Iqaluit low-barrier shelter targeted in alleged arson attempt

Iqaluit’s Uquutaq Society plans to add more security cameras after its low-barrier shelter was targeted in an alleged arson attempt, says executive director Laurel McCorriston.

She said the building was not damaged in the incident that occurred Aug. 4 around midnight and was caught on security camera.

There were some black spots where a fire was briefly lit, a smell of smoke and fuel for a few days afterward, and the shelter was temporarily unable to open at full capacity.

“Nobody was injured and the staff reacted quickly, and the RCMP and the fire department came quickly,” McCorriston told Nunatsiaq News.

“We were without a couple of beds for a couple of days, but I believe we’re back up to service now.”

Nunavut RCMP announced Friday that a 25-year-old man was charged with one count of arson, two counts of mischief and one count of failing to comply with a court undertaking. He is scheduled to appear in court Aug. 13.

McCorriston said she believes there was some sort of “personal issue” between the suspect and someone who was staying at the shelter that night.

The shelter, which operates overnight from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m., accommodates up to 12 men and five women who need a place to stay, even if they are intoxicated.

“That individual has been apprehended, I don’t think there’s any threat,” McCorriston said.

She said more people in Iqaluit are coming to the low-barrier shelter lately.

She listed possible reasons for that, including people being kicked out of their house or turned away from the other shelters in town, or they are simply looking for a quiet place to stay.

Uquutaq is working on building a new 44-bed low-barrier shelter to meet the growing demand.

“The shelter manager told me when I was there that we are turning away 10 to 15 people a night now,” McCorriston said.

“It used to be 50 people a month.”

August has kept Iqaluit’s fire department and RCMP officers busy responding to fire calls.

An Aug. 1 fire severely damaged two derelict vehicles in Tundra Ridge. Six days later, another fire damaged two derelict vans in a parking lot west of the city’s core area. Those fires remain under investigation.

“Investigators believe [the suspect in the shelter fire] is not involved in the recent vehicle fires reported earlier this month,” the RCMP said in an Aug. 9 news release.