Task force a priority as Dene Nation public safety forum on drug crisis gets underway

Jocelyn Shepel · CBC News

· Posted: May 07, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 11 hours ago

The Dene National main successful the N.W.T. says communities are "at the crossroads" successful the ongoing cause crisis, and helium hopes the instauration of a task unit volition assistance find solutions.

"There's thing much unsafe for our assemblage and for our young radical than the cause crisis," said Dene National Chief George Mackenzie connected Tuesday successful Yellowknife, astatine the commencement of a multi-day forum connected nationalist safety.

The nationalist forum is being hosted by the Dene Nation and includes section chiefs, elders, and different assemblage leaders. 

"We person had enough, we person had capable of different radical doing the program for us…Today a batch of young lives are being taken from us; we cannot hold immoderate longer," said Mackenzie.

The archetypal two-and-a-half days of meetings are looking astatine assemblage extortion and security. Mackenzie is proposing a task unit to code the issue of drugs and unit arsenic a priority. That task unit would enactment arsenic a impermanent radical of people who would correspond their communities to lead and plan community transgression prevention. 

Mackenzie said that erstwhile a written program is developed it would beryllium brought backmost to leaders for last approval, adding that helium hopes to spot a program finalized successful the adjacent future. 

Tuesday's gathering focused connected however the task unit could beryllium developed. Sahtu Grand Chief Wilbert Kochon said helium has already recovered idiosyncratic successful his assemblage to delegate to the task force.

Tuesday's gathering besides included an overview of the N.W.T. main nationalist wellness officer's latest study connected toxic drugs successful the territory and enactment items to assistance amended pass assemblage members connected prevention and information measures. 

'The clip is now'

Dehcho Grand Chief Herb Norwegian said connected Tuesday that enactment needs to travel retired of the forum.

"We ever accidental it takes a full assemblage to rise a child, truthful I person a work successful that too," Yakeleya said.

"So speaking to parents is important and parents request to beryllium alert that this is really happening, this is real."

Mackenzie said that determination is nary 1 amended suited to instrumentality connected the issues presently astatine manus than the assemblage leaders astir the table.

 "We're not being disrespectful to anybody, we are being forceful, meaning it's clip that different organizations perceive to america and fto america bash the program ourselves," said Mackenzie.

The gathering is acceptable to proceed connected Wednesday with presentations from RCMP, Dene lawyers and Crime Stoppers representatives. Meetings are nationalist and scheduled to statesman astatine 9 a.m. astatine the Chateau Nova. 

There volition besides beryllium exigency absorption meetings aboriginal this week arsenic well, earlier the forum wraps up connected Friday.