TORONTO — A state of emergency has been declared in Netmizaaggamig Nishnaabeg First Nation, as leaders seek relief from a policing and mental health crisis.
Members of the community gathered at Queen’s Park on Tuesday to deliver an urgent message to the province, demanding the basic safety, security and access to services found in other communities across Ontario.
“We have reached a crisis in Netmizaaggamig Nishnaabeg,” said Louis Kwissiwa, chief of Netmizaaggamig Nishnaabeg, in a release issued on Tuesday.
“A series of violent incidents, inhumane delays in emergency response, and the unchecked presence of organized crime have left our citizens feeling scared, abandoned, and unsafe – even in their own homes. This is not an isolated or temporary situation. It is becoming the new normal.”
The decision, considered a last resort, was reached by the community after a number of incidents, including a young man being held at gunpoint and beaten within the community, another individual being stabbed multiple times and a home invasion that resulted in two offenders remaining at large in the community for a week. In the last instance, community leaders say police insisted there was no danger to Netmizaaggamig Nishnaabeg residents.
Leaders in the community say the incidents are part of a much wider systemic failure of both senior levels of government to keep First Nations safe.
Northwestern Ontario NDP MPP Sol Mamakwa said the system has been failing for far too long and it’s time to take these complaints seriously.
"The Ontario government has shown a systemic pattern of negligence toward safety in First Nations. In Netmizaaggamig Nishnaabeg, lives are being threatened and lost due to unmet policing needs,” said Mamakwa, the NDP deputy leader and critic for Indigenous and treaty relations.
“I urge the government to implement the solutions put forth by Netmizaaggamig Nishnaabeg with the urgency this requires."
The community has responded to the crisis, brought on by increase drug trafficking by gangs, which has led to an explosion in overdoses, sex trafficking and violent crime in Netmizaaggamig Nishnaabeg, located about 380 kilometres east of Thunder Bay, also known as Pic Mobert First Nation.
Suicide rates are on the rise and the waitlist for those seeking detox beds, either in Sault Ste. Marie or Thunder Bay continues to grow.
To combat the problem, the community has incurred nearly $5 million in debt, the money spent on licence plate readers, security cameras and external emergency security services.
Community leaders are calling for accountable policing and justice, adequate funding for safety and mental health services, and equitable levels of support on par with any other part of the province.
“The time for discussions and promises is over – we need action now,” said Joe Moses, CEO of Netmizaaggamig Nishnaabeg.
“I have listened to this premier, and to Ontario legislators, speak about protecting the public, from violence, from addictions, from gangs and guns. If this message is intended to apply to all Ontarians, including to our community in Netmizaaggamig Nishnaabeg, they will listen to the needs of our community.”
Netmizaaggamig Nishnaabeg is at least the third First Nation in the region to declare a state of emergency due to the impacts of drugs and crime this year. Fort William First Nation declared a state of emergency in July and Ginoogaming First Nation declared a state of emergency in May.
