Man in western Nunavut town faces child porn charges

Multiple RCMP units spent three months investigating a complaint of possible sharing of illegal images over the internet. The investigation led to charges against a Cambridge Bay man for possession of child pornography. (FILE PHOTO)

(Updated, June 6, 6 a.m.)

A man in Cambridge Bay faces a charge of possessing child pornography after a three-month investigation that involved two Nunavut RCMP detachments and three specialized RCMP units.

In a June 9 RCMP news release, police said they received a complaint this past March regarding “intimate images being shared on the internet.”

Coordinated efforts between the Cambridge Bay and Grise Fiord RCMP detachments, as well as V Division Federal Operations Section, E Division ICE (Internet Child Exploitation) Unit and O Division Technological Crime Unit resulted in two search warrants executed at two locations in Cambridge Bay, according to the release.

An adult man was arrested in Cambridge Bay and charged with possessing child pornography. He appeared in Nunavut court June 8 for a bail hearing. He was released with conditions that prohibit him from using the internet and from having access to people under age 16.

His next court appearance, according to police, will take place Sept. 18 in Cambridge Bay.

Sources in the community of roughly 1,700 say the man is originally from Grise Fiord, in Nunavut’s High Arctic.

“It is not only the responsibility of the police but also the members of the community to protect and educate our youth as child pornography is a form of child exploitation,” said Const. Danielle Pollock of the V Division Federal Operations Section.

“Once an image is on the internet, it is irretrievable and can continue to circulate forever. Unfortunately, emerging trends reveal an increase in the number of this type of images being shared due to enhanced internet usage.”

The RCMP encourages everyone “to be a voice for children who are, or who may be, victims of sexual exploitation.”

You can report suspected offences to your local police detachment or by using Canada’s national tip line for reporting suspected online sexual exploitation of children here.