Chief calls for better mental health supports following young man's death in remote northern First Nation

The chief of Sayisi Dene First Nation is pleading for more mental health resources in the remote northern community after the death of a 21-year-old man.

Chief Evan Yassie of Sayisi Dene First Nation said he believes drugs were involved in the circumstances around the man's death, and wants the provincial and federal governments to do more to ensure illegal substances can't get into the community, which is located near Tadoule Lake.

The 21-year-old was accused of assaulting multiple people on Thursday. When police were trying to arrest him on Friday, he turned a gun on himself.

The Independent Investigation Unit, Manitoba's police watchdog, says it will probe the incident since the death occurred during police presence. 

Drug shipment concerns, lack of mental health supports

During a news conference Monday, both Yassie and Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak (MKO) Grand Chief Garrison Settee raised concerns that illegal drugs may be getting into northern First Nations communities through the mail.

They say it's difficult to prevent due to privacy regulations, and want a mechanism established so that shipments being delivered through Canada Post can be inspected for alcohol and drugs. 

"We need to look at ways in how we can work together to ensure we have the ability and also the capacity to be able to protect the community from illegal and illicit drugs," Settee said.

Yassie said he wants the provincial and federal governments to do more to ensure illegal substances can't get into the community, which is located near Tadoule Lake, about 985 km north of Winnipeg.

Yassie also said the remoteness of the community makes it difficult to get people access to mental health resources, or even communicate with each other because of the poor Internet connectivity and cell service.

"Our hands are tied a lot of times because we just don't have the capacity to respond in an effective and efficient way to deal with these serious issues," he said.  

He said more provincial and federal support is needed for educational and mental health infrastructure.

"That is my call-out to outside resources to help the community to deal with the young people that are suffering, because this one has really affected the young people, and I know there's a few of them out there right now that are still struggling."

Impact of relocation

The Sayisi Dene were uprooted from their traditional caribou hunting grounds in northern Manitoba and forcibly relocated to the Churchill area in the 1950s. By 1973, the group relocated to Tadoule Lake, in north central Manitoba, about 250 kilometres west of Churchill.

But the damage was already done. Of the more than 250 members who were originally moved, 117 had died.

Yassie says the community is still grappling with the trauma of that relocation decades later, and now, is comprised mostly of young people. 

"A lot of them are within the community and they don't go beyond that. And so I need the infrastructure to maybe bring in a training centre so I can build on the skills that are needed to maintain the community," said Yassie. He added in addition to job skills training, a treatment centre and on-the land healing programs are necessary. 

"We need these infrastructures to stabilize the young people so they can feel proud of the success they can achieve."

Yassie said a therapist was in the First Nation over the weekend to help community members after the tragedy, and members of MKO's mobile crisis response team are also on site. A therapist visits the community once every two weeks to provide some services, he said, but other than that, the community is basically on its own.

He said he wants to offer youth in the community opportunities to reconnect with their culture, but doesn't have the resources to do so right now. 

Justice Minister Kelvin Goertzen said he plans to raise this issue with the federal Minister of Justice personally during a
meeting later this week.

A spokesperson for Canada Post wrote the "growing and devastating toll" that illicit drug and alcohol use is taking on Indigenous communities is "of great concern" to the Crown corporation. 

"We are working closely with law enforcement partners in the Northern Manitoba region, and our postal inspectors continue to coordinate efforts with the local post offices and community leaders," wrote Hayley Magermans in an email. 

Magermans noted that Canada Post doesn't have enforcement authority in First Nation communities, and can't discuss its specific security measures related to mailing illicit substances.

CBC News has reached out to Indigenous Services Canada and is awaiting a response.

If you're struggling or know someone who is, here's where to get help:

• Canada Suicide Prevention Service: 1-833-456-4566 (phone) | 45645 (text).
• Kids Help Phone: 1-800-668-6868 (phone), live chat counselling on the website.
• Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention: Find a 24-hour crisis centre.