Quebec police investigate Nunavik deaths

One person died in a June 3 altercation; two snowmobilers presumed drowned

Sûreté du Québec investigators are in Nunavik this week to look into deaths in two separate incidents in the Hudson coast community of Akulivik. (File photo)

By Sarah Rogers

Sûreté du Québec investigators are in Nunavik this week to look into deaths in two separate incidents in the Hudson coast community of Akulivik.

On June 3, Kativik Regional Police Force officers were called to an altercation at a home in the community of 650, where they discovered a lifeless body.

The man was declared dead at the site of the discovery, though police have yet to identify him.

The following day, June 4, police arrested a 40-year-old man in connection to the death.

The investigation has since been turned over to SQ investigators, who have yet to confirm if charges have been laid in the case, a spokesperson told Nunatsiaq News on Friday, June 7.

In an unrelated search and rescue, the SQ has also sent members of its diving and recovery team to Akulivik to look for a man and a woman—a couple—who are believed to have fallen through the ice on Hudson Bay.

The two snowmobilers were reportedly driving along the sea ice on June 5 when their vehicles went through the ice. They are both presumed drowned, the SQ said on June 7.

SQ divers are expected to arrive in the Nunavik community late Friday to begin the search.

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(10) Comments:

  1. Posted by Alcohol on

    Sad again. Not to say that alcohol was an absolute in these cases, but I bet it was. Akulivik has seen lots of violent deaths for such a small place. It’s not difficult to see how alcohol has contributed. Yet, we have leaders and other community representatives lobbying for alcohol sales in all 14 communities. They used the argument that alcohol is here to stay, and let’s cut off the bootlegging. As hard as it is to state, because many don’t comprehend: Inuit don’t handle alcohol well. A few drinks and it’s chaos. That’s not racism, that’s a fact of human reality. Some nations, like lots of Asians, don’t break down alcohol well either, and at least the asians are up front with the facts. Inuit and other people cautious around, tend to not see the problem, or afraid to admit the truth.

    • Posted by ink on

      ink

    • Posted by Unknown on

      It is sad again, but I believe that in my opinion that it is not caused by Alcohol. Though it would be nice to get rid of alcohol throughout the whole province.

      • Posted by Incredible on

        What’s? No need to get rid of alcohol from the whole province. You don’t have to go thru security to buy booze in anywhere but Nunavik. It’s called shot gun purchases. You are restricted and you are looked at as suspicious even after you purchase from the cashier, needing to show your receipt to security as you leave the store, nunavik that is. It don’t belong in nunavik. People don’t handle it well. So much misery and death. The rest of the province got its problems , but nothing like nunavik. When there’s a death or a funeral in nunavik, people pay for the sins also, no beer sales on those sinful days. Shot gun sales, ban it from nunavik, and give the people back a life. Not alcohol related, come on.

        • Posted by Destruction on

          I visited all communities of Nunavik in recent times. What’s really noticeable is the number of cars and trucks that are just lying around houses and the roads, in very severe damaged states. Beyond repair. And worst, the number of cars and trucks going around, being driven, with major parts missing from accidents. It’s more noticeable in some communities than others. It looks like a war zone in some cases. Many of those severe beat up cars and trucks are from intoxication. It’s not uncommon to see vehicles way off the road, like hundreds of feet in a ditch. If anyone needs a picture of what alcohol manifests, just make a visit, oh, don’t forget the cemetery, that’s where most severe damaged lies.

  2. Posted by Inuk on

    Don’t pointing alcohol …it starts from residential school inuit are never healed… We have to point gouvernment!

    • Posted by INUK on

      OH PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  3. Posted by can’t handle booze on

    Where does all the alcohol come from?? We hear that Akulivik has the most alcohol coming in. Who are the bootleggers? Can’t the village somehow control it a little bit? If there was no alcohol, how many less deaths would there be?

  4. Posted by Qaujimajuq on

    Alcohol- it all depends on how you drink me. You drink too much you won’t like it. You drink just enough you like me. Please drink responsible . Have fun. Have some commonsense, no anger. There is a lot of ways to look at preventing this but if you have some common sense first before you open up the bottle to take a straight sip. MIX IT . EAT SOMETHING. HAVE FUN. HAVE MEMORIES . Maybe need to create alcohol school. 😎

  5. Posted by Poor me the victim on

    There are many people living in Nunavik who are enjoying life with having alcohol, most are not locals, but people who grew up enjoying alcohol in a sensible way. Yes there are ways to have alcohol and have a full enjoyment in life. But it’s cultural learnt over years. That being said, many wonderful parties gone on without the local misery. Now, as far as residential school makes one or another continued a pathway of misery , abuse, and crime, that’s another thing. I think this residential school blame all, is keeping people in a sickness state. Inuit have been put thru residential school with terrible outcomes, but as worst, someone kept telling Inuit that they have a right not go forward and heal, because of residential school. That’s a real problem. Residential school will only really get the best of Inuit , if Inuit allows that to happen. Please Inuit, own the problems and get better.

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