Demand for action comes after man found dead on Tobique First Nation street
By John Chilibeck, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Daily Gleaner
A First Nation chief is demanding that something be done about the illegal drug trade in his small community in northwestern New Brunswick, saying the RCMP needs to step up enforcement.
Ross Perley, the chief of Neqotkuk or Tobique First Nation, told the crowd at the New Brunswick Assembly of First Nations All Chiefs Meeting last week that he had seen too many tragedies in his community of about 1,600.
“We need law enforcement to do their damn job,” he said virtually from a screen in a conference room of the Delta Fredericton hotel. “And we need the Crown to prosecute to make our communities safer.”
Perley said he had to leave the meeting early to attend the funeral in the afternoon of a middle-aged man who had died from circumstances related to illegal drugs in the First Nation about 155 kilometres north of Fredericton.
He said he was going to attend another funeral that week for a person killed in a homicide, also related to illegal drugs.
“I’m getting tired of asking for help, but I’ll never stop,” Perley pledged. “I’ve heard other chiefs say the same thing, moving from crisis to crisis, a never-ending crisis.”
New Brunswick RCMP confirmed that a 56-year-old man had recently died in the community, but did not use the word “homicide” to describe his death.
On July 22, the Tobique RCMP detachment received a report of a missing 56-year-old man from the First Nation. Later the same day, police located a body on Main Street on Tobique First Nation.
“Following a subsequent investigation, police were able to identify the deceased as being the missing 56-year-old man,” said Staff Sergeant Eric Dubé, in an email to Brunswick News. “Police are actively working to determine the man’s cause of death, and at this time, believe there to be no risk to public safety.”
Dubé said the New Brunswick RCMP was confident in the service it provides to all communities across the province, including First Nations communities such as Tobique.
“We remain committed to working in close partnership with Indigenous communities and leadership,” he wrote. “Our members regularly engage with Indigenous leaders and community members, as well as with our provincial partners, to identify local concerns, explore potential solutions, and navigate legal limitations.”
He added that community safety was a shared responsibility.
“We will continue to work collaboratively with Indigenous leadership and other partners to ensure that enforcement efforts reflect community needs and priorities.”
The Wolastoqey chief criticized law enforcement in front of Education Minister Claire Johnson, Social Development Minister Cindy Miles and Indigenous Affairs Minister Keith Chiasson, all three in the provincial cabinet. Also in attendance virtually was federal Indigenous Services Minister Mandy Gull-Masty.
Perley then complained, as other chiefs have in the past, that police are not enforcing the band council’s bylaws.
For instance, Chief. Allan Polchies of Sitansisk, or St. Mary’s First Nation, and Chief Shelley Sabattis of Welamukotuk, or Oromocto First Nation, have slammed the police in the past for refusing to enforce their bylaws, such as ones that ban people who they consider “undesirable” from their communities because they believe they peddle drugs or cause violence.
But the staff sergeant said the issue wasn’t that simple.
“The nature of these laws are multifaceted and require ongoing assessments of complex legal issues from both a policing and prosecutorial perspective,” he wrote. “The RCMP is governed by the Charter of Rights and the federal Privacy Act and may choose not to enforce any by-law that may infringe these rights. For example, warrantless searches.”
RCMP Superintendent Daniel Austin was scheduled to speak to the chiefs behind closed doors that Monday afternoon.
Brunswick News asked to speak to the superintendent, who is a district commander, but a spokesperson said police were too busy with operations for interviews.
When Perley was finished, Sabattis used her turn to lambast the RCMP.
She claimed that every member of the Oromocto RCMP, near the capital, was corrupt and part of organized crime.
“It’s sickening. There isn’t one constable on that force who will do anything,” she said. “They have some sort of code. It’s disgusting, utterly sickening.'”
No one in the room or online challenged Sabattis’s comments.
Sabattis and eight others from her small First Nation southeast of Fredericton are facing charges of assault and breaking and entering in a case stemming from an ugly incident in the community last summer. They are accused of breaking into a home and hurting two people. Both were sent to the hospital.
Sabattis also faces a count of obstructing the RCMP.
In response to Sabattis’s accusations of corruption, Dubé said the RCMP took all allegations against its members seriously.
“At this time, no complaints or reports have been received regarding these claims,” he said.
“However, if anyone has concerns or information, we strongly encourage them to come forward so the matter can be properly reviewed and investigated. We have confidence in the integrity and professionalism of our members and remain committed to serving all communities with transparency, accountability, and respect.”
