Nunavut judge tired of leaky, drafty courtrooms

A senior judge inNunavut says there should be a limit to what court staff and the public mustendure whencourt is held in small communities.

Judge Robert Kilpatricksays he's not asking for luxuries. Hesayscourtrooms should be warmer than 16 C, have running water and toilets, telephone service and working fire alarms.

The complaints do not apply to Iqaluit,but instead to smaller communities which do not have courtrooms.

When the territorialjustice system travels across Nunavut, courtis often held in community halls, hotels and school gymnasiums.

The Nunavut Court of Justice has announced it will begin to inspect these facilitiesstarting in 2014and might cancel court circuits if they don't meet a minimum standard.

Andre Larabie, the senior administrative officer in Sanikiluaq, says he doesnt expect the communitys facilities will change.

"We cannot comply with the deadline they're giving us. Our building will not be made available for the court," he said.

While Nunavuts court pays $300 a day to use the hall, Larabie says that is not enough to deal with the ongoing issues.

"Our facility is old, bathrooms are a serious problem here with freezing up every winter. We don't have it in this year's budget whatsoever," he said.

Kilpatrick says the directives are a measure to keep court staff and the public safe.