No answers yet whether charges will stem from Nunavik police incidents
Prosecutors weighing report on May 6 civilian death; Salluit case from Nov. 4, 2024, also under review
Quebec’s police watchdog has submitted its investigation report to the province’s director of criminal and penal prosecutions into a police shooting in Kangiqsualujjuaq. A man was reportedly fatally shot in the community during a confrontation with police on May 6. (File photo by Jeff Pelletier)
This story was updated on Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025, at 12:45 p.m. ET and again on Friday, Nov. 7, 2025.
There are no answers yet about whether police will be prosecuted in any of the three violent incidents involving Nunavik residents over the past year.
Mark Annanack was shot during a confrontation with Nunavik Police Service officers on May 6, then transported to the local health centre where he was pronounced dead. The Bureau des enquêtes indépendantes launched an investigation the next day. That incident is still under investigation.
Another incident between police and the public on Nov. 4, 2024, lead to the death of Salluit resident Joshua Papigatuk and injured his twin brother Garnet Papigatuk.
Quebec’s police watching handed over its investigation report into the case on June 26.
The director of criminal and penal prosecutions is the authority responsible for deciding whether criminal charges should be filed in this incident, based on information that will be provided in the bureau’s report.
Once the review is finished, the prosecutor’s office will announce charges or issue a statement explaining why it chose not to prosecute, Johnson said in a French email Friday.
Nunatsiaq News asked the director of prosecutions how long it typically takes for a decision to be made on a case.
Patricia Johnson, the deputy spokesperson for the prosecutor, said the time it takes to review varies from one case to another.
“It is therefore difficult to give a minimum or maximum time limit for reviewing a case,” she said in the email.
The Bureau des enquêtes indépendantes is still investigating a third deadly incident from the past 12 months, in which a man in Inukjuak died July 17 after an altercation with Nunavik Police Service officers.
Correction: This story was updated to correct the status of the investigation into the death of Mark Annanack.
Nunavik Police should get abolished, they are becoming more dangerous, even now carrying a big rifles on duty.
In Kangirsuk Nunavik Police Officer entered Youth Center scaring everyone carrying a big rifle! it went viral on video on famous Facebook, we thought they are considered as Peace Officer it’s obvious they opposite considered Dangerous Police Officers, they are not even Inuit, should not even be called Nunavik Police.
How many more Inuit will get killed by so called Nunavik Police?!
A solution will only come if the problem can be agreed as coming from two sides. The public of Nunavik must address alcohol and drugs, violence and abuse, and respect thy family and neighbours. The police must get better training and get involved in community and interact positively with the population, rather than living and working as a stranger and hidden from the community under the sole objective of reacting to crime, in a warrior format. There should be town hall meetings planned so people and police can voiced out and express and share ideas about the feelings.
I just sooner avoid all contact with the cops !!
Yes, welcome to not having to interact with police, at least from a self proclaimed behaviour. Off course something could warrant s call for assistance, but an attitude of not having anything to do with police is the best attitude, and a peaceful life . Usual not bothering your neighbours does wonders.
I never had much to do with police, except a traffic stop. I never bother anyone and i dont get much bother from others. Always aware of having a nice life, stays home after a few drinks mind my own business. Thats a problem in the communities of Nunavik, ownership and entitlement to bothering family and neighbours and causing nuisances to others. I love to see one of the many thousands of healing workshops put funding and education into addressing responsibility and not bothering others. Good for those in treatment and those getting released from jails also. Do onto others as you want others to treat you.
You may not want them around, but see how long the nurses, teachers and other imported help stick around without them.
KRPF went through staffing issues almost 20 years ago now, during which, nursing stations refused to attend work or even leave, if there were no police.
NPS has tried to attract inuit. It failed because of the reality that policing your family is basically impossible.
The rate of police shootings in Nunavik is a function of 2 factors: 1) KRPF went from being 80% untrained to fully trained police officers between 2004 and 2013. 2) Nunavik is gripped by a drug and alcohol epidemic that fuels the violence that police are likely to intervene in.
Change the uniforms, change the name, move the HQ to Ottawa or Montreal, this problem will remain. Until the talking heads around Nunavik acknowledge this, it will continue.