‘Shaken us to the core’: Sask. First Nation says more support needed as violent crimes rise

In speaking to the media on Wednesday, Bird said residents of those two communities are living in anxiety 24/7.

Bird talked about the State of Emergency and what First Nation leadership hopes to do to help members cope with the aftermath of the tragic death. This includes establishing an emergency operations centre and collaborating with different agencies to look at the root causes of the violence.

But Bird stated that those measures can only go so far, which is why they are seeking more support and federal funding.

“The loss of a young life underscores the critical need for continuous support, resources, funding, and the unwavering solidarity of our community,” she said. “Our plan is to increase the presence of law enforcement, community outreach programs, and collaboration with external partners and agencies to address the root cause of violence.”

Leadership plans to meet with officials from Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) in the coming days where they will ask for more funding for necessary services like security and housing. Currently, there are only 907 houses for more than 12,000 people in the PBCN communities.

Bird said the lack of homes has contributed to the situation as many people don’t have a place they can safely go to.

For years, Bird said the First Nation has been underfunded.

“We’re the biggest First Nation in Saskatchewan with 12,300 people and when we’re funded, we’re looked at as one Cree Nation when in reality we’re eight communities,” she said, adding that funding they do get for services like security is short term and often used in a matter of months.

In staying with the theme of security, Bird briefly talked about the need for more support from the RCMP, noting that a possible, future police force for the First Nation is still a long way off.

Last year, the Prince Albert Grand Council (PAGC) signed a Letter of Intent with the federal and provincial governments for public safety initiatives including establishing First Nations police services.

PAGC Vice Chief Christopher Jobb spoke alongside Bird and mentioned that while police support has been given to communities like James Smith and Montreal Lake Cree Nation, he believed those were reactionary measures, following tragic incidents in the communities.

He and Bird said there needs to be more proactive action taken by police.

“We need our police forces to care for our community members as if they’re protecting their own family,” said Bird. “We do have challenges where RCMP come to our communities, and they leave in two years. We need a better relationship with them so that when they are called, they take that seriously every time.”

“It really matters when a Constable or Sergeant cares for a community, they will do as much as they can.”

When it comes to the challenges the communities in PBCN face, leaders like Joseph Tsannie, a Vice-Chief of the PAGC, note that it’s not something that happened overnight.

Years of trauma from the Residential School system, alcohol and drug abuse, and a lack of job and educational opportunities continue to plague these communities, which is leading to more crime. While the PAGC is providing whatever support it can, Tsannie admitted it’s still not enough.

“We’ll give them the tools, we’ll provide the tools and do the best we can to make sure our communities are safe but public safety within the province and Canada have a role to play in terms of making our communities safe.”

The State of Emergency will remain in Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation until leadership believes all safety benchmarks have been met, but no timeline has been given.

—

derek.craddock@pattisonmedia.com

by Derek Craddock

‘Shaken us to the core’: Sask. First Nation says more support needed as violent crimes rise

What's Trending