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IQALUIT - An Inuk woman's relatives in Kimmirut and her common-law husband in Quebec are at odds over the disposition of her cremated remains.

Ooleetoa Temela was living with Carl Soucy, her common-law partner of eight years, and their son in Sayabec, Que., when she died in a car accident in July 2008.

A photo of Ooleetoa Temela, taken in the late 1990s. Temela died in a car accident last July and her family in Kimmirut is now in a dispute with her common-law husband in Quebec over her remains. - photo courtesy of Itee Temela

Soucy said he had been driving the van on a winding rural road and became distracted while talking to Temela. He lost control of the van and rolled it over. Although Soucy and Ooleetoa were wearing seatbelts, she died from spinal injuries.

Her mother Itee Temela in Kimmirut still breaks into tears when Ooteeloa's name comes up and she begged for help in bringing her late daughter and living grandson back to Nunavut.

"I really want to see my grandson sometime," said Itee. "I really want to find my daughter's body."

Itee never got to see Ooleetoa's body. She found out about Ooleetoa's death through satellite phone while she was camping on the land with friends.

The language barrier did not help matters. Soucy is French-Canadian and although fluent in English, he speaks quickly and his accent is thick. Itee does not speak French and said she is not confident in her English ability, preferring to have the help of an interpreter when possible.

The Temelas said they had great difficulty in tracking down the specifics of Ooletoa's death. They had to find friends who spoke French to communicate with local police and, at first, all they knew was that Ooleetoa had died in a vehicle accident while Soucy was driving.

Soucy arranged for the body to be preserved in the hope that one of Ooleetoa's family would come, but they never did. He had the body cremated in October.

Itee's son Saqitaq Temela – Ooletoa's younger brother – said it would have been better for his mother to have seen Ooleetoa's body to help her accept what had happened.

"There has to be some kind of closure to grieve. In her head she (Itee) accepts that she (Ooleetoa) is dead, but in her heart she doesn't," he said.

"Carl tells me he wants me to come down but I don't want to come down there," said Itee. "I don't have any family there."

Soucy said that after the cremation he divided Ooleetoa's ashes into three parts: one for him to bury in Quebec, one for her family in Kimmirut and one for other family she had in Cape Dorset. He said he tried to arrange to send Itee some of Ooleetoa's ashes but had trouble connecting with the family. According to Saqitaq Temela, Soucy said he would send the ashes but they never arrived.

Soucy said he was considering visiting Kimmirut this summer to deliver them and bring his five-year-old son Samuel Jacob Temela to visit his maternal relatives.

"I wish I would go and things would go well because I like the North," Soucy said. "It's very beautiful. And my son would meet his cousins and his brother."

But he was doubtful about what kind of welcome he'd receive from the Temela family.

For Itee, a visit by her grandson may not be enough. Itee is raising Ooleetoa's first son Jamesie Temela, now 14, and would like to raise Samuel.

On the contrary, Soucy said he wished Jamesie could come and stay with him in Quebec. He said he sometimes sends Jamesie gifts of clothes and cash through the Northern store, aware of the high cost of living in the North.

RCMP said they could not get involved because it is a civil matter, not criminal.