 | E-mail this story |  | Write letter to editor |  | Order a classified ad |
| E-mail this story | | Write letter to editor | | Order a classified ad |
Tara Kearsey
Northern News Services
 Henry (Hank) Van Vulpen died early Sunday morning after an altercation at the Cave Club. |
Witnesses at the Cave Club claim Van Vulpen was extremely intoxicated, caused a disturbance, and was escorted out of the Gallery twice on Saturday night before visiting the Cave, directly below the Gallery.
One witness, who does not wish to be identified, said bartenders refused to serve him and bouncers asked him to leave.
The witness said Van Vulpen then kicked the bouncer and swung a punch at his head. The bouncer grabbed Van Vulpen in what the witness described as a "bear hug" and both of them fell to the floor.
The witness said Van Vulpen hit his head on the floor as a result of the fall. Two bouncers helped him to his feet, but he collapsed once again. The bouncers escorted him out of the bar and Van Vulpen collapsed just outside the door. Bar staff then called for an ambulance.
RCMP and emergency response crews rushed to the scene and performed CPR on the victim.
Deputy fire chief Sandy McPhee said there were no obvious signs of trauma on Van Vulpen's body, but said he did not have a pulse.
The victim was then rushed to Stanton Territorial Hospital and medevaced to Edmonton where he was pronounced dead.
The Medical Examiner's Office in Alberta, the NWT Coroner's Office and the RCMP are investigating the incident. Sgt. Al McCambridge said several witnesses have been interviewed but he could not comment on whether any criminal charges will be laid.
Andreae Prozeski, a patron at the Cave when the incident occurred, said she was in the washroom when the scuffle began. Prozeski said she heard someone come into the bar.
"He was quite drunk and was asking if anyone had a guitar and wanted to play a few tunes. I heard yelling and when I came back out ... he was unconscious on the ground," she said.
The Medical Examiner's Office in Edmonton could not comment on any details of the autopsy report.
Meanwhile, co-workers and union comrades of Van Vulpen are in shock after the loss of a second Con Mine employee in a week.
"We just buried a brother yesterday ... we don't know what to think. It's shaken everybody," said Fernand Denault, president of United Steelworkers of America Local 802.
Another Con employee, Cecil Martin, was crushed to death Oct. 28 when a loader backed into a pick-up truck, pinning him in between the two pieces of equipment.
Van Vulpen, a 52-year-old underground miner, had been a member of Local 802 since 1978, serving as president for a term. He also served as president of the Northern Territories Federation of Labour.
Denault said Van Vulpen was just as much a part as the Steelworkers family as all the other members.
"We're a very tight community down in the hole," he said, echoing the old underground miner's expression.
And just like all families, there were good times and bad, but Van Vulpen assisted the union in achieving great accomplishments, Denault said.
"We all have our ups and downs but these things are not very important at a time like this ... the things to remember are the good times," he said.
In a statement issued by the Northern Territories Federation of Labour, president Bob Haywood said Van Vulpen will be missed by the entire labour community.
"His senseless and shocking death only adds to the sorrow that everyone in the labour movement feels," wrote Haywood.
Van Vulpen was always there when Haywood asked him for advice and didn't mind helping him in whatever way he could, he wrote.
"This is a very sad day for the Van Vulpen family and for the labour movement in the North."
