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.

The hamlet will be holding a town hall meeting on Monday evening to address community members' concerns.