QC boss hits former CEO with defamation suit

MICHAELA RODRIGUE
Nunatsiaq News

IQALUIT — Qikiqtaaluk Corp. President Jerry Ell says he will launch a defamation suit against former QC’s former chief executive officer, Pitse Pfeifer.

Ell says he will file the lawsuit in Iqaluit by early next week. He had not determined how much money he will seek in compensation for.

Ell said Pfeifer defamed him in a letter sent last month to Pauloosie Keyootak, the president of the Qikiqtani Inuit Association. The letter, Ell said, contains allegations of fraud and misappropriation of funds. Ell said the allegations are untrue.

“There’s nothing there to hide and there’s nothing inappropriate in terms of my dealings with the corporation and in dealing with Inuit money,” Ell said.

“There’s no basis whatsoever, that’s why I was totally shocked when I received a copy of the letter,” Ell said.

Pfeifer left his job as CEO of the Baffin’s birthright development corporation last month. Pfeifer and QC never said why Pfeifer departed from his job.

Ell said that, soon after his departure, Pfeifer sent the letter.

When contacted, Pfeifer said he was unaware of Ell’s plans to sue him. When asked if he wrote the letter, Pfeifer declined to comment.

Ell said QIA launched an investigation into the contents of Pfeifer’s letter. Ell believes the investigation will clear him of wrongdoing, but he decided to go ahead with a lawsuit anyway.

“It’s affecting my work and it’s affecting how different people at QIA, especially the directors, view my performance. And to let that go by, for me, is not right,” he said.

QIA President Pauloosie Keyootak declined to comment on the allegations or investigation at this time. He said QIA will make a statement by the end of the month.

Ell said he first heard of the allegations after Pfeifer left the company. He said Pfeifer’s departure had nothing to do with the allegations.

“The reason for his termination are totally separate from all of these, and I’ll say it again that’s a private and confidential matter between Pitseolak and the corporation,” Ell said.

QIA appointed Ell to QC’s board of directors. His contract states he will remain president as long as he sits on the board of directors.

His current position on the board is up for renewal in one year. If QIA doesn’t reappoint him to the board, he will lose his job as president of QC.

“Some people were saying I should keep it quiet and it will go away by itself. But being appointed to QC by QIA, I felt that if I didn’t do anything, I would jeopardize my own position in the future,” Ell said.

“I believe that this will always be with me now. The directors of QIA will always have this in the back of their minds — did he or didn’t he?,” he said.

Ell added some of the rumours have been posted on Nunanet’s political discussion forum, an Internet discussion board in Iqaluit.

Ell expects to file his statement of claim by Tuesday, Aug. 24. The statement will include how much Ell wants in damages. Pfeifer will then have an opportunity to file a statement of defence.

Ell continues to work as president of QC during the investigation. But he is only dealing with the clean-up project at Resolution Island and the project for a new office building for QC.

QC is not looking for a new CEO right now. The position will be revisited at QC’s fall meeting.