FIRST NATION TARGETS DRUG ABUSE

Bylaw could strip users, dealers of jobs, homes

A Manitoba First Nation, struggling to curb escalating drug abuse, has taken
the law into its own hands by introducing a bylaw that could strip users and
dealers of their jobs and homes.

Fisher River First Nation band lawyer Harold Cochrane said the close-knit
community of 1,700, located about 200 kilometres north of Winnipeg, has
noticed a dramatic increase in drug abuse in the last couple of years.

"We're not just talking soft drugs like marijuana," he said. "The new drug
of choice is crack cocaine. It's gotten really bad."

Cochrane said the increased drug use has fuelled a spike in other crimes
like assault, break and enters and gang activity.

Because the nearest RCMP detachment is more than 60 kilometres away, there
is little police presence and the problems are escalating, said Cochrane.

After numerous community meetings, the band council recently drafted a new
bylaw to toughen penalties for drug-related offences. The bylaw makes it
illegal to make, sell or possess narcotics. The Criminal Code already
contains similar laws, Cochrane said, but the new bylaw includes stiffer
consequences.

Under the new bylaw, the band can levy its own penalties, including fines
and jail time. The bylaw also gives the band the power to remove offenders
from band jobs, cut off their assistance cheques, take them off the list to
receive new housing or even banish them from the community if the problem
persists.

Cochrane said the bylaw was enacted as part of a larger drug strategy that
includes developing employee assistance programs, hiring a drug strategy
worker and launching a drug education program in schools.

Under the Indian Act, First Nations are able to draft their own community
bylaws where it comes to the health and safety of its residents.

The new bylaw is currently being reviewed by the federal Justice Department
to determine how it might work with the Criminal Code.

Once in effect, the bylaw will only cover people who commit drug crimes
while on reserve lands. Cochrane said the bylaw could be enforced by the
nearby RCMP. But the band is also negotiating with the federal government to
access funds to open its own detachment of the Dakota Ojibway Police Service
to begin policing the community.

RCMP Sgt. Steve Colwell said the community is within its rights when
developing the bylaw, but he wonders if it will have much effect.

"The effect will be limited to that small area," he said.

"Whether it will curb the activity or not, I don't know."