Lynn Lau
Northern News Services

Inuvik (Oct 29/01) - A memorial service was held last Tuesday for the man who died under suspicious circumstances at the Mackenzie Hotel, Oct. 17.

Keith Blair, 46, was the hotel's night auditor, a job he'd held for most of the 10 years he'd lived in Inuvik, and the job he was doing the night he died. While his friends and family mourned last week, police quietly continued the investigation into what they now confirm was a homicide.

Over 100 people attended the memorial service held at the Lighthouse Community Pentecostal church. Brother-in-law Richard Binder gave the eulogy, speaking of a kind man who had many friends.

Originally from Ottawa, Blair moved to Inuvik on a dare from a childhood friend. He and his wife Ingrid Binder had only just celebrated their first wedding anniversary Sept. 12.

Blair's body was cremated and his ashes will be scattered at Husky Lakes, where the Binder family owns a cabin and where the couple often enjoyed fishing.

A second memorial service will be held in Ottawa for the benefit of his two brothers, Ian and Ross, and his elderly parents, Hugh and Margaret.

Police have so far released very little information about the circumstances of Blair's death. His body was found at the hotel Oct. 17, shortly before 7 a.m., when police arrived on the scene. The body was sent to Edmonton for autopsy the next day, and on Oct. 22, the report came back with news that Blair had likely been killed.

Those who knew him say he was a quiet, friendly man who suffered from a physical disability that made his movements awkward. He rarely spoke of his impairment and he was known to be a hard worker.

For most of the time he lived in Inuvik, he stayed in a modest apartment above the Mad Trapper Pub.

Vince Brown, chief financial officer for the Mackenzie Delta Hotel Group, knew Blair for more than 10 years. "He was like family to all of us," Brown says. "With Keith, anything that happened, he always looked at the bright side of things. He was a very quiet, very kind, very gentle person."

People had similar things to say at the Royal Canadian Legion where Blair was a member. "He was a really mild-mannered, quiet guy," says Frank Thistle, Legion member and family friend. "He wouldn't hurt a fly."

Blair's death has been on the lips of almost everyone in town. With the police saying so little, rumours swirl in the information vacuum. Some say he was stabbed. Others say he was beaten during a robbery. Everyone has heard one theory or other, but no one, except the person who killed him, and perhaps the police, know the true story.

At the hotel where he worked, police lines were lifted Oct. 19, but the hotel bar, restaurant and nightclub all remained closed for the week. Staff were seen removing carpet and furniture from the premises on the weekend before the facilities were reopened.

Police want to talk to anyone who may have been at the Mackenzie Hotel late Oct. 16 or early Oct. 17. They also want to interview a man and woman who were seen in the hotel lobby shortly after the bar closed at 2 a.m., Oct. 17.

According to an RCMP news release, close to 20 officers from the Inuvik detachment and Yellowknife's major crimes unit are currently working on the case.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or the Inuvik detachment at 777-2935.