Admissions to N.W.T. jails jump by more than a third

Jail admissions in the Northwest Territories rose from 616 in 2024-25 to 901 in 2025-26, the sharpest rise since numbers began climbing in 2021, according to corrections reports. Yellowknife's North Slave Correctional Complex has been over capacity for months, holding 163 inmates in late October in a facility designed for 148. The Justice Department says the causes are complex and it is too early to link the rise to federal bail reform that took effect in July. Recorded use-of-force incidents by staff have grown from six to 30 since 2021-22, while only 71 inmates completed a rehabilitation program last year.