Boy, 12, arrested in connection with Shamattawa blaze

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A 12-year-old boy has been arrested in connection with the fire that destroyed the band office and only store in the remote northern Manitoba First Nation of Shamattawa, RCMP said Friday.

The boy was released on a promise to appear in court. Five other children under the age of 12 were believed to be involved in setting the fire, which began around 3 p.m. Thursday, but they are too young to be charged.

Shamattawa is starting the process of rebuilding the heart of its community, with help from the Canadian Red Cross, which is on contract with Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada to aid Manitoba First Nations during an emergency.

The loss of the band office and food store hurts the community of 1,500, which has high levels of poverty and addiction. In 2015, it faced a suicide crisis after four young people took their own lives in a matter of weeks.

Shamattawa Chief Jeff Napoakesik was told by the RCMP that the children got into the band office and “lit the office equipment on fire,” he told The Canadian Press Friday.

Band officials and other community members were at a funeral at the time.

Firefighters battled the blaze using water from three nearby hydrants and a truck normally used to distribute water to homes, he said.

The community’s fire truck, less than two years old, was not functional. It had a mechanical issue that prevented it from starting, and attempts to solve the problem in recent months were unsuccessful, Napoakesik said.

“We had a mechanic from the manufacturer come in and look at it, and it still didn’t work. As a matter of fact, the mechanic was supposed to come in this Sunday.”

A 2012 report done by the Manitoba fire commissioner’s office and the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs pointed to inadequate fire protection in indigenous communities.

Of 61 Manitoba reserves surveyed for the report, almost one-third did not have a fire truck, and 39 per cent did not have a fire hall.

Manitoba Grand Chief Derek Nepinak told reporters at a Winnipeg news conference Friday he doesn’t believe RCMP should charge a 12-year-old boy in connection with the arson.

He said he doesn’t know if anyone in Winnipeg could relate to how children in Shamattawa live.

“A broader community of people here in Manitoba need to recognize that the situation and circumstance for young people in our remote communities is far different than the opportunities that young people have here in the city and even in some of the rural communities,” Nepinak said.

He listed an array of issues plaguing the community such as Child and Family Services involvement and unequal access to education.

“I think it’s a mistake to attempt to criminalize or further institutionalize the children in the community by providing an RCMP response,” he said.

“I think that the onus is on the families in the community and the leadership to ensure that the RCMP are not trying to criminalize young people.”

Officials from the Office of the Fire Commissioner flew to the community Friday to begin investigating. The community confirmed Friday the only fire truck on the reserve was not working and hasn’t since it arrived in Shamattawa from Winnipeg last winter.

Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak Grand Chief Sheila North Wilson said Friday Ottawa needs to spend more on firefighting equipment and training.

“(In Shamattawa), they’re forced to live under these conditions where they have to manage with what they have, which is usually the bare minimum. And in this case, it didn’t work at all,” she said. “Thank goodness nobody lost their lives because of it, but now they’re in a state of crisis.”

Because the community is only accessible by air, with the exception of a 190-kilometre winter road that’s only open for a few months, rebuilding could be expensive and time-consuming, she said.

“They’ll have to ship supplies and materials in through the airlines, otherwise wait for the winter road,” North Wilson said.

“And even with that (winter road), building material won’t get up there until, at the earliest, mid-February. Building can’t start until the ground has thawed out a bit.”

A spokeswoman for federal Indigenous Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett said the Liberal government is saddened to learn of the fire.

“Minister Bennett has spoken with Chief Jeff Napaokesik to offer any support necessary and assured him securing food supply for residents of the community is our top priority,” Carolyn Campbell wrote in an email.

A federal representative is set to visit Shamattawa Tuesday. Insurance agents were inspecting the damage Friday and expected to have an estimate by Monday.

The fire, which began around 4 p.m. Thursday and burned through the night, also damaged the pharmacy and post office.

Shawn Feely, the vice-president of the Canadian Red Cross for Manitoba and Nunavut said Friday a planeload of supplies was sent to Shamattawa Friday. The plane was loaded with five days’ worth of necessities, including diapers and formula, hygiene kits and bottled water. Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada will pay for the shipment.

Feely said nobody from the Red Cross had travelled to the community and the plane would be met by Shamattawa officials who will oversee the distribution of supplies. He said if the community requests more help, the Red Cross can send someone north. Shamattawa is about a two-hour flight from Winnipeg.

Feely said the agency is coordinating shipments with the Northern Store to ensure there is no duplication.

The North West Company said Friday it is donating an emergency supply of staple food products that will be distributed to community members by store employees and volunteers. Although a final decision has not been made on the location of a temporary store, “community members can be assured that a Northern Store will open in Shamattawa within a few days,” the company said in a statement.

Perimeter Aviation is accepting donations of food and baby supplies for Shamattawa at its Winnipeg and Thompson locations. The donations will be flown to the community as soon as possible.

On Friday night, community members gathered around the Bell Tower on Selkirk Avenue to collect goods.

Ninoondawah Richard, one of the organizers, was near tears as he watched a steady stream of people drop off bottled water, baby formula, diapers, soup, cereal, potatoes and more. Preschoolers, pre-teens, adults and seniors walked up with rolls of toilet paper and overflowing grocery bags in their arms while television news crews broadcast live from the scene.

“I really feel so emotional, but in a way it’s excitement,” he said. “It’s important because I don’t want any of our people to go through something like that (fire).”

It’s important that the Shamattawa community doesn’t feel like they’re in it alone, he added.

— with files from Carol Sanders and The Canadian Press

mia.rabson@freepress.mb.ca