing that your kids are starving while you are using these hard drugs? You get more pleasure using this hard drug while your kids are starving? Do you even think about your kids when you're high? [continues 376 words]
At this early date, it's still too soon to say exactly when the Kativik Regional Government's mishandling of its policing file actually began. It's now clear that the KRG's incompetence on this issue goes back several years, at the very least. That being said, it's now obvious that the regional council blundered badly on the evening of Sept. 14, when they voted to dump the popular, tirelessly devoted, and under-appreciated chief of the Kativik Regional Police Force, Brian Jones. The move sparked outrage among most KRPF members and their union, and led to a chain of events that has seen the people of Nunavik lose effective control of their police force. [continues 767 words]
This week, the police team led by the RCMP, formed to combat organized crime in Quebec's native communities, accepted the Motorola Webber Seavey Award for Quality in Law Enforcement. The award recognizes innovative policing programs that serve as models for law enforcement agencies around the world. The Aboriginal Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit is comprised of members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Surete du Quebec and the Association of First Nations Chiefs of Police. The Kativik Regional Police Force, under its former chief Brian Jones, was an active member of the unit. [continues 105 words]
I am writing from Pangnirtung. I have concerns regarding our town and the growing crime wave that seems to have taken over. Not only are there a magnitude of break-ins, and smash-and-grabs. We have tires slashed on vehicles for no apparent reason and within the last month, we have had two armed robberies. I almost feel sorry for the RCMP. They seem to work hard, when they get out of the nine-to-five rut they're in, but they don't seem to get much help from the court system. [continues 487 words]
Nunavut's candidate for the Marijuana Party in the last federal election has been sentenced to six months in jail for drug-related offences. Ed deVries was sentenced in Igloolik on Sept. 25 to six months in jail and one month of probation for trafficking and laundering the proceeds of crime. Those charges date back to December 2003, when police intercepted a filing cabinet sent through the mail, filled with more than 2,000 grams of pot, and addressed to a company owned by deVries. [continues 78 words]
As the mother of a KRPF captain in Nunavik, I was distressed to read in your newspaper of the police chief's dismissal by the KRG Council. Are these "suits" completely moronic in firing a chief who has accomplished more in the stopping and stemming of drugs in the region than anyone else has achieved? I hate to think that the KRG acts of blindness to what happens to people caught in the 'trap of drug use' is actually endangering my son's life and all of his co-workers at KRPF. Shame on the KRG council for the way in which they repay those who do truly make a difference. Dorothy Hubert Victoria BC [end]
Dismissal Comes After Clashes Over Drug Enforcement Operations KUUJJUAQ - With their sirens wailing and horns honking, members of the Kativik Regional Police Force planned to parade past municipal and regional government offices in Nunavik this past Wednesday to protest the firing of Brian Jones, their chief of police. The Kativik Regional Government's regional council voted to fire Jones at a late-night meeting held Sept. 14. That's when the council heard and passed two resolutions, tagged on to their lengthy agenda: the first put an end to Jones' 14 years of service with the KRPF, and the second named the KRG's assistant general director, Luc Harvey, as the interim chief of police, effective Sept. 20. [continues 847 words]
"This Just Proves There Is A Problem" Some drug users at Nunavik's Raglan mine got a rude surprise on Aug. 31 as police swooped down on the Kattiniq site and walked off with several stashes of hash oil, steroids, marijuana, drug paraphernalia and a small quantity of cocaine. Four officers from the Kativik Regional Police Force, an officer with the Aboriginal Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit from Montreal and a dog master started searches in the afternoon at the Donaldson Airport and continued on into the evening at the mine's Kattiniq complex. [continues 802 words]
After reading the article about "Rev." Eddie deVries, I was shocked to learn that there are people in this world who are that ridiculous. It was obvious that he's a "pothead." One of the main side effects of smoking marijuana is that it affects your brain, which is clear with Ed deVries, so I'm not sure if the "Church of Universe" or "Canada's leading experts in cannabis research" taught this man about the effects of drugs, such as having difficulties in thinking and problem-solving, increases in the heart rate, anxiety, and panic, just to name a few. [continues 199 words]
To the readers, and in particular the residents of Igloolik, I feel I must write in response to the attention being given to my life recently and publicly. My apologies to Mayor Quassa and all those offended by statements reported in this paper in relation to my aquiring and then wanting to donate some carvings and artifacts. It was never my intention to bring about this much anger and oppression over an act of honesty and generosity. The "problem" existed long before my time and the methods employed to address the problem usually cause more problems! [continues 217 words]
I want to comment about the piece where Ed deVries said that in Igloolik everyone is a pothead. That is not true, there are lots of young people who I know who do not smoke pot. I am concerned that Igloolik residents will be labeled now as potheads. I am myself a heavy user. So please get that man out of Igloolik before he really screws us up. Also, there is also another man who will need to be sent out of Igloolik too, since he sells joints that are .3 grams for $30. That man [not Ed deVries] is the worst offender, since he also buys girls for drugs and money. [continues 86 words]
I read the article about our "busted politician." (Nunatsiaq News, July 28) I get the impression that Rev. Eddy is more interested in paying the tax man $10,000 a month than he is in healing the community of its troubles. On top of that, Reverend Eddy, you certainly are not living a life of poverty. You do not appear to be struggling too much, whereas your "patients" send their kids to school with empty stomachs. How can you say you want to heal communities, knowing fully that you are taking a family's income, child tax, and art work in return for a high. People sell everything they own, even their welfare purchases to be "healed" by you. [continues 149 words]
Statements made by Ed deVries in your article "Busted pot politician plans carving giveaway" has outraged Igloolikmiut (Nunatsiaq News, July 28, 2006). The person interviewed by John Thompson is not originally from Igloolik, and certainly does not speak on behalf of Igloolikmiut. Unfortunately, even though comments by Ed deVries as appearing in the article are not true and misleading, they have tarnished our community. They are also demeaning to the community and its people, while insulting Inuit who are strong and strive in pursuit of traditional culture, values and knowledge. [continues 497 words]
This letter is in reference to the article that was featured on July 28, regarding the leader of the Nunavut Marijuana Party, who lives in my hometown of Igloolik. He openly taunted community members and authorities about his very successful business as a drug dealer in the community and how he is serving the good of the community, in the sense that pot is therapeutic. He then goes on to say how he is contributing to our welfare town by buying carvings in exchange for cash or pot. [continues 815 words]
Nunavut's leader of the Marijuana Party pleaded guilty to longstanding drug-related charges in an Iqaluit court this Tuesday. Ed deVries pleaded guilty to trafficking marijuana and laundering the proceeds of crime, two charges he's faced since August 2004. The charges stem from an RCMP investigation that began in December 2003, when police intercepted a filing cabinet containing $100,000 worth of marijuana in Montreal during a Canada Post inspection. The cabinet was bound for a company owned by deVries in Iqaluit. [continues 101 words]
Property Offences Drop By Whopping 21 Per Cent Even though Nunavut's overall crime rate declined by 11 per cent in 2005, you're still wise to lock your doors and watch your back. That's because Nunavut still has the highest rate of violent crime in Canada, according to national crime numbers for 2005 released last month by Statistics Canada. The numbers show that violent crime rates in Nunavut last year were about seven times higher than Canada's national rate. [continues 363 words]
I read the article on Mr. Devries. ("Busted pot politician plans carving giveaway," July 28.) What a joke. This is one guy who's been using his product way too many times. I live in Igloolik and am not a pothead. I've used pot in the past of course but I grew up. Igloolik has such strong traditional ways and values, but you wouldn't know it on a day-to-day basis because of the "potheads" overrunning the place. [continues 376 words]
"They trade pot and money, and I get their carvings." The leader of Nunavut's Marijuana Party said last week he wants to donate a big collection of Inuit carvings to the territory. Ed deVries said he's acquired more than 600 works of art from Igloolik carvers, in exchange for cash, and pot. "A lot of them are potheads. So they come to me, they trade pot and money, and I get their carvings," he said in an interview last Thursday. [continues 826 words]
"When we get the numbers, what does that mean to us?" When Deputy Mayor Glenn Williams found out that a man was busted with crack cocaine in Iqaluit a few weeks ago, he realized that rumours of growing drug use in the community were true. "I've never heard of anyone being busted for crack until now," he said. He has also heard talk in the community of a rise in violent crime and property crime that he thinks is likely linked to drug use. [continues 561 words]
Whoever you are that is selling crack cocaine please read this letter. You are ruining my family members and countless others who were too naive to know that this drug has a powerful hold once it has a grip on you. My sibling, who is young and very pretty, is going on a downward spiral thanks to your greed and ignorance. How dare you sell drugs to kids and ruin the future leaders of Nunavut. Whoever you are, and you know who you are, either up here or in the South, you better think twice about what the drug is doing to our young people. Stop it! I hope that I will not face you, but instead that the RCMP will do the right thing and bust you now. [continues 90 words]
But It Beats Driving While Burned Out With snow melting off the roads in most communities in Nunavut and Nunavik, the season for all-terrain vehicles -- and horrific ATV accidents -- is moving into high gear. Statistics show inexperience, speed, and intoxication lead to most ATV accidents. About 90 per cent involve young people as either passengers or drivers. Alcohol and drug use also increases risks. Drinking and driving are generally considered a lot riskier than driving under the influence of pot, in terms of having an accident or being caught by the police. [continues 568 words]
Marijuana Harder To Find For Patients At Nunavik House Complaints from Nunavimmiut staying at Nunavik House in Montreal's Notre-Dame-de-Grace district have led to a dope bust at a corner store not far from the patient residence. Police learned the dingy corner store was carrying on a booming trade in snacks, beer and $10 bags of grass -- to a mainly Inuit clientele. "When you go to Paris, you go to see the Eiffel Tower; when you go to Nunavik House, you would stop by there and buy two grams [of pot] for 20 bucks," said Russell St-Germain of the Montreal Urban Police. [continues 273 words]
Overall, The Costs of Substance Abuse in Canada estimates that booze, drugs and tobacco cost Canadians about $39.8 billion in 2002. That's 40 times the amount of money the Government of Nunavut spends each year. That adds up to $1,267 per person: * tobacco cost the most, at $541 per person; * alcohol cost $463 per person; * and illegal drugs cost $262 per person. Out of the total costs to Canada: * productivity losses made up 61 per cent of costs; * direct health care costs made up 22 per cent of costs; * policing costs made up 14 per cent of costs; * and other costs made up the remaining 3 per cent. Source: The Costs of Substance Abuse in Canada 2002, Highlights. [end]
Nunavut Pays Highest Price For Policing, Health Care Related To Substance Abuse A national study of the cost of unchecked tobacco, booze and drug abuse has found that Nunavut pays the highest price per capita when substance abuse is left unchecked. The Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse found that the total cost per person of substance abuse in Nunavut is $2,184 per year. That's not just the cost of buying booze, drugs and cigarettes. In fact, that's not included in the study at all. [continues 518 words]
Upon hearing the disturbing news that the worst drug possible has made it to Nunavut, and even worse, to my home town of Pangnirtung, I felt obliged to write a letter to all those who live there, because, whether you're involved or not, you will feel the ripple effect strongly. Nunavut is too young and too strong a territory to be destroyed by the epidemic that this drug will cause. Our youth have too much going for them to be drawn into a downward spiral because they are naive about this drug. [continues 127 words]
"We shouldn't be extending ourselves. We should be focusing on the villages" The Kativik Regional Government wants the Kativik Regional Police Force to scale back its southern drug-fighting operations to cut costs. "That's the bottom line for us," said Michael Gordon, the former mayor of Kuujjuaq who is now the KRG's vice-chairman and member of the executive council. "There isn't enough money. We shouldn't be extending ourselves. We should be focusing in on the villages." [continues 767 words]
Highly Addictive, And Hard To Recover From The first time you smoke crack you will probably feel a rush to the head, a burst of energy, and a tinny vacancy in your brain, which may be refreshing. But the high in this case is barely worth it, because the next time you smoke the drug, you will already be well on your way to experiencing its negative effects. Crack is a form of cocaine, "freebased" into a crystallized rock so it can be smoked. Crack users smoke the drug by heating it on a thin piece of tin foil, in a dented pop can, or off a broken light bulb, until it "crackles" and smokes. [continues 330 words]
"The Demand Is Out There, That's For Sure" Crack, a highly addictive drug made from cocaine, is now sold at $50 for a rock about one-fifth the size of a Smartie, on the streets of Pangnirtung. A long-term resident of the community, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that cocaine is not new to the community, and neither is crack, which people have made before by freebasing coke. What is new, she said, is that crack is being brought in for sale, not just for personal use. [continues 536 words]
It's More About Survival Than Gangstas, Break Dance Veteran Tells Iqaluit Teens Stephen Leafloor is known as an elder where he comes from, but he's revered for being able to spin on his back, rather than hunt caribou and seal. Leafloor, better known as Buddha, has been a breakdancer for 29 years. At 46, he's a member of the Canadian Floor Masters from Ottawa, who spent the last week teaching kids in Iqaluit a thing or two about hip hop. [continues 746 words]
CBC Debate Limits Speaking Time For Ed De Vries The news came to Ed de Vries like a bad trip. With no travel budget, Nunavut's candidate for the Marijuana Party planned to reach the ears of voters through the airwaves during the on-air candidates forum, hosted by CBC radio. But last week he was told he could only speak for three minutes during the introduction, and three minutes at closing, if time permits. Unlike candidates for the other parties, he won't be allowed to field questions. [continues 385 words]
