Hamlet of Baker Lake, SAO face Wildlife Act charge

The Hamlet of Baker Lake and its senior administrative officer Sheldon Dorey have been charged under Nunavut’s Wildlife Act.

The hamlet and Dorey are each listed in court documents as being charged with one count of allowing the edible parts of game to spoil — specifically, caribou and muskox — contrary to section 76(2) of the act.

A conservation officer alleges the incident took place on or about Nov. 4, 2024, according to the documents. The charge was filed in court on Sept. 11, 2025.

Dorey declined to comment due to the case being before the court, when he was reached at the hamlet office.

The first court appearance in this case was Nov. 25 in Baker Lake.

The next court date is set for July 21, also in Baker Lake.

Nunavut’s wildlife laws are summarized in the “general prohibitions” section of the Nunavut Hunting Regulations handbook. A new version of that document is published annually on the Government of Nunavut’s Department of Environment website.

“It is an offence to waste, destroy, abandon or allow to spoil: the meat of big game, other than bear, wolf or wolverine; and the raw pelt or hide of any fur­bearing animal, including bears,” the book states.

“The following are not considered waste if they are left behind with regards to ungulates [hooved, herbivorous animals such as muskox or caribou]: the head, the legs below the knee joint, the internal organs, the bones when stripped of meat, the parts of the carcass damaged by the harvesting method, and any part of a diseased animal that the harvester reports to a conservation officer.”