Search continues for Gjoa Haven elder

Ground searchers and a Canadian Coast Guard helicopter continue to look for a Gjoa Haven elder who has been missing for five days.

David Siksik went out on the land for a day trip on Oct. 21 and did not return home, Gjoa Haven MLA David Porter wrote in an email to Nunatsiaq News.

He was reported missing at 7 p.m. that evening, according to a hamlet Facebook post.

A Canadian Coast Guard helicopter is searching an area about 45 kilometres northwest of Gjoa Haven, said David Lavallee, a civilian public affairs officer with the Royal Canadian Air Force, in an email Monday.

Nunavut Emergency Management initially led the search but asked the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in Trenton, Ont., for aerial support on the weekend, Lavallee said.

On Saturday, a CC-130J Hercules tactical airlifter flew in from a Canadian Forces Base in Trenton and searched for Siksik until nightfall before returning, he said.

On Sunday, the helicopter continued to look for Siksik, as did fifteen ground searchers, in groups of twos and threes, according to a hamlet Facebook post.

The search has been complicated by difficult weather and deep snow, the hamlet said.

“Our brave volunteers have continued searching despite challenging weather conditions, including a blizzard that forced some to shelter on the land until it passed before continuing their search,” Gjoa Haven mayor Raymond Quqshuun said in an email Monday.

Community members have also volunteered to operate the local radio station and donated food, he added.

Nunatsiaq News did not hear back from Nunavut Emergency Management by publication time.