On behalf of his community and band council, Neqotkuk Chief Ross Perley welcomed the opening of Neqotkuk Waponahkik Tpolutimok which means: A place where our law is respected. This new provincial court facility is to serve the needs of Neqotkuk First Nation members.
“This has been a long-time coming,” Perley said. “For too long Neqotkuk has lacked easy access to justice that can meet the needs of our community. Since the closure of Perth and Grand Falls courts, our community members have struggled to attend court due to barriers such as low incomes and transportation. We’re happy the province has recognized the need to accommodate for more accessible justice services for our community.”
The off-site court facility in Carlingford will sit one day a week and serve as the primary venue for court matters such as pleas and sentencing for members of Neqotkuk. Previously, community members had to travel nearly an hour away to Woodstock.
Chief Perley, council members, Elders and other community members joined with Chief Justice Maclean, Former lieutenant governor Graydon Nicholas and Social Development Minister Cindy Miles to officially open the new court facility on Thursday.
“We view this as a notable step to overcome the structural barriers that First Nations face, however there is still more work to do to overcome systematic racism in our justice system,” Chief Perley added.
“That said, we would like to thank the government of New Brunswick for making this investment and we look forward to working together on further improvements to the justice system and addressing our community’s needs in the future.”
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