Kirsten Murphy
Northern News Services
Equally disturbing that Oct. 11 morning was the broken glass strewn across the room.
Shattered: Kim Waters with the window culprits smashed to enter Wizard's Cafe some time between Oct. 10 and 11. Thieves walked off with a cash register and a small sum of money. - Kirsten Murphy/NNSL photo |
"I wondered are they still here. Then I thought, this is a restaurant, it's not as though it's my home," Waters said of her 7 a.m. discovery.
RCMP say a person or persons broke into Wizard's Cafe in the Nova Building between lockup at 7 p.m. Oct. 10 and 7 a.m. the next day.
Waters said she suspects the culprits entered the building by a side door.
An investigation is continuing.
The total damage, including the broken window, is estimated at $1,000.
Waters said the thieves -- she suspects at least two people participated -- wanted money, not food.
"There was a basket full of Rice Crispy squares beside the cash register. They didn't take it. And a freezer full of meat," Waters said.
"Thank goodness they didn't trash the place. There was no vandalism other than the broken window."
After calling the police, Waters phoned her sister and the cafe's co-owner, Donna.
They agreed money will no longer be kept on the premises overnight. The Waters are also hoping to see surveillance cameras installed.
Two weeks ago, a 20-year-old convenience store clerk was threatened and robbed at gunpoint, and after 12 years in Iqaluit, Waters worries about her community's future.
"Things have changed. You used to leave your car door unlocked. Now you have to lock everything," she said.
Her message to the thieves? "Get a job, work hard and you'll have good life."
