Latest news with #Kangiqsualujjuaq
CTV News
09-05-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
Kativik Regional Government demands police watchdog reform after Inuk man killed by police
As the Kangiqsualujjuaq community is mourning the death of Mark Annanack in a police intervention Monday night, the Kativik Regional Government (KRG) is demanding Quebec's police watchdog be reformed. Quebec's police watchdog (BEI) is investigating the incident after Annanack was pepper-sprayed, tasered and shot by police officers before being pronounced dead in hospital. Protesters gathered by the Nunavik Police Service (NPS) station in Kangiqsualujjuaq, a remote Inuit village in northern Quebec, to demand justice Friday afternoon. Signs were made by community members saying, 'don't shoot' and 'disarm NPS' for the protest. Posts on social media about the man paint the portrait of a former first responder who struggled with addiction and depression. Annanack is the second person to die in NPS interventions in six months. In November, Joshua Papigatuk was shot and killed in a police intervention in Salluit, Que., prompting a wave of protests in Nunavik. At the time, the KRG and NPS said they were working on police reforms to rebuild trust like having more officers from the community and various training, but that banning officers from carrying guns was out of the question. The NPS said on Thursday that its officers were wearing body cameras and the footage was turned over to the BEI. Many in the community want that footage released to the public as well. The KRG said Friday changes are needed in the BEI's investigation process and is demanding the watchdog 'drastically improve [its] transparency and responsiveness of Nunavik investigations.' It specifically wants BEI investigators to hold public meetings with impacted communities to review investigation results, publish investigation findings in Inuktitut, and produce complete final reports within six months. 'The fatal shooting of one of our community members is a deep wound for the family and the community. We mourn the loss of this young man,' said KRG Chairperson Hilda Snowball in a news release. 'Two fatal shootings of our Nunavimmiut brothers in six months is two too many. We need answers soon to how these tragedies occur,' added vice chairperson Mary Arngaq. Meanwhile, Makivvik, the political organization representing Inuit in Quebec said policing in the far north is 'broken.' 'This latest tragedy is not isolated: it reflects a systemic failure in the way policing is delivered in Nunavik,' said Makivvik president Pita Aatami in a news release. 'Despite repeated warnings, commitments, and investigations, police interventions continue to fail our communities. We condemn this fatality, and we demand immediate and measurable accountability.' Makivvik stressed that the BEI investigation shouldn't delay other accountability actions and restructuring efforts. 'We cannot wait for another report while more lives are put at risk,' it said. Makivvik has been working with the KRG since Papigatuk's death to reform police practices and improve accountability.
CBC
07-05-2025
- CBC
One person dead after police shooting in Kangiqsualujjuaq, Que.
One person is dead after a fatal police shooting in the Nunavik community of Kangiqsualujjuaq. Quebec's police watchdog, the bureau des enquêtes indépendantes (BEI), is investigating the incident. In a news release Wednesday morning, the BEI shared its preliminary findings. Around 10:30 p.m. Tuesday night, Nunavik police officers found a wanted person inside a tent and officers used pepper spray to force the person out. That person came out with a bladed weapon and police used a taser to subdue them. A police officer then opened fire, according to the BEI's statement. BEI writes that the individual was taken to a health centre, where they were pronounced dead. Five investigators are heading to the community and are expected to arrive Wednesday afternoon. BEI has body camera footage from the incident. Spokesperson Jérémie Comtois said the agency would analyze that footage for its final report which, once complete, will be submitted to Quebec's director of Criminal and Penal Prosecutions (DPCP). Given the sensitivity of these reports, Comtois said the BEI would not be disclosing anything further from the investigation to the public. "It is possible, subject to the prosecutor's agreement, that certain elements of the investigation will be available for consultation only to the relatives at the end of the process," he said. "Our investigations take on average approximately six months before we send our report to DPCP who will determine whether to bring charges against the police officers involved." The Nunavik Police Service (NPS) declined to comment. a man was killed during an altercation with NPS in the village of Salluit. Later that month, Nunavik's police chief pledged to implement every recommendation from the investigation into that shooting once those investigators' final reports are presented.
