Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The K-9 unit was established in Hay River after the death, the murder, of Constable Chris Worden. And it was stationed there until 2018. That was the time when the RCMP undertook a review of the situation, and they determined that it was not as effective to have the police dog in Hay River. It's a territorial asset. And so if there was an incident in the Sahtu, let's say, they would have to fly to Hay River, get the dog, and then head up. There's a number of other situations as well. I can leave it at that I guess, because things -- new things have come to light. But there's other issues like the inability of the RCMP to now just do, you know, quote unquote, random searches, you might not have the legal grounds to search someone. But, you know, you used to be able to go and sniff the dog around and see if got an indication if there was any contraband, any drugs, but you can no longer do things like that. So the value of having the dog in Hay River, according to the RCMP's analysis, wasn't there relative to having it in Yellowknife where it was easier to deploy to other places in the territory. Thank you.
R.J. Simpson on Question 211-20(1): RCMP cANINE sERVICES IN THE nORTHWEST tERRITORIES
In the Legislative Assembly on May 29th, 2024. See this statement in context.
Question 211-20(1): RCMP cANINE sERVICES IN THE nORTHWEST tERRITORIES
Oral Questions
May 29th, 2024
Page 553
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