Hamlet of Baker Lake, SAO face Wildlife Act charge
Single count relates to allegation of allowing edible caribou, muskox meat to spoil
The Hamlet of Baker Lake and its senior administrative officer Sheldon Dorey are each charged under Nunavut’s Wildlife Act. (File photo)
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.”
When’s the last time an inuk got charged with such a ridiculous offense? Cause this happens all the time
This is the type of incident that is allowed to happen when civil servants write stupid rules, and think this is a crime, where does this come from, dumb, dumb,
This is 100% a personal grudge. Walk around town. There’s meat that spoils on peoples deck every single year due to leaving it out too long and people are just overly lazy to actually deal with it.
While yes its important to not waste, I am quite sure a warning or something would suffice since if you want to actually apply this rule, you best be going around town handing out fines left and right to inuk and non-inuk equally. But everyone and their dog knows that wont happen.
I hope the court sees this for what it is, a small town dispute.
No one cares enough to listen to Inuit teachings of caring for animals even while they are dead. No respect for our land and animals, these have detrimental consequences even spiritually. Hope people read this article and are more mindful of not wasting meat.
Are you sure its not most Inuk’s having animals waste away on their decks? When you pass by yards and there’s trash everywhere, do you think its likely an Inuk or out of towner? When there’s garbage spread all around cabins and blowing everywhere, do you think its an Inuk or a person from away?
I don’t think the current Inuit way matches what you think it does. The old practice what your preach might be long dead.
Aw come on, it’s just normal to have ravens and gulls string the intestines of dead animals across the road. Who are you to tell Inuit how to live? /s
The real ‘S’ did not write that comment. It was written by ‘a little s’
May the real S, please stand up please stand up please stand up