Kingston, Ont. sisters charged with fraud for claiming Inuit status

Sisters Amira Gill (left) and Nadya Gill. (Nadya Gill/Supplied)

Two sisters from Kingston and their adoptive mother have been charged by Iqaluit RCMP with two counts each of fraud over $5,000 following an investigation into allegations they falsely claimed to be Inuit in order to receive a benefit as adopted Inuit children through Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporation (NTI).

In April, NTI asked police to investigate the actions of twins Amira and Nadya Gill and their adoptive mother Karima Manji in applying for enrolment under the Nunavut Act.

The Gill sisters have been awarded scholarships and launched a business based on their Inuit status.

Between October 2016 and September 2022, RCMP allege the women "used this Inuit beneficiary status to defraud the Kakivak Association and Qikiqtani Inuit Association of funds that are only available to Inuit beneficiaries by obtaining grants and scholarships."

The allegations have not been tested in court.

The three are scheduled to appear in an Iqaluit court on October 30.