First Nation chief believes arson that destroyed new band office was retaliation for community’s war on drugs

The chief of a northern Manitoba First Nation believes the fire that destroyed his community’s band office was set in retaliation to the “war on drugs” he and other leaders are waging.

The blaze at Bunibonibee Cree Nation’s band office was reported shortly after 5 a.m. Sunday. A preliminary investigation determined the cause to be arson, RCMP said Wednesday.

Chief Richard Hart said that in the last six weeks, safety officers and councillors have seized an estimated $500,000 in drugs, $150,000 in cash and four or five rifles from 10-20 individuals in the community.

Hart and other councillors have been targeted as a result, he said, with Sunday’s fire the latest example.

Smoke was pouring out of the building when RCMP officers arrived. The brand-new structure was completely engulfed in flames and completely destroyed a short time later, police said. No injuries were reported.

“I think the community as a whole is very disappointed that this happened and very disappointed that there’s individuals in our community that want to do things that prevent our community from growing and enjoying new things,” Hart said.

Located 950 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg along the eastern shoreline of Oxford Lake, the First Nation has an on-reserve population of approximately 3,000, he said.

The community started building its new band office three years ago, Hart said. They were finalizing furniture setup and hoping to move in next week.

The community’s last band office was decommissioned 10 or 15 years ago, he said. Leaders have been working out of other buildings; an old nursing station has served as the band office for the last eight years.

Earlier in April, vandals threw Molotov cocktails into the old nursing station and caused smoke damage, Hart said. He and some councillors have had windows at their homes and vehicles broken, too.

Hart said that the community has had “quite a few” overdose deaths in the last few years owing to drugs laced with fentanyl, which is why he and other leaders are concerned about substance use.

“With the flow of drugs comes the gangster activity and that’s where you see these attacks,” he said. “It’s like a war — it’s like a little drug war that’s being waged against the chief and council.”

Oxford House RCMP have spoken to numerous witnesses and have a suspect in Sunday’s blaze, said spokesperson Sgt. Paul Manaigre.

“They have some strong beliefs they know who it is, it’s just (a matter of) gathering evidence before you can make an arrest,” Manaigre said.

Members of the RCMP’s Thompson-based Crime Reduction Enforcement Support Team, which assists northern detachments in Manitoba, are investigating several files in the area, including the arson, he said.

Manaigre did not have details about the other files. “There’s a fair amount of work left to do up there, so hopefully we’ll get an update soon,” he said.

Hart said that members of the First Nation are working together in the face of adversity.

“We remain strong and we remain committed to being a community we’re all proud to live in,” he said. “We’re committed to overcoming this and not letting the drug dealers dictate life.”

The Bunibonibee Cree Nation blaze is the latest fire that has impacted a northern First Nation.

In September 2024, a crisis centre and a public-works building in Shamattawa First Nation were gutted in two fires the RCMP believe were deliberately set. The First Nation is located 750 kilometres north of Winnipeg.

Two men were charged after the former band office in Gods Lake Narrows, 550 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg, was set on fire in October 2023.

“Obviously we’re concerned with the number of buildings that are intentionally targeted and set on fire,” Manaigre said, adding that it’s difficult to say whether the buildings were targeted for a specific reason or if they were crimes of opportunity.

Police are asking witnesses or people with information about the fire in Bunibonibee Cree Nation to call Oxford House RCMP at 204-538-2046.

aaron.epp@freepress.mb.ca