Chiefs seek co-ordinated approach to opioid crisis
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 06/09/2017 (2964 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Chiefs from seven southern Manitoba First Nations declared a state of emergency Wednesday, seeking to create a plan to combat rising rates of crime, youth suicides and murders related to the opioid crisis.
The Dakota Ojibway Tribal Council (DOTC) says its communities are buckling under the strain of the drug crisis and plan to call on both levels of government for help to address the problem.
“We’re going to get information from the RCMP and our Dakota Ojibway police on exactly what’s coming into our communities. I think it’s fentanyl, crystal meth, all these chemicals that are being sold in our communities,” DOTC chief executive officer Robert Daniels said prior to a meeting in Portage la Prairie.
According to the DOTC, the crisis has impacted life in the seven sister First Nations (Birdtail Sioux, Dakota Tipi, Long Plain, Roseau River Anishinabe, Sandy Bay, Swan Lake and Waywayseecappo).
“Lately, there’s been a spike in break-and-enters and thefts in different homes… there’s been several homicides take place in different communities. Also, the youth suicide is something we’re concerned about. We just put in place a mental wellness team to deal with the crisis,” Daniels said.
The chiefs joined local police and tribal social and health services officials Wednesday at a day-long emergency meeting in Portage la Prairie. They had planned to come up with a strategy to present to communities at the end of the day.
Daniels said the tribal leaders want to call on the federal and provincial levels of government for help and tap into the new federal opioid strategy.
“They’ve announced some sort of transfer payment to the province, so we have someone from the province there (at the meeting) to speak to it.”
One of the problems is a lack of treatment options available in the health-care system and a shortage of funds to pay for the help that is in place, he said.
Daniels said he expects cultural factors will play a big role in whatever strategy is announced.
“Our chiefs are saying we need to go back to our cultural practices, trying to address this — whether it’s sweat lodges or ceremonies or different things. The mainstream doesn’t seem to understand how important that is. There’s a trust factor, people will not open up to a case worker versus someone who’s versed in their culture, to share what it is they’re going through,” he said.
“Help is there through the cultural practices that are still there.”
alexandra.paul@freepress.mb.ca
History
Updated on Wednesday, September 6, 2017 9:48 PM CDT: Full write through