Blood Tribe in Alberta starts new offensive against drug use and traffickers | 24CA News
A First Nation in southern Alberta says a rise in drug use and overdose deaths has pressured it to behave in what it calls a life-and-death battle.
“We are all aware of the increase in overdoses and deaths amongst our people resulting in the use of opioids and other harmful drugs and we need to make the necessary decisions to reduce the harm that we are experiencing,” mentioned Blood Tribe Chief Roy Fox mentioned after a council assembly Monday.
“We will need to focus on preventing those dangerous drugs from reaching our lands and our people.”
Fox mentioned beginning instantly, the First Nation is implementing two new measures: organising a particular police workforce, and cleansing up and renovating many deserted homes on the reserve of 10,000 to close down drug operations.
It is to be funded initially with a $1.5-million provisional funding from the Blood Tribe, often known as the Kainai Nation.
Canada’s largest reserve has been hit arduous by an opioid epidemic that has plagued many elements of the nation over the past 9 years. It began with fentanyl, an opioid as much as 100 occasions extra highly effective than heroin, that has been used as a painkiller for terminal most cancers sufferers.
Despite previous measures, together with states of emergency and banishing a number of drug sellers, the issue seems to be getting worse.
The new particular police pressure “will focus entirely on preventing the sale and misuse of drugs, and increasing the surveillance of trafficking activity on reserve lands,” Fox mentioned.
“We will use the trespass law more diligently so that outside criminal subjects can be apprehended, convicted and/or expelled from the reserve.”
Fox mentioned renovating many deserted properties will serve a double goal.
“Some of the abandoned homes situated primarily in the townsites are being used for illegal drug purposes and we will be renovating these houses so deserving homeless families can have adequate houses to live in,” he mentioned.
“We will begin repairing an initial amount of houses and continue to renovate as we negotiate with other governments towards additional funding.”
Band Coun. Winston Day Chief mentioned most of the deserted properties comprise medication and weapons. Repurposing them could be a optimistic step.
“We’re putting some money back into those abandoned homes that were affected so we can get these homeless people, those with children, back into their homes in a safe environment.”
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