Four Toonoonik employees charged with robbery

SEAN McKIBBON

IQALUIT — Four employees of Toonoonik Hotel have been charged with theft after a safe with $15,000 in cash and cheques was stolen from the hotel last weekend.

On Jan. 9, 2000, Iqaluit RCMP received a complaint that a safe had been stolen from the Toonoonik hotel during the night.

Detachment members began interviewing possible witnesses and several suspects were soon identified, an RCMP press release says.

Police found the safe near the bridge in Apex. Most of the cash and cheques were recovered, but police say that anyone who finds any cheques in the Iqaluit or Apex area should contact them at 979-5211, or bring the money to the detachment.

The Toonoonik Hotel, which is owned by the Pond Inlet co-operative, was closed Monday and Tuesday because of the theft, said the hotel’s acting manager, Mark McDowell.

“There had been some reported problems with the hotel and I was brought in to lay people off and clean up the problem,” he said.

The Toonoonik Hotel’s former general manager, Greg McDonald, is no longer working at the hotel, McDowell said, having resigned Jan. 6 He also said there had been a number of other dismissals of staff.

“The investigation is continuing and more charges may result,” the RCMP press release says.

The RCMP charged Iqaluit residents Nelson Tardif, 29, Marc Dion, 29, and 35-year-old Marc Thompson with theft over $5,000. Danny Menard, 23, from Lennoxville, Quebec, was also charged with theft over $5,000.

Menard left Iqaluit shortly after the incident and was later arrested by RCMP members in Quebec. Some of the cash was recovered at the same time.

McDowell said there were no damages inflicted on the hotel during the theft.

By coincidence the hotel was having furnace trouble, and workers are busy fixing that problem too, he said.

“When it rains it pours,” he said.