Nunavut, Canada – Officials have launched multiple investigations into the Naja Isabelle group home in Chesterfield Inlet, Nunavut, following the deaths of two young residents. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) is among the agencies looking into the incidents at the care home, where three people were hospitalized, with two fatalities reported, according to a news release by Margaret Nakashuk, Nunavut’s minister of family services given on Friday morning.
The Nunavut coroner’s office confirmed the deaths of a 12-year-old in January and a 19-year-old in October 2023. The statement by the coroner’s office mentioned that an investigation is underway and that they will also review the circumstances surrounding the death that occurred outside of Nunavut jurisdiction.
Nakashuk stated that the department has hired an outside team to conduct a comprehensive investigation and expressed deep sadness over the clients’ deaths in care. Families connected to the incidents have been informed, she added.
The Naja Isabelle Home, operated by the Pimakslirvik Corporation under contract with the territory’s Department of Family Services, cares for children and adults under the age of 40 from across Nunavut with specialized medical needs. Pimakslirvik Corporation’s CEO, Marc Ippiak, expressed surprise at the minister’s statements about the home and stated that the government had not allowed the corporation to review the investigation findings to determine the validity of the minister’s claims.
The RCMP released a statement on Friday afternoon, indicating that they are assisting with the investigation at the request of the territorial government. The department said they are conducting an outside legal team investigation concerning the quality of care provided at the facility and will examine the home’s practices and protocols.
Jane Bates, the Nunavut Representative for Children and Youth, highlighted that the Department of Family Services took approximately two months to notify her about the 19-year-old resident’s death, which happened in October, when they are obligated to report such incidents to her as soon as possible. Although she has noticed improvement in the reporting structure of critical injuries and deaths to her office, she remains saddened by the serious implications raised by the incidents at the group home.