WABASCA – The largest Treaty 8 Indigenous band in northern Alberta is renewing its call for help from all three levels of government after crime and drug abuse have “exhausted” its resources.
Bigstone Cree Nation’s Chief Andy Alook was joined by the band’s council for a Jan. 24 press conference, where he called for help from all three governments, and expanded upon the band’s decision to declare a State of Local Emergency (SOLE) Jan. 8. The conference, held at the River Cree Resort in the Greater Edmonton Area, brought in reporters from across the province.
“Mental health and addictions are the leading concern that has exasperated the crisis that we face today,” said Alook during the press conference. “Our nation has dealt with so much loss of life from suicide and addiction issues. The loss of life effects each and every nation member, nation departments, and our current leadership.”
In his statement, Alook called upon various provincial departments and ministers, including Adriana LaGrange, Alberta’s minister of health, Rick Wilson, Alberta’s minister of Indigenous relations, and Dan Williams, Alberta’s minister of mental health and addiction to help “keep Albertans safe” by addressing a variety of social issues, including houselessness, crime, and addiction.
“Bigstone Cree Nation has an obligation to provide safety for members and citizens working in its communities, but Canada has the fiduciary constitutional duty to ensure that our treaty is upheld,” said Alook. “Wabasca and Calling Lake are being threatened with the rise in serious and violent crimes, arsons, assaults, break and enters, gangs, and increased illegal drug use.”
RCMP agreements
To help address these issues, the Nation has signed a community tripartite agreement (CTA) with Wabasca RCMP, which provides dedicated officers who spend most of their time on Bigstone Reserves #166 A, B, C, and D, including Sandy Lake and Chipewyan Lake. According to Alook, it can take RCMP officers between two to four hours to respond to calls at Chipewyan Lake, which is located 110 kilometres north of Wabasca, and 128 kilometres west of Fort McMurray.
Alook, alongside the rest of Bigstone Cree Nation’s council, are working to get a similar agreement in place with the Athabasca RCMP detachment, although Alook said it’s not their only option.
“We’ve also looked at other policing models, including First Nation’s policing,” said Alook in response to a question from a reporter. “We’re also working towards the best justice system that is going to serve the needs of our communities.”
The M.D. of Opportunity No. 17, which includes all five Bigstone reserves, declared a SOLE in the hamlet of Calling Lake, which sits adjacent to the Jean Baptiste Gambler reserve #183 — Calling Lake. Since that Oct. 11 declaration, the Athabasca RCMP detachment has been working with community groups in the area to help address their concerns.
“We’ve refocused our efforts on offender management, which has been instrumental in reducing crime in the area,” said Staff Sgt. Mark Hall, who leads the Athabasca detachment. “Most of the crime is being done by a small percentage of the population up there, so we spent our time dealing with that small portion. We’ve also been working with a working group that’s been discussing major projects in the community.”
Bigstone’s negotiations with the RCMP around the possibility of increased staffing are ongoing — Hall said the discussions take place above his paygrade. One thing the two men agree on is that an increase in staffing and recruitment is will be part of the way forward.
“We’re trying to come up with real solutions that are going to provide justice and community safety, not only for the municipality but also for the Bigstone Cree Nation lands,” said Alook. “We also need to address the issues of recruitment; we don’t always have enough RCMP members as a part of our CTA, but these are discussions we would need to have before finalizing that agreement.”
