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National Observer
25-04-2025
- Health
- National Observer
BC First Nation at UN demands government help in battling toxic drug crisis
Members of the Tsilhqot'in Nation were at the United Nations headquarters in New York City on Thursday calling for the British Columbia and Canadian governments to help expand support services in the battle against the toxic drug crisis. Chief Francis Laceese said the crisis is a "continuation" of threats Indigenous Peoples have faced in the form of residential schools and the smallpox epidemic that devastated Indigenous communities in BC in the early 1860s. "We weren't supposed to be here anymore. The drug crisis is a continuation of this threat to our survival," Laceese said of Canada's residential schools, which separated more than 150,000 Indigenous children from their families. "I think the government has to intervene, especially the Canadian government and British Columbia, to help us with this crisis," he said. There had been a meeting recently with BC officials to discuss the crisis and impending closure of a four-bed detox centre in Williams Lake, he noted. Thursday's news conference, which the U.N. says was sponsored by Canada's permanent mission to the world body, came one year after the Tsilhqot'in National Government declared a local state of emergency following a spike in deaths from toxic drug poisoning in its six member nations in central BC. "I think the statistics will show how many people have passed just in our community or at the nation level, BC level," said Laceese, the chief of Tl'esqox First Nation and vice chief of the Tsilhqot'in National Government. Asked about harm-reduction measures such as overdose prevention sites and BC's program that provides prescription alternatives to toxic illicit drugs, the executive director of the Tsilhqot'in National Government said access is a challenge because of the remote nature of many communities. 'We don't have a lot of those,' Jenny Philbrick said of harm-reduction services. 'We're looking for total wraparound services moving forward for our people.' The First Nations Health Authority released data this month showing 427 members of First Nations in BC died of a toxic drug overdose last year. It marked a 6.8 per cent decrease from 2023, but the death rate was still an average of 6.7 times higher than other residents of the province. The health authority's chief medical officer, Dr. Nel Wieman, said that represents "the largest gap" between First Nations members and others since BC declared a public health emergency over toxic drugs in 2016. The Tsilhqot'in Nation said last April when it declared the local state of emergency that toxic drugs, combined with the historical and ongoing harms of colonialism, were contributing to higher rates of overdose deaths among Indigenous Peoples. The statement called on "all ministries and agencies to work together to end this loss of lives" and pointed to a lack of treatment facilities. Chief Roger William with the Tsilhqot'in National Government told Thursday's press conference that they need help to address the crisis "in our own way," in part through culturally centred programming "On-the land treatment processes. Supportive recovery through equine therapy. Funding to support our culture and language," he said. He said Tsilhqot'in members often face racism and discrimination in health-care settings, such as hospital emergency rooms, and they need provincial and federal help to improve access to treatment and recovery services. William said expanding supportive housing is also a key part of the fight against the toxic drug crisis. The basic needs of Tsilhqot'in members must be met in order to stop their "people from falling into using drugs," he said. He said there had been some progress working with government. "We're saying that it's not enough" to address the crisis, he said. William noted his nation is not the only First Nation in BC grappling with the crisis, and others have also declared states of local emergency. "(We) want to find space for all First Nations to come together and talk about solutions," he said. Sierra William, a member of the Xeni Gwet'in community where Roger William serves as chief, also took part in Thursday's press conference. She said smallpox, residential schools and the Sixties Scoop — during which children were taken from their homes and adopted by predominantly non-Indigenous families — had all led to trauma in Indigenous communities. Canada's Truth and Reconciliation Commission outlined a decade ago what must happen to improve the well-being of Indigenous Peoples, she said. "If the calls to action were to be realized, some of our people wouldn't have a reason to turn to drugs," she said. William said for her, self care doesn't mean taking a bubble bath. "Self care for us is doing things to connect us to our culture, to our ways of life. The exact things (that) were taken away from us through colonization." The Truth and Reconciliation Commission had called for sustainable funding for existing and new healing centres to address the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual harms caused by residential schools, William noted. The commission, which was tasked with researching Canada's residential school system, found the institutions were rife with abuse. The commission estimated 6,000 children died in the schools, the last of which closed in 1996, though experts have said the actual death toll could be much higher. This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 24, 2025.
CBC
25-04-2025
- Health
- CBC
Tŝilhqot'in Nation at UN calls for government help battling toxic drug crisis
WARNING: This story contains details of experiences at residential schools. Members of the Tŝilhqot'in National Government were at the United Nations headquarters in New York City on Thursday, calling for the British Columbia and Canadian governments to help expand support services in the battle against the toxic drug crisis. Tŝilhqot'in National Government Vice-Chief Francis Laceese said the crisis is a "continuation" of threats Indigenous Peoples have faced in the form of residential schools and the smallpox epidemic that devastated Indigenous communities in B.C. in the early 1860s. "We weren't supposed to be here anymore. The drug crisis is a continuation of this threat to our survival," Laceese said of Canada's residential schools, which separated more than 150,000 Indigenous children from their families. "I think the government has to intervene, especially the Canadian government and British Columbia, to help us with this crisis," he said. There had been a meeting recently with B.C. officials to discuss the crisis and impending closure of a four-bed detox centre in Williams Lake, he noted. Thursday's news conference, which the U.N. says was sponsored by Canada's permanent mission to the world body, came one year after the Tŝilhqot'in National Government declared a local state of emergency following a spike in deaths from toxic drug poisoning in its six member nations in central B.C. "I think the statistics will show how many people have passed just in our community or at the nation level, B.C. level," said Laceese, the chief of Tl'esqox First Nation and vice chief of the Tŝilhqot'in National Government. Asked about harm-reduction measures such as overdose prevention sites and B.C.'s program that provides prescription alternatives to toxic illicit drugs, the executive director of the Tŝilhqot'in National Government said access is a challenge because of the remote nature of many communities. "We don't have a lot of those," Jenny Philbrick said of harm-reduction services. "We're looking for total wraparound services moving forward for our people." The First Nations Health Authority released data this month showing 427 members of First Nations in B.C. died of a toxic drug overdose last year. It marked a 6.8 per cent decrease from 2023, but the death rate was still an average of 6.7 times higher than other residents of the province. The health authority's chief medical officer, Dr. Nel Wieman, said that represents "the largest gap" between First Nations members and others since B.C. declared a public health emergency over toxic drugs in 2016. Higher rates of drug death among Indigenous Peoples The Tŝilhqot'in Nation said last April, when it declared the local state of emergency, that toxic drugs, combined with the historical and ongoing harms of colonialism, were contributing to higher rates of overdose deaths among Indigenous Peoples. The statement called on "all ministries and agencies to work together to end this loss of lives" and pointed to a lack of treatment facilities. Xeni Gwet'in Chief Roger William told Thursday's press conference that they need help to address the crisis "in our own way," in part through culturally centred programming. "On-the-land treatment processes. Supportive recovery through equine therapy. Funding to support our culture and language," he said. He said Tŝilhqot'in members often face racism and discrimination in health-care settings, such as hospital emergency rooms, and they need provincial and federal help to improve access to treatment and recovery services. William said expanding supportive housing is also a key part of the fight against the toxic drug crisis. The basic needs of Tŝilhqot'in members must be met in order to stop their "people from falling into using drugs," he said. He said there had been some progress working with government. "We're saying that it's not enough" to address the crisis, he said. William noted his nation is not the only First Nation in B.C. grappling with the crisis, and others have also declared states of local emergency. "[We] want to find space for all First Nations to come together and talk about solutions," he said. TRC called for improved well-being Sierra William, a member of the Xeni Gwet'in community where Roger William serves as chief, also took part in Thursday's press conference. She said smallpox, residential schools and the Sixties Scoop — during which children were taken from their homes and adopted by predominantly non-Indigenous families — had all led to trauma in Indigenous communities. Canada's Truth and Reconciliation Commission outlined a decade ago what must happen to improve the well-being of Indigenous Peoples, she said. "If the calls to action were to be realized, some of our people wouldn't have a reason to turn to drugs," she said. William said for her, self-care doesn't mean taking a bubble bath. "Self-care for us is doing things to connect us to our culture, to our ways of life. The exact things [that] were taken away from us through colonization." The Truth and Reconciliation Commission had called for sustainable funding for existing and new healing centres to address the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual harms caused by residential schools, William noted. The commission, which was tasked with researching Canada's residential school system, found the institutions were rife with abuse. The commission estimated 6,000 children died in the schools, the last of which closed in 1996, though experts have said the actual death toll could be much higher.
CBC
25-02-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Tŝilhqot'in National Government calls for change to land, water management in wake of 2024 B.C. landslide
Social Sharing The Tŝilhqot'in National Government (TNG) is calling on the B.C. and Canadian governments to uphold and support Tŝilhqot'in knowledge, laws and jurisdiction over its own territory, among other things, in the wake of a landslide last summer. On July 30, a landslide in Nagwentled, also known as Farwell Canyon, blocked the Chilcotin River in B.C.'s Interior, a vital stream for salmon, for six days. The effect the slide had on salmon remains unclear, though the Department of Fisheries and Oceans said in September that very few had passed the landslide area. A new report from the TNG looked at the response from the Tŝilhqot'in and the provincial and federal governments, in an effort to find out what worked and what should happen moving forward. WATCH | Chilcotin River days after July 2024 landslide: B.C. river flows after water spills over landslide 7 months ago Duration 0:56 The TNG is made up of six Tŝilhqot'in communities working together to advocate for the Tŝilhqot'in people. Among them is Tl'esqox Chief Francis Laceese, who pointed out that managing the land and water within the TNG's territory is part of the United Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. "Governments have to change their legislation and their way of thinking," he said. The TNG says the slide signified a "changing of the waters," and a realignment of the relationships between the TNG and other governments. The report touches on the fact that the Tŝilhqot'in Nation is in charge of emergency management when it comes to fires in its territory — but the landslide response was a different story. It says the landslide revealed shortfalls in communication and co-ordination of the emergency response from provincial and federal governments. The TNG says it had to overcome "jurisdictional confusion" and that the province "struggled" to share information about the slide, and as a result, the First Nation's own emergency management was "largely hamstrung" when trying to help residents due to a lack of up-to-date information. Key among the complaints, the report says, was the lack of information sharing. "While the provincial government helpfully arranged helicopter viewings for chiefs and senior staff, the province was reluctant to share monitoring data on a government-to-government basis with the [Tsilhqot'in National Government]," the report says. 'They know what they're doing' The Nation says it wants to ensure it is leading on emergency management within its own territory. Jenny Philbrick, TNG Executive Director, said that while the Tŝilhqot'in started work on the landslide right away, the provincial and federal governments also got involved. "Tŝilhqot'in people and a lot of other Indigenous people have jurisdiction in their own lands, and they know what they're doing," Philbrick said during a news conference on Monday. "Indigenous people should be taking the lead in their own lands." Funding needed Among its four calls to action is money for emergency reserve and restoration funds. The First Nation says the uncertain and delayed funding from the federal government forced it to move forward with "urgent and vital actions to steward the salmon" without a guarantee of support from Ottawa. Philbrick said ongoing funding is necessary, as two subsequent landslides happened after the initial slide, and another is expected. "Another reason why this is so important [is] to make sure that those relationships are good and that there's still funding flowing for future landslides." The TNG also says that given its historical knowledge and expertise in the area and in terms of salmon, it's in the best position to lead on salmon recovery. It's calling on the province and feds to transition the TNG's Emergency Salmon Task Force to a long-term project. The federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans was unable to provide a response to the report before publication.
