Desperate Manitoba First Nation chief pleads for help after string of recent suicides in devastated community

The chief of a northern Manitoba First Nation has declared a state of emergency as the community grapples with a worsening suicide crisis that has claimed five lives in six months, including three in the past two weeks.

Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation Chief Angela Levasseur first declared the state of emergency in a Facebook post Wednesday, citing what she described as a “devastating and ongoing mental-health crisis marked by multiple recent suicides, suicide attempts and widespread suicidal ideation within the community.”

She has called on federal and provincial governments, along with Indigenous partners, to provide additional resources and support.

“We need resources to support addictions, for suicide prevention,” Levasseur told the Free Press Wednesday. “We’re short on nurses. We’re short on counsellors. What we’re hoping for is to get additional supports… in order to support the continuity of care.

“Everyone is tired. Everyone is overwhelmed.”

A spokesperson for Indigenous Services Canada said they wouldn’t have comment on the situation until Thursday.

Levasseur said five community members have died by suicide in the last six months, including three in the last two weeks. The most recent death occurred Monday. She said those who died were in their 20s and 30s.

“It’s devastating… shocking,” she said. “Our community is in a lot of pain.”

Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation, located about 850 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg in Nelson House, has a population of approximately 3,600 people.

Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak deployed members of its mobile crisis response team Tuesday, and they remained in the community Wednesday.

Keewatin Tribal Council Grand Chief Walter Wastesicoot, who was on an airplane Wednesday afternoon, described the situation as “tragic” in a text message to the Free Press.

“First Nations will always support one another during times of crisis, that is who we are,” Wastesicoot said. “Keewatin Tribal Council stands with the families, friends and leadership of NCN as they work to eliminate the suicide epidemic confronting them.”

Levasseur said what is happening in her community is known as a “suicide cluster,” noting it can create a domino effect within communities.

“People are dealing with a lot of unresolved grief,” she said, noting the community held five funerals in seven days last week. “There’s a lot of healing that needs to happen.”

Levasseur said the community is facing multiple challenges, including the increased use of hard drugs such as cocaine, crack and crystal meth following wildfire-related displacement last summer, along with widespread mental-health issues, poverty and a housing shortage of about 700 homes.

She added that this time of year — as the community begins to emerge from a long winter — typically brings some loss of life from suicide.

“But this year in particular, there has been so many losses in a short period of time,” she said.

Levasseur also reported numerous incidents of self-harm, increasing reports of suicidal ideation and an ongoing strain on emergency services, adding RCMP have responded to hundreds of mental-health calls in the past year.

The community is particularly concerned about the high school, where staff have reported student suicide attempts, including some before spring break. Some have been linked to bullying and difficult home environments with addiction, food insecurity and poverty, prompting calls for a “safe haven” for students.

This weekend, NCN will open such a space for community members from late Friday afternoon to Monday morning.

“We’re going to have activities — movies, arts and crafts and motivational speakers,” Levasseur said. “We’re going to bring in people that can help with meditation, self-care, that type of thing.”

She also spoke of the need for more land-based healing, saying people need to “get outside and get healthy in every way — physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.”

She urged community members to come together and check on one another, speak openly and encourage people to seek help without fear or shame.

“There is strength in asking for help,” she said. “In this moment, we must stand together to protect our people and remind every single person that they are valued, they are loved and they belong here.”

Housing, Addictions and Homelessness Minister Bernadette Smith said Wednesday afternoon she had not yet spoken with Levasseur, but had plans to do so to determine how the province can best assist.

“It’s all hands on deck,” Smith said. “First and foremost, I just want to send my condolences and support to the community. These are Manitobans. These are children. These are families. We need to make sure this community is well supported and that no more lives are lost.”

People who are in immediate danger or know of someone in crisis are asked to call the RCMP at 204-484-2288, the NCN First Nation safety officers at 204-307-0912 (Checkstop) or the NCN Community Patrol at 204-679-0226 or 431-354-2026, or go to the NCN nursing station.

scott.billeck@freepress.mb.ca