Qikiqtarjuaq and the missing $10,000

This week, the main topic in town is a break-in earlier this month at the local co-op.  Besides things like I-pods and cigarettes, the burglars also broke into the safe and made off with $10,000. A large group of young people, (mostly under age 18) were involved. The police identified the suspects quickly and were able to recover some of the stolen items. But to date, they haven’t been able to trace the cash.

This may sound like a small-time crime to those of us living in the South, but in a place of this size, there’s a profound sense of hurt rippling throughout the community.

It seems to be magnified by the fact that so many suspects were caught, but that none of them would cough up the cash, or even say what happened to it. That’s stung a lot of people. There seems to be a sense of betrayal among many in Qikiqtarjuaq that a group of local youth would target the co-op, a business owned and operated by the community, for the benefit of the community. That the suspects still haven’t paid back the money or explained what happened to it seems to have rubbed salt in the wound.

From what I’ve been told, the suspects under 18 years old were dealt with within the community justice system rather than by the police.

Not everyone is entirely satisfied with the results.

Both the group of teenagers and their parents have been pointed out to me by locals as I’ve been walking around town. And as one Qikiqtarjuaq resident pointed out, the kids always seem to be laughing and horsing around outside. It’s the only their parents and grandparents that seem to have pained and embarrassed expressions on their faces.

Eilís Quinn, Eye on the Arctic

Eilís Quinn is an award-winning journalist and manages Radio Canada International’s Eye on the Arctic news cooperation project. Eilís has reported from the Arctic regions of all eight circumpolar countries and has produced numerous documentary and multimedia series about climate change and the issues facing Indigenous peoples in the North.

Her investigative report "Death in the Arctic: A community grieves, a father fights for change," about the murder of Robert Adams, a 19-year-old Inuk man from Arctic Quebec, received the silver medal for “Best Investigative Article or Series” at the 2019 Canadian Online Publishing Awards. The project also received an honourable mention for excellence in reporting on trauma at the 2019 Dart Awards in New York City.

Her report “The Arctic Railway: Building a future or destroying a culture?” on the impact a multi-billion euro infrastructure project would have on Indigenous communities in Arctic Europe was a finalist at the 2019 Canadian Association of Journalists award in the online investigative category.

Her multimedia project on the health challenges in the Canadian Arctic, "Bridging the Divide," was a finalist at the 2012 Webby Awards.

Her work on climate change in the Arctic has also been featured on the TV science program Découverte, as well as Le Téléjournal, the French-Language CBC’s flagship news cast.

Eilís has worked for media organizations in Canada and the United States and as a TV host for the Discovery/BBC Worldwide series "Best in China."

Do you want to report an error or a typo? Click here!

Leave a Reply

Note: By submitting your comments, you acknowledge that Radio Canada International has the right to reproduce, broadcast and publicize those comments or any part thereof in any manner whatsoever. Radio Canada International does not endorse any of the views posted. Your comments will be pre-moderated and published if they meet netiquette guidelines.
Netiquette »

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *