Incident Involving Mayor Bell at Local Grocery Store

Statement from Council
Incident Involving Mayor Bell at Local Grocery Store
April 29, 2022 – Iqaluit, Nunavut

On Friday, April 22, 2022, Mayor Bell was involved in an incident at a local grocery store. Immediately proceeding the incident, the Mayor recounted the event on to the public on his personal social media channels. The Mayor shared that he was physically assaulted and reacted in defense of wellbeing.

Statement from Mayor Bell

“I regret the situation that occurred last week. I reacted to the threat of danger, when an unknown man verbally and physically accosted me, in an enclosed space, at a local grocery store. Through this experience, I have learned the extent to which other residents have experiences similar interactions. We will continue to work with partners to create safer spaces in our community, to hopefully avoid incidents of this sort in the future.”

Statement from Deputy Mayor Solomon Awa

“With the recent scuffle incident of Mayor Bell, City Council is looked to as leaders of the community. We all have the right to feel safe within our community. Upon review, the City Council Code of Conduct was not breached in this incident, however the Iqaluit City Council does not condone violence of any form.”

The City is decidedly committed to ensuring the safety of Iqalummiut and works hard to create safe spaces. To this effect, the City has undertaken a significant amount of work to increase public safety measures. This work includes, but is not limited to:

 

• The revamping of the City of Iqaluit Public Safety Committee.

• The initiation of a community public safety plan.

• Monthly reporting from the RCMP to City Council.

• The Mayors calling for accountability from the RCMP.

• Working with taxi industry and drivers to address their safety concerns.

• Investment in youth programs.

• Working with partners to curb public drinking - including installation of signage

• Working with partners on mental health issues

• Meeting with residents of lower base area to address their safety concerns.

If you see an assault taken place, the City of Iqaluit encourages residents to immediately alert authorities. The RCMP direct line is 867-979-1111.

Media contact:

Aleksey Cameron
Communications and Customer Service Manager City of Iqaluit
867-979-5607 | a.cameron@iqaluit.ca