2007 Tundra Shocks

Four dead, a northern community in mourning

In a northern city where the grief rarely lifts, June 6, 2011, will mark a new threshold for sorrow – a family dead, a tight-knit community in mourning, a territory begging its government to take action against the region’s violent impulses.

Late Tuesday night, the first vague details of a tragedy began spreading through northern Twitter accounts. Police had found a man dead in the cemetery, a rifle by his side.

Residents of Nunavut have ample experience grappling with the sad outcome of suicide – the annual rate in the territory is 11 times the national average – but little could brace the capital city of Iqaluit for the news to come.

When Mounties entered Sylvain Degrasse’s residence, House 2534 in Iqaluit’s Tundra Valley neighbourhood, they found his two daughters and their mother, all dead.

The RCMP have yet to release the names of the deceased, but neighbours and family members soon confirmed an apparent case of murder-suicide.

Nunavut Premier Eva Aariak knew the family personally and addressed the legislative assembly Wednesday afternoon saying, “There are no words that can adequately describe the shock and grief that is resonating throughout Iqaluit and beyond.”

Churches opened their doors for mourners and the territorial government called professional crisis counsellors to the legislature and the school where one of the children was a student. Additional counsellors are being flown up from the south. Nunavut’s ministries of health, justice and education all held meetings Wednesday morning to co-ordinate their response to the deaths.

The family was well-connected. Mr. Degrasse worked at the territorial power authority and had family across the province and country. His father, Jean-Guy Degrasse, was originally from Quebec but worked in Iqaluit for years as a snowmobile repairman. People who know the family say he owned property at the town’s main intersection and moved away after selling it. His grandfather, Tommy Tattatuapik, is a well-known community member in Arctic Bay.

The younger Mr. Degrasse was the type of person always trying to get the large extended family together for barbecues, said his niece, Anita Degrasse-Kilabuk.

In the warmer months, Mr. Degrasse was something of a spectacle in the 7,000-person capital city, traversing local roads on one of the territory’s few motorcycles, according to friends.

“It was made for the south, but he had it shipped up here,” said one close friend, who did not want to be identified. “He would rip around town and have a great time.

2007 Toyota Tundra double cab SR5 4x4 Butler, Missouri | Max ...

EPA FUEL ECONOMY RATINGS City 14/hwy 18 (5.7L engine/6-speed auto trans) EXTERIOR Color-keyed upper & chrome lower front bumper w/chrome rear bumper Chrome grille surround Black pwr mirrors High solar energy-absorbing rear glass Variable intermittent windshield wipers Black door/tailgate handles Tailgate assist INTERIOR Fabric front 40/20/40 bench seat w/8-way drivers/4-way front passenger adjustable seats, passenger-side fold flat 2-way adjustable headrests Carpet flooring Tilt steering wheel w/column shifter Instrumentation-inc: tachometer, tripmeter, temp gauge, digital clock Pwr windows/door locks Cruise control Remote keyless entry system Engine immobilizer Dual zone air conditioning Rear heat ducts AM/FM stereo w/CD player, (6) speakers, digital audio input Fixed mast antenna Glove box illumination (4) front/(2) rear cup holders Cigarette lighter/ashtray w/illumination (2) front pwr points/(1) rear pwr point Overhead console Visors vanity mirrors w/extenders Illuminated entry system Map lamp Driver/front passenger seatback pockets MECHANICAL 5.7L DOHC EFI 32-valve V8 engine w/dual VVT-i 6-speed automatic electronically controlled transmission w/OD 4WDemand 4-wheel drive system w/electronically controlled 2-speed transfer case 5,445# GVWR Vehicle stability control Active traction control (A-TRAC) Automatic limited-slip differential Tow equipment-inc: HD tow hitch receiver, 7-pin connector trailer brake control prewire, supplemental transmission cooler TOW/HAUL mode, transmission temp gauge Front tow hooks Deck rail caps Independent coil-spring high-mounted double wishbone front suspension w/low- pressure nitrogen gas shocks, stabilizer bar Trapezoidal multi-leaf live axle rear suspension w/staggered low-pressure nitrogen gas shocks P255/70R18 tires 18" steel wheels Hydraulic pwr rack & pinion steering Pwr vented disc brakes 4-wheel anti-lock brakes (ABS) w/brake assist Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD) SAFETY Driver/front passenger advanced airbags w/occupant classification system, front passenger cutoff switch Driver/front passenger seat mounted side airbags Roll-sensing side curtain airbags 3-point seatbelts in all seating positions Child restraint system top tether anchors for center/passenger seats w/front passenger ISO-FIX anchor

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