FISHER RIVER DRUG BYLAW FIRST OF ITS KIND AMONG FIRST NATIONS

Interlake Spectator -- Fisher River Cree Nations has seen and heard it
all when it comes to problems related to drug use in their community.
It's a serious problem, one Chief David Crate and his council have
taken a proactive approach to snuff out.

Chief Crate and his council have developed and enacted a bylaw
prohibiting illegal drugs on the reserve.

"Ongoing concerns within the community about the number of users and
incidents of gangs calling on the wrong homes in cases of mistaken
identity have created an uneasiness in the elders and the community,"
says Chief Crate. "There have been major problems with selling and
using drugs in the community."

Crate said that over the last four years there have been three
homicides, two connected to drug use.

Four years ago, band council started consulting its legal advisors in
investigating something that would give the community leverage to a
growing problem.

"Our legal advisors suggested looking at a bylaw," said Crate. "We
used them as a sounding board to look at the drafts and the end result
was something we were comfortable with."

Once the document was in final draft format, it was taken to the
community for a vote May 13. It met with overwhelming success in
favour of implementation and the document came into effect June 10.

In the document, it is noted that the drug problem has caused "misery
and turmoil amongst the people of Fisher River Cree Nation and is a
major cause of social concerns and problems in the community;"

The prohibitions read that no person shall sell, barter, supply or
manufacture illegal drugs on the lands, and no person shall be in
possession of illegal drugs on the lands of Fisher River Cree Nation.

Penalties are laid out in the document ranging from fines of $1,000 or
a prison sentence to a maximum of six months. In addition to these
penalties, offenders may be subject to other penalties such as loss of
employment, assistance, housing, eviction and, in some cases, banishment.

Taking the bylaw one step further, council is currently looking at
drafting policies for the Human Resource department's to use.

"This gives employers a means to use the bylaw as a way of dealing
with employees," Crate said. "Two drafts are out and we hope that by
the end of August we will have the policies in place.

"Part of our strategy is to hire a drug coordinator to make sure there
is compliance with the bylaw. We are working with the RCMP
representatives and the courts, but the situation is out of control."

With the RCMP detachment based out of Fisher Branch, response time at
the best is 30 to 40 minutes for urgent matters and, in some cases,
months for break and enters.

Council is also exploring the option of hiring the Dakota Ojibway
Police Service (DOPS); something that's been under discussion since
1999. The goal is to secure a six-member detachment in the community
as the current policing needs are not being met through the band
constable program nor by the RCMP, council believes.

"The Fisher Branch RCMP are under-manned," said Chief Crate. "We are
frustrated with the response times which have been as long as three
months. The elders do not feel secure in the community. They shouldn't
have to live with no sense of security."

DOPS's goal is to provide First Nation communities policing services.
Chief Crate said that the infrastructure is now in place to house a
detachment and a petition showing community support is currently
available for residents to sign, demonstrating to both levels of
government the community is supportive.

Crate said that council's proactive approach has drawn attention from
other First Nations communities, not only in the immediate area but
from across Canada.