Less than two weeks after it opened, Inuvik’s new welcome centre has been vandalized.
CBC has reported there were broken tables and chairs, trash and liquid thrown on the building, among other worse defacements of the property. Now the damage has grown to broken windows, and stealing money and electronics.
Now police are asking for the public’s help in finding the perpetrators of the theft.
RCMP says it happened Wednesday morning between midnight and 8 a.m.
Anyone with information can contact Inuvik RCMP at 777-1111, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
Recent opening
The building officially opened its door on June 18. The space has a multi-coloured building a with offices for economic development and tourism staff, as well as a wooden boardwalk to host the summer outdoor market in the community.
There’s also a small meeting room inside dedicated to Kristine McLeod, the Gwich’in deputy Grand Chief, that passed away suddenly last year.
In announcing the opening, the Town of Inuvik said McLeod spoke exactly a year earlier, on June 18, 2021, of “the importance of working together for the betterment of Gwich’in and all people. She spoke fondly of memories attending special events, festivals, and cultural celebrations in Chief Jim Koe Park and the significance they have for a healthy & vibrant community.
It is with those same ideals that the Inuvik Welcome Centre will continue to grow and evolve to serve the people of Inuvik and the visitors to our Arctic community.”
