O-Pipon-Na-Piwin Cree Nation declares state of emergency after stabbings

APTN News: O-Pipon-Na-Piwin Cree Nation in northern Manitoba has declared a state of emergency following a series of stabbings over the weekend.

On Tuesday, during a break in a meeting about First Nations child welfare in Winnipeg, Chief Shirley Ducharme met with media to talk about the lockdown over the weekend. “Right away it just hit worry, it was worrisome that, you know, somebody was running around with a knife and the immediate thinking was we have to protect our people, our children and an immediate lockdown was in place,” she said.

On Saturday, there were two separate stabbings. After 36 hours, the lockdown was lifted. Now the First Nation is enforcing a curfew from 10 p.m. until 6 a.m., and will be reevaluated after the September long weekend.

“These band-aid solutions they are not long-term,” Ducharme said.

Ducharme said more needs to be done to address the rise in violence in her First Nation and others across the north including looking at bringing services into O-Pipon-Na-Piwin Cree Nation, “Our members are ready to go to treatment and so on but we don’t have the resources right on our lands.

She said the detox and treatment centres are hundreds of kilometres away from her community.

“It’s way in Winnipeg or Thompson and they have a long waiting list,” Ducharme said, “Sometimes six months and that is such a long time for someone who is ready to go right now.”

Hilda Anderson-Pyrz, a band member, said a healing lodge in the community is needed.

“If you are continuously taking people out of the community and are offering them, you know, treatment supports and they are coming back to the same environment with no supports or resources like governments have to take a community-based approach if they truly want to address the violence and the addictions in the community otherwise it is going to be status quo,” she said.

Chief Angela Levasseur of the neighbouring Nisachawayasihk Cree Nation said policing is an issue along with poverty, addictions and mental health.

“How would people in Winnipeg and Manitoba feel if they didn’t have police presence for the month?” she said. “There would be anarchy. There would be chaos and that is what you see in our First Nations communities.”

Levasseur is also currently acting as Grand Chief for the Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak, a political and advocacy group representing 26 First Nations. In her role with MKO, she is calling on the provincial government to help curb the flow of illegal sales of alcohol in First Nations. She said regulations will help.

“They purchase a case of what they call mickeys. They are obviously bootlegging. Where is the regulation?”

Levasseur says that MKO Nations have seen a 40 percent increase in violent acts in the communities it represents since 2021.

The province sent APTN News an emailed statement regarding the situation.

“My office has reached out to Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak to discuss the public safety issues being faced on northern First Nations,” said Manitoba’s Justice Minister Matt Wiebe. “We look forward to meeting as soon as possible to discuss opportunities to partner and address the challenges they have raised.

“We continue to advocate for action and greater resources from the federal government to fill RCMP vacancies and to support First Nations to deliver policing and keep communities safe.”

APTN also reached out to the federal government but didn’t hear back.