Iqaluit arson suspect to appear in court today

An Iqaluit teen is scheduled to appear in court today, Nov. 13, on a charge related to last week’s major fire at Northmart’s warehouse. (PHOTO BY SARAH ROGERS)

An Iqaluit teen is scheduled to appear in court today on a charge related to last week’s major fire at Northmart’s warehouse.

The teen is facing one charge of arson with disregard for life in connection to the early Nov. 8 fire at Northmart and five other fires that were started around the community that same night.

Originally, Iqaluit RCMP took two youth into custody, but one was released.

The other remains in custody, the RCMP said on Tuesday, Nov. 13.

Under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, accused persons between the ages of 12 and 17 may not be identified in news stories.

Iqaluit police and firefighters responded to the first of six fires Nov. 7 about 10 p.m.

Over the next few hours, authorities would respond to four vehicle fires, one fire set at a vacant home and another in the loading dock of Northmart’s warehouse.

No one was injured in those fires.

When firefighters arrived at the Northmart store just after 1:30 a.m. on Nov. 8, they evacuated a group of night staff working to stock shelves.

The fire burned through the night and had destroyed the warehouse by mid-day on Thursday. While the adjacent store remained intact, the building sustained serious smoke and water damage, while most of its stock was heavily contaminated.

Nunavut communities lose important infrastructure every year due to both accidental and intentionally set fires.

The Office of the Fire Marshal’s 2016 annual report noted more than 100 fires across Nunavut, 18 of which were considered suspicious, which amounted to about $2.9 million in losses that year.

The charge against the young suspect is an indictable offence under the Criminal Code of Canada, laid against anyone who “intentionally or recklessly causes damage by fire or explosion to property.” The criminal code says those guilty are “liable to imprisonment for life” but that applies to adult offenders.

Young offenders are usually sentenced differently than adults, with more emphasis place on reintegrating the offender within the community. However, it is possible for Crown prosecutors to request that a young offender be sentenced as an adult.

The Iqaluit RCMP said the investigation into the Nov. 8 fires continues.