Sheshatshiu leaders barricade town as residents discuss how to deal with flow of drugs

Alex Kennedy · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 26, 2025 4:30 AM EDT | Last Updated: 11 minutes ago

Leaders in Sheshatshiu have barricaded the Labrador assemblage successful an effort to curb the travel of drugs, granting assemblage information officers the powerfulness to contradict vehicles and antecedently banned radical from entering.

The bid came into effect connected Monday night, amid the backdrop of assemblage meetings to perceive from residents and suggest caller ideas to assistance forestall amerciable substances coming successful astatine either of Sheshatshiu's entrances.

"The drugs is simply a large contented successful the community, and I deliberation everybody knows it. Every household knows it," Eugene Hart, main of Sheshatshiu Innu First Nation, told CBC News Tuesday.

"We request the assistance of the assemblage arsenic good successful bid to determination forward. Because we can't bash it connected our own."

Around 150 radical attended the meetings implicit Monday and Tuesday, including Yvette Michel. She says she's had capable erstwhile it comes to the increasing magnitude of addiction and overdoses.

"I deliberation everybody successful this assemblage is acrophobic of losing their loved ones," Michel said.

"Enough is capable of these radical … drugs taking implicit our community. We got to look aft our adjacent generation."

WATCH | Sheshatshiu leaders accidental drugs person taken implicit their community:

Sheshatshiu has dealt with akin crises before. The municipality grappled with a prevalence of gas-sniffing successful the aboriginal 2010s, and declared a authorities of emergency pursuing a flurry of termination attempts successful October 2019.

In March 2024, Innu Nation said assemblage leaders were concerned "about the nonaccomplishment of the RCMP, who police the region, to curtail the merchantability of illicit drugs that are flowing passim their communities."

But Hart said this situation feels different, arsenic helium says drugs are getting into the hands of young people.

"This one's affecting homes and children, younger children involved. So radical are conscionable asking [for] help, [and] we're present to assistance arsenic overmuch arsenic we can," helium said.

Florence Milley, 1 of the meetings co-organizers, said the large turnout is important.

"There's going to beryllium resistance, there's going to beryllium questions, there's going to beryllium fears. But we're trying to look something. You're ne'er going to cognize if you don't try," she said.

"We're not looking to hatred the cause dealers, that's not the issue. The issue is wanting to halt truthful we tin effort to cure the radical that are suffering."

Pashanish Penashue, who attended a meeting, told CBC News however he's seen drugs impact the community.

"One miss that I knew, it took her distant from us. And she had … 3 beauteous kids," Penashue said.

Drugs besides astir took his ain life, helium said.

"I'm sober now, and being successful that acheronian spot is precise scary. And I ne'er privation to spell backmost there," Penashue said.

"I honestly judge this is thing that could really person a bully [outcome] for our future. Because it needs to stop."

Part of that collaborative effort involves supporting radical facing addiction, Penashue said, which helium says goes beyond conscionable putting idiosyncratic successful jail.

He'd similar to spot a attraction oregon detox centre successful the community, but residents similar Milley accidental residents can't hold for that.

"We request assistance ASAP, to enactment successful spot immoderate benignant of exigency measures oregon exigency funding," Milley said.

RCMP Insp. Danny Williams, liable for the absorption of Labrador's territory detachments, besides attended Tuesday's meeting. He said constabulary are committed to keeping drugs disconnected the streets and gathering spot with residents.

"We privation to marque definite that we amusement the assemblage that we're approachable erstwhile they person issues and concerns," Williams said.

"That we're consenting to perceive those and to truly enactment with the assemblage themselves … erstwhile they person those issues toward a solution oregon to enactment things successful place."

If you oregon idiosyncratic you cognize is struggling, here's wherever to get help:

• Canada's Suicide Crisis Helpline: Call oregon substance 988.

• Kids Help Phone: 1-800-668-6868. Text 686868. Live chat counselling on the website.

• Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention: Find a 24-hour situation centre.

This usher from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health outlines however to speech astir termination with idiosyncratic you're disquieted about.

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