'Years of history': Who is the former drug dealer banished from Haida Gwaii?

Jason Proctor · CBC News

· Posted: May 01, 2025 9:35 PM EDT | Last Updated: 14 minutes ago

Scared neighbours. An ambiance of "fear, mistrust and continual disruption." People "upset and anxious and disquieted successful their ain homes."

As she listed Frank Young's impacts connected her tiny Haida Gwaii community, a Skidegate band councillor told a B.C. provincial tribunal justice successful 2020 that the First Nation wouldn't regularisation retired banishment if the strategy couldn't support residents from the harms caused by his cause dealing.

Michelle McDonald gave a assemblage connection connected behalf of the Skidegate Band Council astatine Young's sentencing successful November 2020 for a drug-related offence.

"Elders, younker and families are fearful of the accused and the benignant of radical that are astatine the home. They fearfulness retaliation erstwhile they talk out. They bash not privation interaction with offender," McDonald told provincial tribunal justice David Patterson.

"They fearfulness for young people who visit, that they volition beryllium exploited oregon preyed upon successful the discourse of cause usage oregon trading favours for drugs. The assemblage doesn't spot that determination is simply a effect for the behaviour ... that continually happen[s], and mistrust that the justness strategy volition support them."

'This is thing to bash with him'

Young was sentenced to a twelvemonth successful jailhouse and 2 years of probation successful 2021 aft pleading blameworthy to possession of cocaine for the intent of trafficking. Roberta Young — his woman astatine the time — was besides convicted of the aforesaid charge, drawing six months in jail and 2 years' probation.

The couple — on with different household members — are present among 8 radical banished from Haida Gwaii, sparking reactions crossed bluish B.C. from communities trying to escaped themselves from the corrosive interaction of toxic drugs.

WATCH | Homes destroyed, assemblage members banished successful aftermath of deed and run: 

The banishment was initiated aft Frank Young's 32-year-old lad Tyson was charged with second-degree execution successful the decease of Luke Pearson, who was killed past week successful what RCMP person described arsenic a targeted deed and run.

The lawsuit has ignited a conversation astir the bladed enactment between righteous indignation from frustrated citizens and vigilantism.

As societal media tracked the Young family's outcast travel from municipality to municipality Thursday, Haida enactment urged radical to get disconnected their devices and enactment calm, portion RCMP warned against behaviour that bordered connected transgression harassment. 

According to provincial tribunal documents, Frank and Roberta Young had possession of 2 neighbouring houses successful Skidegate in 2021. They lived successful 1 with their daughter, portion 1 of their sons lived successful the other. 

Patterson said Tyson Young was connected the sofa successful his dad's location erstwhile Frank Young was arrested successful February 2019, aft constabulary got a hunt warrant based connected surveillance that showed a dependable watercourse of "comings and goings that were accordant with cause buying customers."

"At immoderate constituent during oregon aft the apprehension of Mr. Young, helium pointed astatine his lad and said 'this is thing to bash with him,'" the justice said.

The raid turned up cocaine, pills, cannabis, a standard and "hundreds of bare tiny integrative baggies, what are commonly referred to successful the cause vernacular arsenic 'dime baggies,'" Patterson said.

The justice said Young "denies that his household members are cause dealers. Rather, Mr. Young says that portion his woman and children did not o.k. of his cause dealing, they enactment up with it."

'A assemblage service'

At his 2021 sentencing, Frank Young claimed he'd been dealing drugs in Skidegate since 2015 — trafficking successful bid to enactment his ain addiction.

He came earlier the tribunal claiming to beryllium a sick man, hoping to debar incarceration arsenic helium struggled with bosom illness and lung cancer. But the justice said helium appeared without remorse for the harm helium had inflicted connected his neighbours — seeing "drug dealing arsenic a assemblage service."

"Mr. Young apparently holds the presumption that helium was simply providing drugs for radical that were successful hunt of drugs," the justice noted.

"Mr. Young views his customers arsenic adults making a determination that is theirs to make. Mr. Young maintains that helium does not question clients; his customers find him, and helium provides a work for a demand."

Young claimed helium didn't merchantability to children — a claim refuted astatine sentencing by Trent Moraes, lawman main councillor for the Skidegate Band Council, who said "high schoolhouse students are known to beryllium customers."

Moraes claimed "most, if not all, members of Mr. Young's household are progressive and consenting participants successful the cause trade" and that "Young is the patriarch of 1 of the large trafficking families successful Skidegate."

'We person tools of banishment'

Frank Young's stepfather was Indigenous, but his biologic parents were not. According to the tribunal records, helium moved to Skidegate with his family when helium was astir 12 successful the aboriginal 1970s.

At sentencing, Frank Young said helium self-identified arsenic Indigenous, but the justice said determination was thing successful his circumstances that would person allowed him to payment from the considerations afforded Indigenous offenders.

On behalf of the Skidegate council, Coun. Michelle McDonald told the justice they wanted it known that "Frank Young is not a set member." She said the assemblage wanted to spot him receive jail clip and treatment.

"There has been years of past with Mr. Young and his household that jeopardizes the wellness and information of our membership. And we privation to marque definite that helium gets help," she told the judge.

"So — and being successful our community, helium volition not get assistance if helium has not proven successful the past that helium has tried to scope retired for assistance before. So we interest that helium volition proceed conscionable doing what helium is doing to marque a living. And it volition support jeopardizing our people."

WATCH | B.C. AFN main describes situation infinitesimal for First Nations implicit cause deaths, violence: 

McDonald said the First Nation was trying to beryllium "proactive" and "doing things with procedural fairness."

"We person tools of banishment successful our ... kits and we person utilized it successful the past," McDonald said successful 2020.

"I tin accidental that this is not thing we person discussed, but these are the tools that the set has successful their — if we consciousness that wellness and information to our radical volition beryllium jeopardized."

Judge David Patterson said helium was 1 of 2 judges who regularly sits successful Haida Gwaii, and arsenic specified was "aware that the instauration of illicit drugs to Haida Gwaii is different antagonistic merchandise of, and ongoing grounds of, colonialism."

He thanked MacDonald for reminding the tribunal of the ongoing issues cause dealing and addiction person caused earlier ordering Young jailed for a year.

"Drug dealing interferes with the quality of assemblage members to unrecorded a peaceful life," helium said.

"The semipermanent effects of cause dealing are a drain connected the community. Vulnerable addicted individuals usage funds they request for rent, food, and bills to acquisition drugs. The rhythm of poorness and addiction is playing retired endlessly."