Deaths of teens aged 12 and 19 at Nunavut care home trigger multiple investigations
CBC
Multiple investigations, including one by the RCMP, are underway at the Naja Isabelle group home in Chesterfield Inlet, Nunavut, after two young residents died in hospital.
In a news release Friday morning, Margaret Nakashuk, Nunavut's minister of family services, said three people were hospitalized as a result of "critical incidents" at the care home. Two died.
Nakashuk refused an interview request, citing the investigations.
The Nunavut coroner's office confirmed a 12-year-old died on Jan. 6 in Nunavut, while the 19-year-old died on Oct. 17, 2023, outside the territory.
"The Nunavut Coroner Service is investigating this death and will also review the circumstances surrounding the death that occurred outside of Nunavut Jurisdiction," reads the coroner's statement.
A third resident was hospitalized due to the incidents, and territorial officials say they are working to move the rest of the patients out of the home.
In Friday's news release, Nakashuk said the department has hired an outside team to do a comprehensive investigation.
"I am deeply saddened by the deaths of the clients in care," she stated.
The investigators will look at how all clients have been cared for at the facility, including "a meticulous examination" of the home's practices and protocols.
Nakashuk said following an "initial investigation into critical incidents" by the department, the Nunavut government contacted the Representative for Children and Youth and hired an outside legal team to investigate the quality of care that the group home has been providing at the facility.
This is in addition to an investigation by the RCMP, she said.
Nakashuk said families connected to the incidents have been informed.
The Naja Isabelle Home cares for children and adults under the age of 40 from across Nunavut with specialized medical needs, and is operated by the Pimakslirvik Corporation, under contract with the territory's Department of Health and Social Services.
According to the Chesterfield Inlet Development Corporation's website, it is the majority owner of the Pimakslirvik Corporation.
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