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Sayisi Dene First Nation called on provincial and federal governments for better policing and mental health supports.Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press
The chief of a northern Manitoba First Nation says her community is so overwhelmed by drugs and the resulting violence that her members are living in fear.
Sayisi Dene First Nation has declared a state of emergency and is calling on provincial and federal governments for better policing and mental health and addiction supports.
The fly-in community about 325 kilometres north of Thompson sees an RCMP presence about once a month, with two officers travelling there, often for less than a day.
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Chief Kelly-Ann Thom‑Duck said recent violence has members scared to visit the band office or grocery store and that previous conversations with RCMP have led “nowhere.”
Premier Wab Kinew said keeping people safe is a priority and that the province will work with the community.
An RCMP spokesperson said more officers have been added to the Thompson rural detachment, and patrols are set to increase in the coming months.
A spokesman for Indigenous Services Canada said in an e-mail Friday the department is “deeply troubled” by Thom-Duck’s concerns.
Eric Head notes that Sayisi Dene First Nation receives about $450,000 in flexible mental-wellness funding annually.
“Chief and council have the autonomy to develop their specific programming and use their funding in a way that best meets their mental wellness needs and priorities. We are reaching out to the First Nation’s leadership to discuss their health needs,” Head said.
The e-mail noted that Indigenous Services Minister Mandy Minister Gull-Masty has announced an additional investment of $630 million over two years to support substance-use treatment programs, opioid agonist therapy and mobile mental wellness and crisis response teams reaching 390 communities.
“We recognize there is more work to do in order to close the gap in access to quality health care between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people in Canada,” Head wrote, adding the government will continue working closely with Sayisi Dene leadership and other Indigenous partners.