Problems in Eabametoong have been building

“At times I feel on edge.”
Myrna Slipperjack, a teacher currently on sick leave in Eabametoong, said that’s how she feels when she’s walking alone in her community.
A rampant prescription drug abuse problem has prompted violence, a rash of arson and two cases of murder this year. Chief and council reacted by declaring a state of emergency Oct. 22.
“My greatest fear is that we lose another community member,” Slipperjack said during a community gathering Nov. 4 when Sharon Johnston, wife of Gov. Gen. of Canada David Johnston, and Ruth Ann Onley, wife of the Lt.-Gov. of Ontario David Onley, visited the community.
Another community member, who asked to remain anonymous, also expressed concern about safety in the community.
“Sometimes I don’t feel safe at night, even in my own home,” the woman said. “I get scared when I go to bed thinking ‘What if … ?’”
Community members have a variety of ideas about what the root cause of the violence is.
“I think there is a major issue with parenting in our community,” the anonymous woman said. “The kids are out all night when they should be at home.”
Slipperjack agrees.
“There is a lack of parenting,” she said. “The younger generation of parents, they are too busy doing their own stuff to take care of their kids.”
If no one is looking out for the youth, they are more likely to find trouble, she said.
That could mean bullying, trying drugs or setting fire out of boredom.
“I think we need more involvement in the community,” said Tammy Atlookan, Healthy Babies coordinator in Eabametoong. “We should be helping each other out more. We all need to socialize and volunteer more.”
Sid O’Kees, a social worker in the community, thinks drug abuse is the most pertinent issue in his community, but he doesn’t think it is any worse than other communities.
“There are drug issues everywhere,” he said, adding he has had no issues with safety and security in Eabametoong, with the exception of having some gas stolen from his vehicle occasionally.
“I feel safe,” he said. “I think the real issues with the violence is personal quarrels.”
Regardless of why it is happening, the violence is very real and concerning to former chief Corny Nate.
Not enough police to assist community
‘Users crash and sleep all day’
It is something he’s seen building for nearly a decade.
Nate, who spent 11 years as chief, said the problem has escalated consistently with the amount of drugs flowing in the community.
“When people run out of drugs, they crash and sleep all day,” he said. “They are too sick to look after their children.”
He said it is especially prevalent in the middle-aged adults. Their children, typically those in the six to 12-year-old range, are the ones running around all night, Nate said.
“They seem to eventually get into trouble as they run out of things to do for excitement,” Nate said.
“The issues affecting our community aren’t new,” he said. “They have been building for more than 10 years.”
The number of assaults, weapons incidents and even threats have steadily been increasing, Nate said.
“Some of the young people have been fighting … and they have had to be medivaced out of the community for knife wounds,” Nate said.
“The Elders have been saying for years that the violence was going to get worse, that someone was going to get killed. That did finally happen this summer.”
Nishnawbe-Aski Police Service (NAPS) is trying to work with the community to address the violence, said Police Chief Robin Jones.
“This is a community that requires 24/7 policing,” she said, but that is not something NAPS can do because of prolonged funding issues.
The community has five NAPS officers serving its 1,200 member population.
“This community needs more officers,” she said. “But other communities are short too.”
Jones said NAPS can’t transfer more officers to Eabametoong because other communities will be short officers.
The community has been able to secure two loan officers from the Ontario Provincial Police who began 12-hour patrols Nov. 2. Negotiations are underway to try and bring in three additional OPP officers until the community’s emergency response plan is in place in March.
Current Eabametoong Chief Lewis Nate said having a few extra officers in the community has helped but more are necessary.
Nate is appreciative of the support the community has received – including $50,000 from Indian and Northern Affairs Canada for private security and necessary equipment – since the state of emergency was declared.
The community has hosted its Matawa Tribal Council counterparts, Aboriginal Affairs Minister Chris Bentley and NAPS Chief Robin Jones has been to the community three times.
“Other Matawa First Nations leaders have immediately come to our community and have helped us create a larger voice,” Nate said. “This crisis is not exclusive to Eabametoong First Nation, it is a situation that many First Nations can face or have dealt with in the past.
“I feel a great sense of gratitude. It feels like we are not alone.”
Nate said community members are involved in long-term planning.
“This is short term assistance to help us restore order in the community, but we also need necessary resources to provide long term solutions to the larger issues, such as the drug epidemic that triggers much of the crime occurring in the First Nation,” he said.