Air force corporal charged with sexual assault at CFS Alert in Nunavut

The Canadian Armed Forces is charging a member of the Royal Canadian Air Force with sexual assault in connection with an incident at Canadian Forces Station Alert.

Cpl. Frdric Richer of the air force's 438 Tactical Helicopter Squadron, based in St. Hubert, Que., is facing one count of sexual assault.

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According to a press release, the charge relates to a reported sexual assault against another member at the station, "where the accused was deployed as part of a technical maintenance team in June 2016."

Alert, located at the tip of Ellesmere Island 800 km from the NorthPole, is Canada's northernmost outpost.

"Wherever Canadian Armed Forces members serve in Canada or throughout the world, the Canadian Forces Military Police are committed to supporting and protecting victims of sexual assault," said Lt-Col.Francis Bolduc, commanding officer of the Canadian Forces' National Investigation Service, in the release.

"This charge reflects that commitment and is another example of the effectiveness of the Canadian Forces National Investigations Service to bring these matters to justice."

No date for a court martial has been set yet.