Latest news with #CambridgeBay
CBC
4 days ago
- CBC
Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, taking measures to address concerns over drugs, community safety
An RCMP drug-detecting dog and a local alert ready system are some of the ideas that will be implemented in Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, in response to growing concern about drugs and community safety in the hamlet. The hamlet held a town hall meeting earlier this week to talk about the issue. It lasted over three hours with almost 100 people in attendance, including Mayor Wayne Gregory, MLA and Nunavut's Minister of Justice Pamela Gross, and the acting commanding officer for the RCMP in Nunavut, Kent Pike. The meeting happened in the wake of a violent, drug-related assault that led to the medical evacuation of two men in Cambridge Bay last week. Four people were charged in connection with that incident. While the assault was not the focal point of conversation during the town hall, Pike said that it was the "tipping point" that pushed the meeting into motion. RCMP confirmed that the hamlet has recently seen both a rise in people reporting drug activity to the police and an increase in drug-related arrests. Gross said that there has been "a lot of distress, feelings of being unsafe, and people afraid in the community." "There are hard drugs in the community," Gross said. "It's affecting us negatively and we want tactful solutions to help solve the issue." During the town hall, potential solutions to solve the drug issue were discussed at length. Gross said community members offered insight into how to make the hamlet feel safe once again. One solution was to bring in an RCMP drug detection dog into the community, said Gross. The police dog will not be permanently stationed in the hamlet but will be brought in periodically to be used for "proactive work and deterrence," according to Pike. Currently, Nunavut does not have a police dog specifically dedicated to the territory. The hamlet will also implement an alert ready system, to send short notifications to residents' mobile devices if a police operation is taking place or if the hamlet is in lockdown. A system notification test will be conducted this Friday afternoon, said Gross. Issues in the hamlet will also be addressed by a local inter-agency team, which includes the Kitikmeot Inuit Association (KIA) and RCMP. The team will "be tasked with developing and implementing some of the measures that are needed to protect Cambridge Bay," said KIA in a Facebook post after the town hall. KIA says it's committed to finding solutions to "not only protect Cambridge Bay from the damage and fear caused by the free flow of narcotics and criminals into this community, but also develop measures that will protect all Kitikmeot communities." This week's town hall was an important step in addressing community safety, said Pike.
CBC
4 days ago
- CBC
Cambridge Bay RCMP charge 4 men in connection with violent assault
RCMP in Cambridge Bay have charged four men in connection with a serious assault in the Nunavut community. RCMP said two men were assaulted with weapons early Tuesday morning by two other individuals who they knew. Police said both men were seriously injured and flown out of the territory to receive further medical treatment. On Friday, RCMP said in a news release they had charged three men, ranging in age from 18 to 22, with aggravated assault, forcible confinement, robbery with a firearm and drug trafficking, among other charges. None of the men facing these charges are from the territory. One is from British Columbia and the other two are from Alberta. A fourth man, a 19-year-old from Cambridge Bay, was charged with assault. These charges come as people in Cambridge Bay are calling for more action against drug dealers and drug-related violence in the community. 'These drugs are very, very scary' A woman, who said her son was one of the two victims of the alleged assault, wrote on Facebook on Tuesday that her son had been badly beaten, and provided graphic details. CBC is not naming the mother to protect the identity of the victim. The woman told CBC in an interview that since April, she has seen an increase in issues related to drugs in the community. She's become "very, very scared," and has noticed that people in the community are "scared to go out." She said community members have even been locking their doors, something they didn't used to do. "This never ever happens in Cambridge Bay," she said. "These drugs are very, very scary to take and it ruins your life and family." George Henrie, a Nunavut RCMP spokesperson, said there has been a rise in people reporting drug-related crimes and an increase in the number of drug-related arrests in Cambridge Bay. He said that people in the community have been "forthcoming" with information, which has allowed the RCMP to help deal with these types of crimes. Drug activity comes into the hamlet in waves, said Wayne Gregory, the hamlet's mayor, and a lot of it comes from outside of the community. "What we've been finding is that there's been an influx of people that are not from the community that have been bringing in different things," he said. "We would definitely like to send the message out that we do not need this in our community. We don't need this in the territory." The rise of drugs in Cambridge Bay has also been registered by the hamlet's MLA, Pamela Gross. She said that many community members have reached out to her in light of the recent assault to voice their own concerns. People are calling for increased security measures, particularly at the Yellowknife airport, including drug-sniffing dogs, to stop the movement of drugs into the community, she said. Community members also suggested holding meetings that would bring parents and youth together. Gross said she understands that there "is a lot of worry and frustration" in the community, and that she has been working with the Nunavut Department of Justice and the RCMP since the recent assault.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
Two Edmonton men charged in brutal Cambridge Bay assault
In Edmonton, surgeons operated on Wednesday to put pins into 28-year-old Nathan Angulalik's broken hands. Four men — including two from Edmonton — have been charged in connection with an assault on Angulalik and another Cambridge Bay resident in Nunavut on July 8. Around 4 a.m. on July 8, Cambridge Bay RCMP responded to a report that two men had been assaulted and taken for medical treatment. 'Preliminary investigation indicated that two male suspects, known to the victims, assaulted them with a weapon in a residence on Tuktu Street. Both victims sustained serious injuries and were flown south for further treatment,' said Sgt. George Henrie of the RCMP. Waterboarding and severe beating According to Nathan Angulalik's sister, Natasha Angulalik, the two Cambridge Bay residents were confined and beaten with tools and tortured with what sounded like waterboarding. 'Him and (the other victim) got tied up to a chair,' she told Postmedia. 'They covered their faces with a towel and started pouring boiling water on them,' she said. 'They hit them with shovels and hammers all over their body.' The Cambridge Bay woman said her brother had hobbled to their cousin's home two doors down, and her cousin messaged that her brother had been beaten and an ambulance brought him to the health centre. 'I was really scared and worried that he would die,' she said. Their dad made the journey to Edmonton to be with the former city worker as doctors worked to care for his wounds, she said. 'It was really hard for Nathan to breathe, because he had a punctured lung,' she said. A laceration on his head was from being hit with a shovel, she said. Natasha Angulalik said the suspects were known to the victims as drug dealers pushing crack cocaine. With 1,760 residents, Cambridge Bay is the largest of two hamlets on Victoria Island. Drug dealing seems to have gotten worse there since the beginning of the year, Angulalik said. On July 10, the four suspects were identified at the airport where they were waiting for a flight out of town. They were recognized by locals, who called the police. They were taken into custody by Cambridge Bay RCMP with the assistance of the Iqaluit detachment's general investigative section, said an RCMP news release. Angulalik said her family is grateful her brother is healing, and happy that he didn't die. She's hoping for more prevention of drug-related crime in the small Arctic community. 'I think they should be making sure, like at the airport, they have things that could detect drugs and handguns before they come to Cambridge Bay,' she said. 'This is our hometown.' Packed town hall At a town hall meeting this week, more than 90 community members in attendance shared their concerns with Mayor Wayne Gregory, MLA and Justice Minister Pam Gross and Acting RCMP Supt. Kent Pike and other RCMP representatives, according to the Kitikmeot Inuit Association. 'The KIA appreciates the openness of these officials and urges them to act upon what was shared with them quickly and efficiently to avoid a repeat of similar events and the fear they caused. The KIA is a working member of the Cambridge Bay inter-agency team that will be tasked with developing and implementing some of the measures that are needed to protect Cambridge Bay,' the KIA posted. 'The KIA is committed to working towards solutions as part of this team that not only protect Cambridge Bay from the damage and fear caused by the free flow of narcotics and criminals into this community, but to also develop measures that will protect all Kitikmeot communities. 'Fear and criminal activity have no place in Cambridge Bay and/or the Kitikmeot.' Points arising from the town hall event included a community ready alert test for important safety updates, bringing in an RCMP drug detection dog, working with territorial and federal partners, including the Northwest Territories and federal ministers, to improve security for mail and travellers through Yellowknife. A second community meeting is expected to be held soon. Charges laid Police have charged Ly Gabriel Galido, 22, and Ayaan Kamran Warsi, 18, both of Edmonton, and Hadi Alhashesh, 19, of Chilliwack, B.C. Their charges included two counts of aggravated assault, possession of a firearm without a licence, two counts of forcible confinement, two counts of pointing a firearm, trafficking a controlled substance, possession of property obtained by crime, robbery with a firearm. Police have also charged Joshua MacPherson, 19, of Cambridge Bay with two counts of assault in relation to the July 8 incident. Alhashesh, Galido and Warsi were remanded into custody with their next court appearance scheduled for July 29 in Iqaluit. Galido has recently faced other charges in the North. According to multiple media reports, after RCMP surrounded a Hay River home on Feb. 18 on reports of alleged forcible confinement, Galido was remanded to RCMP custody for firearms charges, including possession of a firearm while knowing possession is unauthorized, possession of weapon for dangerous purpose, and unsafe storage of a firearm. MacPherson was released from custody after the Cambridge Bay arrest, and his next court appearance is scheduled for Sept. 8 in Cambridge Bay. The RCMP said the investigation is ongoing, and police encourage anyone who may have information that can help with the investigation to contact Cambridge Bay RCMP at 867-983-0123. Persons with information who would like to remain anonymous can contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477). jcarmichael@ Related 'Careless and reckless act': Police deem Edmonton playground fire as arson Man with history of attacking Edmonton transit users given 7 years for random killing at LRT station You can also support our journalism by becoming a digital subscriber. Subscribers gain unlimited access to The Edmonton Journal, Edmonton Sun, National Post and 13 other Canadian news sites. The Edmonton Journal | The Edmonton Sun
