Thousands of dollars worth of gift cards stolen from Cambridge Bay KIA office
Cards meant to be part of vaccination incentive program
RCMP in Cambridge Bay are investigating the theft of $10,000 worth of gift cards, which were meant for a vaccine incentive program. (File photo by Jane George)
A thief in Cambridge Bay broke into the Kitikmeot Inuit Association office and made off with over $10,000 of gift cards, Nunavut’s V Division told Nunatsiaq News.
Those gift cards, for use at local businesses, were for “vaccination incentive,” an email from Nunavut RCMP’s said.
On Nov. 12, the Kitikmeot Inuit Association announced on its Facebook page that the program, headed up by Nunavut Tunngavik Inc., is suspended until further notice.
The gift cards already handed out “will not be usable at the Co-op or anywhere else in Cambridge Bay, effective immediately,” the post said.
“Once this has been resolved, NTI will advise KIA on any further resumption of this NTI program.”
Freddy Pedersen, director of communications with the Kitikmeot Inuit Association, told Nunatsiaq News Nov. 18 that the association would not provide any other comment because the matter is under investigation by the RCMP.
Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. announced the incentive program in June. Inuit receive a gift card worth $25 for each dose of the vaccine, according to NTI.
The police investigation began in the morning of the break-in on Nov. 12, according to an email from RCMP.
In total, 413 cards worth $25 each were stolen, valued at $10,325.
Before the theft, 87 cards had been handed out.
The “matter remains under investigation, no arrests have been made,” RCMP said.
Gift cards are digital currency. They can just cancel the cards and render them useless. Oh, but wait, that means someone at KIA would’ve had to record the gift card numbers that they had already handed out, which I’m guessing never happened because, well… … …
the KIA is a bit of a free for all.
The AGM has had the same agenda for their annual meeting for the last two or three years. no updates at all from any of the resolutions.
Kitnuna Projects and Kitnuna Petroleum declared bankruptcy in November of 2019. The KIA AGM was in October and the head of Kitikmeot Corporation sat in front of the Beneficiaries at the AGM and told them that Kitnuna was having issues and please bear with them as they work through the difficult times. a couple months later they closed the doors and told everyone good luck. if you look through the bankruptcy paperwork on what was auctioned off, it was a fraction of what they owned. all of the good equipment, trucks and assets were given to other Businesses in what type of deals? heck, look at the Kitnuna Corporation website and it still states Kitnuna Companies provide services ranging from Fuel supply!
Why are the Beneficiaries of the Kitikmeot Region not given any update on the bankrupt companies?
why did Kitikmeot Corporation build a multi million dollar building right next to the Kitikmeot Inuit Association? were they tired of sharing space in the building? what was so important they had to build an entire new office building?
does Kitikmeot Corporation think because Kitnuna Petroleum is bankrupt they can just walk away from the Tank Farms in the middle of town? are they aware of the Supreme Court ruling in 2019 that bankrupt companies cannot abandon their clean up obligations?
https://esemag.com/hazmat-remediation/companies-cant-abandon-cleanup-obligations/
You should look at your own link. The article says the ruling states that the Trustee must pay for environmental remediations before other creditors. That means whatever money is in the bankrupt company goes to environmental remediations. It does not mean any other companies are responsible for the clean up of another company, parent or not.
how does the top brass of Kitkmeot Corporation still have a job? if they can bankrupt the Companies, build needless new office buildings, and no reprocussions for Kitikmeot Corporation Heads, how does our KIA President keep them on they payroll?
I would like to know that too, as to date have not heard if they fulfil the work orders given to Kitnuna. As a homeowner myself, Kitnuna was given a contract to haul barrels from a resident which never happened -this started like 5 years ago. Something is not right, time replace the KIA president, just saying.
Us in arviat still waiting for a gift card from nti were are they?
Ask your local QIA
Self-government for KIA, a branch of NTI. Because it’s all about government by Inuit for Inuit of Inuit.
Us poor inuit beneficiaries of this KIA.
We treated good in beginning but now pandemic happens. kIA totally gone from this gong show. Kia is not helping at all. Only give cheap card good for one (1) couple cans of beans (2) the smallest bag of sugar (3) not even enough for a can of coffee (4) not much at all for twenty five bucks oh yeah it also cost three bucks to use the card so you got twenty two dollars left . You can check your thermometer when you feel stress from using this card.
What a cheap bunch of people running the designated inuit organization that do not have to think about how expensive it is to just get a meal.
Get a job, nvm the gift card ,nobody gave me anything when I got my inoculation
Is this not the same administration that lost a whole whack of money few years ago and weren’t held responsible for?
Has to be an inside job-or just extremely careless. Low level employees get fired for less.
only $300,000. they don’t want to be reminded about that.
https://nunatsiaq.com/stories/article/65674computer_hackers_steal_300000_from_nunavut_resource_corp/
again, nothing happened and nothing to worry about. according to them.
Let’s face it, KIA, NRC and KC has been two steps to going under for many many years .In the hay days 10-15 years ago and more, they over extended. Companies were not performing as expected (eg NTCL), Kitnuna Group of companies) and economic downturns exacerbated the problems. They spent money on multiple junkets going to meetings and conference that didn’t deliver much of anything and kept throwing money after bad companies and investments. This is what happens when you don’t have knowledgeable people minding the store. The hacking incidents and now the loss of these gift cards is so typical of the incompetence and “whatever” attitude of employees. I guess they figure if you leave $5000 on the coffee room table unattended while you go for a smoke no one will touch it. And of course all the companies are private not public so even most of the beneficiaries will never know the real extent of the problems until everything falls apart.
Wasn’t NTCL owned by IDC not KC or KIA? NTCL was bought out by IDC from Nunasi if I recall correctly in the NorTerra transaction and has nothing to do with KC or KIA.
If you actually look at KC’s website they own some major companies that make Kitnuna look like a peanut.
Nunasi and IDC owned NTCL 50/50. Nunasi was a KC company and KC is the business arm of KIA. They are all connected.
They “did” own it. Nunasi sold its 50% portion to IDC well before the bankruptcy in the NorTerra transaction as I explained. IDC owned 100% of NTCL through its 100% ownership of NorTerra.NorTerra transaction. It left IDC in the hole not Nunasi and thus had no impact on KC or KIA.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/norterra-bankruptcy-idc-81-million-1.4642450
Mangers need to be held responsible for being so inept for not placing the gift cards in a secure place. Managers that have record of failure like this. In many locations would be dismissed with cause. Or will they be promoted to a leadership role. When Nunavut enters into self government?
Why gift cards? People have been complaining of fees on cards for years which I’m sure KIA has heard of. What’s wrong with cheques and the equal amount as the other regions?
Good for them…..Kia is not up to their game during this pandemic. QIA is doing an awesome and amazing job of taking care of their people in the east. Big koodoos to that awesome inuit designated organization ! Unlike the KIA in the central region who don’t give a holler and a hoot about its own beneficiaries ! Still this KIA received millions to allocate the funds for the coronavirus pandemic and all we got is a thermometer and a 25$ card. They can put that thermometer in you know where. For us kitikmeot inuit.
KIA is years behind the current going inside. KIA is only focusing on the development of roads to No Where with the monies that we’re for the pandemic. Inside job of the community. The next vacation will be so awesome now with ten thousand dollars extra !!!! Lucky kia guys.
A lot of false and completely unfounded comments in here. Didn’t KIA give multiple rounds of meat packs to everyone worth hundreds of dollars each?
Didn’t KIA pay elders monthly something like $300 + per month to help with COVID-19? How long did this go 9+ months?
Now KIA is giving out gift cards just to get a vaccine you should be getting without needed incentive to get..
I get there’s always going to be hatred towards any type of government body, but at least don’t blatantly lie.
The meat hamper you mean , many many people did not even receive the meat packs that were being called
“Country food packs “ by the KIA ,what country is it from? – the southern provinces of course. Unhealthy and coercion by Kia is immeasurable by “baiting “ their beneficiaries with such. It has made more poverty and put people in such a position that they want more handouts by the Kia . What organization does that to their own people and then leave everyone high and dry . That’s the KIA . We inuit in the kitikmeot need to vote a new responsible organization that put its people first. Not themselves
How did this become a story about bankruptcy and other BS. This story is about how some idiot that broke into the KIA office and STOLE gift cards. Now that is a serious crime people, wake up. These gift cards r suppose to help people a little. KIA has done a lot of good things for the Kitikmeot beneficiaries. For those of u complaining, go out and get educated and employed and properly informed. Every RIA does things differently on how they can best serve the membership.
tell that to the Beneficiaries who lost their jobs, RSP’s and benefits while the southern workers were given a golden handshake before being given their free tickets home.
You mean the same beneficiaries that received the Kc houses at well below the going rates..oh ya those poor people..
KIA elections next year. ☺️
Only way things will change is if people get out and vote.
Well said. Absolutely agree. Not everybody is working and aside from social gatherings at QuickStop for gossip many can go and vote for change. And it’s free to do to want changes is to make changes otherwise same crap on different day. I’m not saying the top of the cream is crap but the practices are. If you want change go and vote. If not proper vote turn out then the “Wah Wah! Wah! keeps squeaking where in real world the squeaky wheel gets the grease and all is in order. It’s not rocket science.
But hey, to each their own eh? “Stupid is, stupid does”, Forest. Then reapply, rinse, re-apply and repeat next year is a standard practice in NU. Beotch and whine and complain about leadership but can’t even go and vote is recipe for, “Wah, wah, wah!” again next year like this and last. And before that….and before that…all because no one votes. Touché? Or you reap what you sow?
Soon all this will be forgotten. Kia is too ignorant to their beneficiaries. Kia don’t care for anyone else. Just soon be a memory and will be remembered as when they had a great holiday with all them cards – 7/11 and Harvey’s will be happy down south this Christmas