2 men charged with neglecting human remains after Inuk woman's body found in Montreal
CBC
Two men are facing charges related to improper handling of human remains after the body of an Inuk woman from Nunavik was found in their Montreal home.
The deceased woman, Alasie Tukkiapik — aged 41 and originally from Kangiqsujuaq, Nunavik — had been last seen in Montreal in March. In September, police found her body in the Montreal home.
The Quebec coroner's office said its investigation into Tukkuapik's death is ongoing and said it doesn't know when the coroner will release a report.
On Sept. 19, Nicodemo Sansalone was charged, and on Oct. 20, Francesco Sansalone was charged.
The charges against Francesco say that between March 1 and Sept. 18, he neglected and/or improperly or indecently interfered with a dead human body. The charge against Nicodemo specifies the alleged crime was "on or about" Sept. 18.
A Montreal organization is calling for more investigation into Tukkiapik's death.
Laura Aguiar works with the Native Women's Shelter of Montreal and is the project coordinator of Iskweu, an initiative to support family and friends of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls.
She says police found the body after Iskweu, with support from the family, pressed them to search the apartment and said that more needs to be done to investigate Tukkiapik's death.
"The way that we get justice and answers about these situations is by being very loud, by being vocal, by continuing to keep the pressure on people, on police, on institutions and individual people in power to try and hold them accountable to do their jobs and to find justice," Aguiar said.
She said that Tukkuapik's sister came to Montreal begging for the police to do more.
"We are ready to fight for Alasie, to make sure that she gets proper answers and justice about her death."
The Montreal police told CBC that they have finished their investigation and that the case is now with the public prosecution service. They did not comment on how Tukkuapik died.
The accused are scheduled to appear in Quebec provincial court on Jan. 24. They have not yet entered pleas.
Aguiar says she didn't have the opportunity to meet Tukkiapik herself but that she was a friend to a lot of people and "a really gentle person."
Ottawa is staring down a court-ordered deadline to submit a new plan to reform the on-reserve child welfare system, as a group of First Nations leaders and children’s advocates prepare a competing proposal.
An underpass revitalization project that was meant to pay tribute to the people of Parkdale has instead deteriorated into “a garbage dump,” according to nearby residents.
A young man has been charged with criminal negligence causing bodily harm after a fire at a frat party near Western University that injured five sorority sisters, including two seriously, late Tuesday night.
The massive deal to combine one of Hollywood's oldest studios with a streaming giant hasn't even been approved yet, but it's already riling multiple related industries and politicians concerned about monopolies and media concentration.
Mi'kmaq chiefs and a former Nova Scotia justice minister are criticizing the provincial government for directing police to crack down on illegal cannabis, saying the order undermines relations with Indigenous Peoples.
For years, there has been “glaring inequity” in the way the province has allocated the millions of dollars in its county roads budget, according to Department of Transportation Minister Chuck Chiasson.
Six months after passing a law aimed at making it easier for new grocery stores to open, Manitoba's premier says lower grocery bills could be on the horizon.
Timothy Smith was acting in self-defence when he punched Landon Waddell, and shouldn't be found guilty of manslaughter, his lawyer says.
Thoroughbred horse racing at Vancouver’s Hastings Racecourse is ending after more than a century, with the operator announcing Friday it will no longer run a racing season at the historic facility.
A memorial to remember lives lost to gender-based violence was held in Charlottetown Friday, ahead of the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women, which is marked annually on Dec. 6.
A Calgary dentist who defrauded five insurance companies over a decade should spend up to three years in prison, the prosecution argued Friday.
B.C. Conservation Officer Service says it has called off its search for a bear responsible for an attack on a group of school children in Bella Coola, B.C. on Nov. 20.
The union president called it a rally for solidarity as Iqaluit Housing Authority employees gathered Friday while negotiations are ongoing between the Nunavut Employees Union and the employer.