Attachie Ashoona’s then-girlfriend says she feared he might try to hurt himself on the day he was shot and killed by police four years ago.

Ashoona, 38, died Feb. 26, 2020, when he was shot inside a Kinngait home by an RCMP officer after reports that a domestic assault was occurring there.

An inquest looking into circumstances surrounding his death heard testimony Wednesday from his then-partner Naviaqsi Qavaau, who had been attacked by Ashoona on the day he was shot.

Qavaau said that on that morning, she and Ashoona were at his mother’s house. The pair had been a couple on and off for about four years, she said, and sometimes had physical altercations where police had to get involved.

At some point before lunchtime, they went to the house of Ashoona’s father where the pair drank some alcohol. Ashoona’s father Goo Kingwatsiak was there, as was Ashoona’s sister.

During the day, Ashoona drank vodka from three mickeys, or 375-ml bottles, Qavaau said.

At some point, the two got into a fight and Ashoona began dragging Qavaau by her hair. She yelled for help and cried, she said, adding she tried to leave through the front door but Ashoona pulled her back inside the home.

When Kingwatsiak pinned Ashoona against a wall, Qavaau was able to flee.

She left so quickly she didn’t put on her boots and was outside in her socks, she told the inquest.

Qavaau went to Ashoona’s mother’s house. When she learned there were police vehicles outside Kingwatsiak’s house, she returned.

She said she was worried Ashoona would hurt himself or that he would die by suicide.

Earlier this week, the inquest heard that at least two phone calls were made to police reporting the assault on Qavaau, one of which was made by Ashoona’s sister.

On Tuesday, Cpl. Jaime Methven, one of two RCMP officers who had gone to the home in response to the calls, told the inquest she fired two gunshots at Ashoona inside the house after he moved toward her holding a knife while saying, “Just shoot me, I’m going to kill you.”

After the shooting, and while police were still at the house, Qavaau, who was yelling, was placed in handcuffs and brought to the police station where she was placed in a sobering cell.

A distraught Kingwatsiak was also arrested when he tried to enter the room where his son Ashoona had just been shot.

It wasn’t until after Qavaau was released from custody that she learned Ashoona had been shot and killed, she said.

Const. Magalie Gourgues, one of several officers who arrived at the house after Ashoona was shot, testified by videoconference Wednesday.

She told the inquest she was unsure when she arrived whether CPR had been performed on Ashoona, who was pronounced dead at 5:27 p.m.

She said she did not ask the officers there whether CPR had been attempted.

The Ottawa Police Service later conducted an investigation of the incident and cleared Methven of any wrongdoing.

Ottawa police Sgt. Derek Wereley said the investigation took several months to complete, due in part to travel complications caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the failing health of Kingwatsiak, who died before the inquest could begin.

A coroner’s inquest is mandatory when a person has died while detained or in custody. It does not have the power to recommend charges or to decide who is at fault.

The inquest into Ashoona’s death is being held at the community hall in Kinngait. It opened Monday and is set to conclude Friday with the six-member jury’s recommendations.

The Transglobal Car Expedition is back in the N.W.T. — with intentions to circle the entire globe by vehicle now — roughly two years after making headlines for violating airspace rules and sinking a truck.

Dr Angela James, known for her work in language revitalization and education, will be Aurora College's next president from August this year.

Nunavik MP Sylvie Bérubé is supporting a Bloc Québécois bill that would remove the religious exception to the law that criminalizes hate speech and inciting violence.

“It is quite sad that some people use their position of influence, religious or civil, even impunity conferred to them, to incite violence and hatred,” Bérubé, the MP for Abitibi-Baie-James-Nunavik-Eeyou, said in a French language news release.

The release was issued Tuesday, the day after her party introduced a proposed change to the Criminal Code.

Currently under the Criminal Code, people charged with hate speech or inciting violence can defend themselves in court by arguing they were, in good faith, establishing an argument or opinion based on a religious subject or text.

A private member’s bill, introduced Monday by Bloc MP Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, would eliminate that defence.

The Bloc’s first attempt to make the same Criminal Code amendment was introduced in November by party leader Yves-François Blanchet.

It was known as Bill C-367 and got first reading in the House of Commons but didn’t move any further through the parliamentary process.

That came after Montreal-based imam Adil Charkaoui said the Islamic god Allah should “take care of Zionist aggressors, take care of the enemies of Gaza,” and used words such as “exterminate” and to “spare none.”

That led the Bloc Québécois to argue this type of dialogue should be considered hate speech, and should be criminalized by the Criminal Code.

Bérubé said her party’s MPs believed Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau “grasped the urgency and importance of this issue” when the Bloc proposed the bill the first time.

“Considering the current international context, his inaction is very serious,” she said.

On Monday, the Bloc Québécois tabled the bill again, now renamed Bill C-373, to relaunch the discussion.

“It is about preserving peace of mind amongst Quebecois and Canadians and all communities that hateful words that incite violence should never be protected by the Criminal Code,” Bérubé said.

About 25 Yukon youths and leaders are starting the return journey from a three-week cultural exchange, largely spent in Te Urewera, near the east coast of New Zealand's North Island.

Iqaluit’s draft budget includes tens of millions of dollars in water upgrades and no proposed tax hikes.

“[This] is the best-prepared budget I’ve seen in my time on council,” said Coun. Kyle Sheppard during Tuesday’s finance committee meeting at city hall.

Sheppard, the committee chairperson, and his colleagues unanimously approved proposed capital and operations budgets presented by Peter Tumilty, Iqaluit’s senior director of corporate policy.

The $82-million capital budget lists several proposed projects and a $26-million surplus.

Water-related work accounts for $41.44 million, or nearly half of the proposed capital spending. If approved, that work will include water and wastewater system upgrades, water supply work, a dam safety management program and a wastewater treatment plan.

In April 2022, the federal government announced it would spend $214 million to help the City of Iqaluit upgrade its water system. This year’s budget reflects $27.7 of that spending.

Another $17.65 million is allocated for solid-waste projects.

Several city facilities would receive approximately $6.2 million in upgrades. Notably, $3.4 million is set aside for the city’s operations centre, and $1.1 million is earmarked for Arnaitok Arena ice plant upgrades.

City administration proposed to spend $5.6 million on drainage and roadway improvements, of which $3.4 million would go to replacing the Apex bridge.

The expansion of Apex’s cemetery is listed as a $3-million project; however, in response to a question from deputy Mayor Kim Smith, city engineer Sumon Ghosh said it might cost less.

“We’re going to be able to get a lot done,” Sheppard said in an interview after the meeting.

“We’re really going to start to hit the ground running on some of the water and sewer improvements that we need to be able to add to our housing stock in the community.”

The city’s operations budget is listed at $58.7 million and includes a $2-million surplus.

Most city services will see a general increase in spending.

At the same time, there is no tax increase proposed for residents.

The budget lists tax revenue as $25.1 million — an increase of $1.6 million from the previous year. Tumilty said the dollar figure listed is simply a more accurate account of how much tax revenue the city collects.

Sheppard said after the meeting that he’s “excited” about no tax increase, and that there should be some “big news” at the end of February about reduced water rates.

“There’s going to be a bit of a restructure where we’re hoping to rebalance the rates that residents pay versus what government pays to kind of alleviate some of that burden,” he said.

“We have some of the most expensive residential water in Canada, if not the world, and we’re definitely charging astronomically more than what residents in the hamlets in the territory are paying.”

Overall, Sheppard said he’s happy the city has some room in its wallet this year.

“I’d love to spend more money,” he said.

“With more revenue, we’re able to invest more in our services, more in our capital and the infrastructure that supports our city.”

The budget will now move before city council for final approval.

The Kitikmeot Trade Show opened Wednesday with the hopes of “inspiring opportunities.”

It’s this years theme, explained Talia Maksagak, executive director of the Kitikmeot Chamber of Commerce, inspired by the post-COVID-19 pandemic economy.

“We have a lot more to look forward to,” she said in an interview.

Approximately 220 delegates are in Cambridge Bay for the 23^rd annual trade show, which brings together representatives from business, government and Inuit organizations.

The goal is to exchange information, build partnerships and help grow economic activity in the Kitikmeot region, according to the trade show’s website.

Maksagak said having an inclusive, welcoming environment is key to creating partnerships that help business and economic development in the region.

“As much as we do these things through Zoom or technology these days, it makes a much bigger impact when you meet somebody and you build those connections and relationships,” Maksagak said.

A meet-and-greet at Luke Novoligak Community Hall and opening remarks were scheduled for Wednesday.

Thursday will feature presentations in the morning from organizations such as Nunavut Housing Corp. and mining companies like B2Gold Corp. and Agnico Eagle Mines Ltd.

Friday follows a similar format with morning presentations from youth delegates and MLAs.

The trade show floor at the Kiilinik High School gym will be open to the public on both Thursday and Friday afternoon.

Business isn’t the only item on the agenda.

Popular Canadian rock band Crash Test Dummies will perform for registered exhibitors and trade show delegates Friday starting at around 7 p.m. at Luke Novoligak hall.

The Kitikmeot Chamber of Commerce is taking over the corporate event at the trade show, which was previously organized by the Hamlet of Cambridge Bay, Maksagak said.

While the trade show is held each year in Cambridge Bay because that’s the only Kitikmeot hamlet that can accommodate the event, its focus is on the entire region.

“It will give that opportunity to show what is happening in Gjoa Haven, Taloyoak, Kugaaruk, Kugluktuk and Cambridge Bay,” Maksagak said.

The trade show closes Saturday with a pancake breakfast.

Hundreds of hours of stories, recorded from across Nunavut in Inuinnaqtun and Inuktitut, are being digitized. Some of those stories are being shared on the Inuinnaujugut podcast led by the Kitikmeot Heritage Society.

One N.W.T. MLA says she supports an independent review of last year's wildfire response, and she says it should examine the territory’s treatment of its most vulnerable population.

Two Yellowknife restaurants with connections to the past, including one at the city's new museum, are seeking operators for the years ahead.

Matthew Lien's longtime dream of airlifting a grand piano into the remote and spectacular Kluane National Park may finally come true, thanks to some prize money from the Yukon government.

A long-time leader in the northern mining sector has been named executive director of the NWT & Nunavut Chamber of Mines.

Karen Costello started the new role Jan. 22, according to a news release, after having served as the organization’s general manager since July of last year.

She replaces Tom Hoefer, who is moving to a senior adviser role.

Previously, Costello — who is a geologist by training — served as executive director of the Nunavut Impact Review Board, as well as roles with Crown Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs and Manitoba Energy and Mines.

“Karen brings a fresh perspective and energy to our team, and we are excited to see the direction she will lead us in,” said Kenny Ruptash, president of the chamber of mines, in a Feb. 5 news release.

The organization also thanked Hoefer for his leadership.

The chamber of mines is an organization that advocates for responsible and sustainable mine exploration and development in the North. Its offices are in Iqaluit and Yellowknife.

The NWT's MLAs are beginning their first meaningful public Q&A sessions since being elected. Here's what your politicians chose to talk about.

The landlord of a downtown Yellowknife office building closed for weeks by a diesel spill provided a brief update on the situation.

"I know all of us stand here today with the town of Fort Smith.” MLAs paid tribute to six people who lost their lives in a plane crash last month.

The Town of Fort Smith has set up GoFundMe pages to raise money for the people affected by January's plane crash.

Whatì, N.W.T., has been experiencing repeated power outages over the past year. This comes from an issue with old infrastructure, but it's being made worse by the fact the community is growing.

The N.W.T. will follow the federal three-year exemption on carbon tax for home heating fuel. The exemption will begin on April 1.

NWT residents won't have to pay carbon tax on diesel home heating fuel from the start of April, but it'll also mean lower offset payments to residents.

Sonjaa Schmidt of Whitehorse was proclaimed a "star in the making" on Tuesday after she unexpectedly became the first Canadian woman to win gold at a U23 Nordic World Ski Championship event.

Two more complaints about NWT MLAs from the last assembly have been dismissed by the territory's integrity commissioner.

Complaints against former Great Slave MLA Katrina Nokleby and former Sahtu MLA Paulie Chinna have been dismissed, since neither person was re-elected to the N.W.T. Legislative Assembly. One complaint, according to the integrity commissioner, was "frivolous and vexatious."

NWT MLAs will hold a vote on Thursday regarding whether to pursue an independent inquiry into the handling of last year's wildfires and evacuations.

Nunavik singer Elisapie thanked her fans after her 2023 album was nominated for two Juno Awards.

“Nakurmiik for this honour,” she wrote on Instagram Tuesday after the full list of nominations for the annual Canadian music awards was unveiled.

Elisapie’s album, titled Inuktitut, was one of five to be nominated for Contemporary Indigenous Artist or Group of the Year.

The Salluit-born singer, whose full name is Elisapie Isaac, is known professionally by just her first name.

Her album features Inuktitut covers of famous songs by Blondie, Fleetwood Mac and Metallica.

“What was to be a small project for the north, my family and friends became this soul-searching journey and eventually a very personal album,” she wrote in an Instagram post after her nomination was announced.

Inuktitut was also nominated for Album Artwork of the Year.

Art director Carolyne De Bellefeuille, photographer Leeor Wild and designers and illustrators Jessica Ledoux, Mali Savaria-Ille and Veronique Lafortune are also listed in that nomination.

This is not Elisapie’s first time being nominated for a Juno Award.

In 2005, her album Taima won for Aboriginal Recording of the Year. And in 2019, she was nominated for Indigenous Music Album of the Year.

The Juno Awards will be presented March 24 in Halifax.

An Iqaluit food bank received some welcome funding assistance this week.

The federal government has committed $235,000 through the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency toward Qajuqturvik Community Food Centre’s two-year plan to transform part of its facility into a bulk food and dry goods store open to all Iqaluit residents.

The announcement was made Tuesday by federal Northern Affairs Minister Dan Vandal. Citibank Foundation Canada is also providing $670,000 in funding to the centre.

“This new space will include food options that can be purchased on a pay-what-you-can scale” to support people in need in Iqaluit, Vandal said in a news release.

“It will also support [the food centre’s] existing food programs and will improve access to good, nutritious food for all residents.”

The food centre’s co-executive director Rachel Blais said in the release that it’s “thrilled to open a new affordable bulk and country food store in Iqaluit.

“This initiative aims to expand access to nutritious food choices for all Iqalummiut, regardless of their income levels.”

Citibank Canada CEO John Hastings said the foundation’s contribution comes from the bank’s US$50-million “effort to improve food security around the world.”

Qajuqturvik Community Food Centre will spend $100,000 of its own money on the renovation and expansion project while Nunavut’s Department of Culture and Heritage is providing another $25,000, according to the release.

The RCMP officer who fatally shot Attachie Ashoona in Kinngait four years ago says she had “no other options” than to pull the trigger.

Ashoona, 38, died Feb. 26, 2020, after being shot by Cpl. Jaime Methven, one of two officers who had responded to reports of a domestic assault at a residence.

In its second day Tuesday, an inquest looking into circumstances surrounding Ashoona’s death heard more details about what happened in the moments leading up to the shooting.

Methven testified by videoconference that after receiving two separate calls that a woman or possibly two women were being assaulted by a man, she and her partner Const. Simon Coutu-De Goede went to the home.

When they arrived just after 5 p.m., they encountered a man outside bleeding from his nose, later identified as Ashoona’s father Goo Kingwatsiak, who did not want police to enter without a warrant.

The officers explained they were responding to a domestic violence call. Coutu-De Goede had earlier testified that they entered the home with their pistols drawn and heard the sounds of someone searching through a utensils drawer.

That’s when Ashoona appeared out of the kitchen brandishing a knife, Methven said.

“He seemed scared,” she said. “It appeared that he was heavily intoxicated. I could smell alcohol.”

Ashoona moved toward Coutu-De Goede, who began backing out of the residence while telling Ashoona to drop the knife.

Coutu-De Goede said that after he had moved out of Methven’s sight, Ashoona suddenly pivoted and turned toward Methven.

“There was nothing else in that corner other than me,” Methven said Tuesday. “There was no reason for him to walk in the direction straight towards me.”

She said she told Ashoona they could help him and asked him what he needed, but Ashoona continued to walk toward the officer.

“I don’t know what could have changed him from his actions,” she said.

“He was just so angry, and defeated. He kept saying, ‘Just shoot me, I’m going to kill you,’ and I believed he was going to,” she said.

“I’m no longer trying to protect the women that I thought were in the house, I’m trying to protect myself from this man.”

She said Ashoona got to about “an arm’s length away” from the officer when she fired two shots.

One shot hit Ashoona and he fell to his knees, turned, and landed on his back. The other shot hit the wall behind him, Methven said.

After Ashoona fell to the floor, Methven said Kingwatsiak came into the room distraught.

The officers removed Kingwatsiak from the residence, returned and took the knife from Ashoona’s hand and did a sweep to see if anyone else was inside.

During this time, Const. Daniel Keeling arrived and began doing chest compressions on Ashoona, who was no longer breathing. This continued for about three minutes until Ashoona died.

Methven said she had her pistol, a Taser, pepper spray and baton with her that day.

Coroner’s counsel Sheldon Toner asked Methven why she didn’t use her Taser to disable Ashoona with an electric jolt, instead of her pistol as Ashoona approached her.

Methven said there was “no concealment, no cover, no time” to use a Taser.

“When you go to a knife fight, you don’t want to match that weapon. You want to be one above,” she said.

“There were no other options other than shooting him.”

Toner then asked Methven if she had considered shooting at Ashoona’s hand that was holding the knife, rather than his torso.

“We’re not trained to shoot limbs,” she said. “They’re too small, they’re also moving quite often.

“You have to worry about what’s behind [the target]. You shoot so you know you’re going to hit what you’re going to hit.”

The inquest will continue through the week with testimony from eyewitnesses and a police use-of-force expert. It’s set to conclude Friday with the six-member jury’s recommendations to avoid deaths in similar circumstances in the future.

An inquest is mandatory when a person has died while detained or in custody. It does not have the power to recommend charges or decide who is at fault.

In court documents, the company is accused of storing hazardous materials in a manner contrary to an approved management plan between April 19, 2022, and July 25, 2023, a violation of its quartz mining licence. 

The city is looking at tweaking two pieces of policy, to protect groundwater and reduce disturbance for residents. One option would effectively prohibit mineral exploration and extraction within the entire city. Another option would make public input and city approval a prerequisite for mining permits.

Pita Aatami won the Makivvik Corp. presidential election in a landslide last week, but voting day drew the lowest voter turnout in recent memory.

Aatami earned 71 per cent of the vote. A total of 1,900 Nunavimmiut — or 18 per cent of the total voter base — voted him in.

Voter turnout in the Feb. 1 election was 26 per cent. By comparison, in 2021 voter turnout reached nearly 41 per cent and nearly 47 per cent in 2018.

Aatami said he is “deeply honoured” by the trust his fellow Inuit placed in him, in a statement released by Makivvik Corp.

He also spoke of a “journey towards self-determination,” adding he is “committed to ensuring that the voices of our people are heard in the decision-making process.”

Nunatsiaq News contacted Aatami and Makivvik numerous times requesting an interview, but those requests were ignored.

Aatami’s challengers, Harry Tulugak and Suzy Kauki, told Nunatsiaq News they hope for the best for his next term in office.

“I honestly wish him the best,” Tulugak said in a phone interview. “For him to maintain his campaign issues, and succeed in most things that he wanted to do.”

However, one thing remains out of Makivvik’s reach, according to Tulugak — dominion over the land and resources of Nunavik.

“I heard Pita on our local FM station, saying that he wants to get back our land,” Tulugak said.

“There is an admittance that they have lost their land.

“That is Makivvik’s reality, and from all that I have read, its present state and condition under the James Bay Northern Quebec Agreement, they will never ever get back any lands.”

According to Tulugak, the land was never lost or stolen. It remains their Inuit birthright.

“This is the part where we need to work together,” he said.

“I am really open and hoping that we will talk, and eventually come up with a solution.”

Kauki said the results did not surprise her, but that the voter turnout raises questions.

“We need to start encouraging Inuit to vote, because Makivvik has an extremely huge mandate and responsibility to support 100 per cent of the population,” she said in a phone interview.

“If 26 per cent of the population is voting, then I would be in serious question of my leadership.”

Kauki hopes Aatami will reopen the Nunavik Justice Task Force created in 1991 and promote the Act Respecting First Nations, Inuit and Métis Children, Youth and Families, which was previously known as Bill C-92.

New mammography machines are being installed at hospitals in Yellowknife and Inuvik, offering more advanced imaging.

Law firm Lawson Lundell is replacing airline Canadian North as title sponsor of Yellowknife's Folk on the Rocks music festival.

Some people in Haines Junction, Yukon, say they've been targeted by phone scams in recent weeks, with an unknown caller telling them a loved one had been in an accident, and asking for money.

Karen Costello is the new executive director of the NWT and Nunavut Chamber of Mines, the industry body announced. Tom Hoefer becomes an advisor to the board.

Gov. Gen. Mary Simon sent her “best wishes” to King Charles Monday after it was announced that Canada’s monarch has been diagnosed with cancer.

An unspecified form of cancer was identified after Charles was seen in hospital for a benign prostate enlargement, Buckingham Palace said in a statement.

The palace said the king would step away from public-facing duties, and that he was making the diagnosis public “to prevent speculation and in the hope it may assist public understanding for all those around the world who are affected by cancer.”

Simon, who is the first Inuk to serve as the King’s representative in Canada, shared her message of support, adding that it will help others.

“Seeing His Majesty acknowledge cancer so openly and publicly will hopefully encourage and motivate those who are struggling with their own treatment,” she said.

“We admire The King’s strength and determination as he confronts this disease.”

Since Charles became king following the death of Queen Elizabeth in 2022, Simon has facilitated conversations with the royals on reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples in Canada.

Ahead of Charles’ 2023 coronation, Simon led the leaders of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, the Assembly of First Nations and the Métis National Council in a meeting to discuss a new relationship between the Crown and Indigenous peoples.

Simon also welcomed Charles, then a prince, to Canada during his 2022 tour.

Charles has some history in the North as well.

He visited Iqaluit with his wife, now Queen Camilla, in 2017 during a tour celebrating the 150th anniversary of Canadian Confederation.

As a 26-year-old prince, Charles was named Honorary Toonik during the 1975 Toonik Tyme celebrations in Iqaluit, then called Frobisher Bay.

Hundreds of Hay River residents came together for the first Community Spirit Awards. Eleven volunteers and organizations were recognized for their contributions.

"We've learned a lot." After a 2022 trial run, the Transglobal Car Expedition leaves Yellowknife this week on a 17-month round-the-world trip.

Yellowknifers will perform a vehicle-related tribute concert in April to continue raising money for the city's street outreach program.

N.W.T. MLAs will be back in the legislative assembly on Tuesday to begin their first full legislative session since last fall's election.

The City of Yellowknife and Northern Roots Consulting are launching the second year of the Transform Your Yard to a Food Garden Mentorship Program.

The Government of Yukon has increased the honoraria for Emergency Medical Services community responders. Previously, the on-call pay was set at $3.71 per hour. Now the rate has increased to $7.70 per hour.

A police officer who responded to a domestic assault call four years ago in Kinngait said he feared for his partner’s life when they arrived to find a man brandishing a knife at them.

RCMP Const. Simon Coutu-De Goede testified Monday at a coroner’s inquest into the fatal shooting of Attachie Ashoona on Feb. 26, 2020.

Ashoona, 38, was shot by Cpl. Jaime Methven at the home of Ashoona’s father and died at the scene soon after. The Ottawa Police Service later investigated the incident and cleared the officer of any wrongdoing.

Monday was the first day for the inquest at Kinngait’s community hall. It will explore the circumstances surrounding Ashoona’s death and consider recommendations to prevent deaths under similar circumstances in the future.

Coroner’s counsel Sheldon Toner played for the six-member jury recordings of two calls made to RCMP dispatch shortly before 5 p.m. on the afternoon of Feb. 26, 2020, reporting that a man was assaulting and dragging a woman by her hair.

Coutu-De Goede was one of the officers who responded to the reported domestic disturbance, alongside Methven.

Coutu-De Goede testified that, after arriving at the house, they observed a man at the top of the stairs with blood running from his nose. The man was later confirmed to be Ashoona’s father, Goo Kingwatsiak.

He did not want the officers to enter the residence, Coutu-De Goede said.

“As we were about to make entry, that’s when I heard a male from inside the house shout aggressively,” the officer said.

The male shouted that he was grabbing a knife, and Coutu-De Goede said he could hear what sounded like a person sorting through utensils in a drawer.

“That’s when I drew my service pistol out,” he said.

Coutu-De Goede said he and Methven started to make their way through the corridor leading into the house and encountered Ashoona brandishing a kitchen knife with a black handle.

The officer said Ashoona was pointing the knife toward them as he approached them.

“That’s when I pointed my service pistol at him, because I feared for my safety and my life at that time,” Coutu-De Goede said.

“That’s when I told him to back away and drop the knife, to which Mr. Ashoona didn’t comply with my comments.”

He said that at least two times, he heard Ashoona shout “shoot me” as Ashoona approached Methven with the knife.

“He was saying that very aggressive, loud yelling, determined in a way that it felt like there was no other option for him,” Coutu-De Goede said.

He said he began backing away, out of the entryway to the residence and down the stairs.

At some point, he became separated from Methven who was still inside the residence.

Coutu-De Goede said Ashoona suddenly “pivoted” back inside the residence and he lost sight of him.

“I couldn’t see what was going on, but I feared for the life of my partner,” he said.

Coutu-De Goede heard two gunshots, and went inside to find his partner standing in the corner of the residence with her pistol drawn.

Ashoona was lying on his back on the floor and “still had a cigarette in his mouth and a knife in his right hand,” Coutu-De Goede said.

“He wasn’t saying anything. [He] definitely had difficulty breathing, was gasping for air. I could see that life was starting to leave Mr. Ashoona’s body,” Coutu-De Goede said.

Other officers arrived and performed CPR, but Ashoona died at the scene.

Ashoona’s mother, Inuquq Ashoona, also testified Monday. She said she had seen her son earlier on the day in question and he had been drinking vodka with his girlfriend.

Later that day, someone ran into her house to tell her that her son had been shot by police.

Inuquq Ashoona said her son had never talked about wanting to hurt himself, but that as a teenager he had once said, “one day I’m going to be killed by the cops.”

The inquest is scheduled to continue through the week with testimony from eyewitnesses, RCMP officers and the woman whom Ashoona was reportedly assaulting. It’s expected to conclude Friday with the jury’s recommendations.

With Nunavut chief coroner Khen Sagadraca presiding, Toner is leading the inquest while Donna Keats is counsel for the RCMP.

An inquest is mandatory when a person has died while detained or in custody, but it does not have the power to recommend charges or to decide who is at fault.

Service Canada has formed a dedicated task team to help Nunavut's Arctic Winter Games athletes with their passport applications ahead of the event in Alaska in March.

Roslyn Woodcock of Whitehorse has a shed in her yard that is filled with jigsaw puzzles, and community members are free to borrow them.

One athlete walked away from the inaugural Southern Inuit Games in Ottawa last weekend with two gold medals.

Timothy Erkloo high-kicked his way to victory with a seven-foot jump and managed to travel 159 feet, 10 inches in the airplane event.

Caelin Holmes, 23, leaps into the air during his attempt at the one-foot high kick at the Southern Ontario Inuit Games in Ottawa Feb. 3. (Photo by Jorge Antunes)

His performance in the two competitions raised enthusiastic cheers from the small crowd in attendance at TD Arena.

Erkloo is originally from Pond Inlet and has called Ottawa home for the past eight years.

The Feb. 3 Games was the first event of its kind to be hosted by Tungasuvvingat Inuit, which provides services for urban Inuit living in southern Canada.

A small group of competitors tried their luck at the one-foot high kick, arm pull, airplane and kneel jump. Organizers handed out medals to the top three competitors in each event.

What started as a relatively small crowd filled out to about 100 people by the time the most popular event, the one-foot high kick, was underway.

One of those audience members was Jessica Ruano, who was there with her daughter, Joy, whom she adopted from an Inuit family.

Ruano said she enjoyed the show, adding events like these offer important opportunities to teach her young daughter about her roots.

“It’s essential,” she said, adding Joy is also learning Inuktitut.

Paige Kreps, TI’s Toronto regional manager, organized the event.

Some competitors were hesitant to appear on stage at such a large venue, Kreps said, so TI wants to run a few smaller programs as a gateway to recruiting competitors for the next Games.

“What we would really like to do between now and the next time is to do more workshops, [and] events in the community,” she said.

Organizers have decided to end this year's sled dog race in Pelly Crossing, 150 miles short of the route's final destination.

Families are seeking answers about how their children will access gender-affirming care if the province they travel to for appointments stops providing certain health services to trans kids.

Stephanie Bernard was shocked to hear Prime Minister Justin Trudeau kicked off Black History Month last week with a personal shoutout to her.

“From groundbreaking trailblazers in halls of fame and history books to unsung heroes in communities across the country, Black excellence is all around us,” Trudeau said in a statement Feb. 1.

He then named Bernard and highlighted her work as a community leader in Iqaluit and founder of the Nunavut Black History Society.

Bernard said she was inspired to co-found the society close to a decade ago because there was no celebration for Black History Month when she first came to the territory.

“We wanted to see Black History Month celebrated and celebrate everything that is wonderful about people of African descent,” she said.

“We’ve seen it strengthen each year and it’s just been a really wonderful experience the way the community has come together around Black History Month.”

The Nunavut Black History Society will kick off its celebration Feb. 14 with a film festival featuring the musical Bob Marley: One Love at the Astro Theatre. The Black History Film Festival will feature a movie each week through mid-March.

Bernard said the organization will update its Facebook page with more details on workshops, films and other events. People can keep an eye on the page for a calendar.

Aaron Hernandez — better known to his many fans as hip-hop artist Godson — recently revealed that he's been diagnosed with lymphoma and has begun chemotherapy. 'Keeping things in is not going to help me in this fight,' he said.