Aklavik keeping young people busy, out of court system

The Northwest Territories may have some of the highest per-capital crime rates in the country, but one small community is defying the odds.

Aklavik, located in the Mackenzie Delta, has not had a single youth offender in the last two years.

Janeta Pascal, the community's justice co-ordinator, said her community's secret is keeping their young people busy.

"It's a very small community," she said. "We don't have no movie theatres or bowling alleys or anything like that. Get some funding for on the land programs, get some funding for small projects — even guitar lessons."

Pascal was in Yellowknife this week attending a workshop with other community social workers.

Youth crime has dropped so much that territorial court was cancelled in July because there has been no one on the docket, Pascal said.