Jillian Dickens
Northern News Services

Coppermine (Jan 16/06) - A Kugluktuk man was arrested Jan. 3 and charged with stealing more than $5,000 from the Kugluktuk Grizzlies Association.

On Dec. 30, First Air reported the theft of an envelope containing the association's money, which was labelled Team Grizzly and earmarked for general operations like uniforms, travel and events.

The RCMP said they retrieved some of the money, but RCMP Cpl. Denise Keatly said the exact amount stolen cannot be released.

The Grizzlies general manager Dave Little was pleased by the arrest.

"The RCMP were awesome," he said. "They worked really hard over the holidays and I suspect if they weren't on this sooner more money would have been spent."

When Little first found out the money was stolen, he didn't believe it.

"I couldn't believe anybody could get into the system. I thought the money was lost or something," he said. When it was apparent the money was stolen "my reaction was anger."

Team Grizzly is a stay-in-school sports program. Students in the program need to attend school 80 per cent of the time to take advantage of a number of sports.

First Air casual employee Eric Kaiyogana has been charged with theft of more than $5,000.

He will make his first appearance in the Nunavut Court of Justice, Feb. 6, in Kugluktuk.

First Air representatives were unable for comment.