Leaders in Sheshatshiu have barricaded the central Labrador Innu community of about 1,200 people in an effort to curb the flow of drugs, granting community safety officers the power to deny vehicles and previously banned people from entering.
The order came into effect on Monday night, against the backdrop of community meetings with residents who proposed new ideas to help prevent illegal substances coming in at either of Sheshatshiu’s entrances.
“The drugs is a big issue in the community, and I think everybody knows it. Every household knows it,” Eugene Hart, chief of Sheshatshiu Innu First Nation, told CBC News Tuesday.
“We need the help of the community as well in order to move forward. Because we can’t do it on our own.”
Around 150 people attended the meetings over Monday and Tuesday, including Yvette Michel. She says she’s had enough when it comes to the growing amount of addiction and overdoses.
“I think everybody in this community is afraid of losing their loved ones,” Michel said.
“Enough is enough of these people … drugs taking over our community. We got to look after our next generation.”
The road to Sheshatshiu has been blocked, and safety officers are stopping all vehicles entering the First Nations community. Those officers have the power to deny entry altogether, and as the CBC’s Andrea McGuire reports, residents say loved ones are now taking desperate measures to access drugs.
Sheshatshiu has dealt with similar crises before. The town grappled with a prevalence of gas-sniffing in the early 2010s, and declared a state of emergency following a flurry of suicide attempts in October 2019.
In March 2024, Innu Nation said community leaders were concerned “about the failure of the RCMP, who police the region, to curtail the sale of illicit drugs that are flowing throughout their communities.”
But Hart said this crisis feels different, as he says drugs are getting into the hands of young people.
“This one’s affecting homes and children, younger children involved. So people are just asking [for] help, [and] we’re here to help as much as we can,” he said.
Florence Milley, one of the meetings co-organizers, said the large turnout is important.
“There’s going to be resistance, there’s going to be questions, there’s going to be fears. But we’re trying to face something. You’re never going to know if you don’t try,” she said.
“We’re not looking to hate the drug dealers, that’s not the issue. The issue is wanting to stop so we can try to cure the people that are suffering.”
Pashanish Penashue, who attended a meeting, told CBC News how he’s seen drugs affect the community.
“One girl that I knew, it took her away from us. And she had … three beautiful kids,” Penashue said.
Drugs also nearly took his own life, he said.
“I’m sober now, and being in that dark place is very scary. And I never want to go back there,” Penashue said.
“I honestly believe this is something that could actually have a good [outcome] for our future. Because it needs to stop.”
Part of that collaborative effort involves supporting people facing addiction, Penashue said, which he says goes beyond just putting someone in jail.
He’d like to see a treatment or detox centre in the community, but residents like Milley say residents can’t wait for that.
“We need help ASAP, to put in place some sort of emergency measures or emergency funding,” Milley said.
RCMP Insp. Danny Williams, responsible for the management of Labrador’s district detachments, also attended Tuesday’s meeting. He said police are committed to keeping drugs off the streets and building trust with residents.
“We want to make sure that we show the community that we’re approachable when they have issues and concerns,” Williams said.
“That we’re willing to hear those and to really work with the community themselves … when they have those issues toward a solution or to put things in place.”
If you or someone you know is struggling, here’s where to get help:
This guide from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health outlines how to talk about suicide with someone you’re worried about.
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