The first homalco nation celebrates its fourth funeral in six months this week for a young member of the community who died of drug overdose.
The Nation of the North Island is the third indigenous group on the island of Vancouver in declaring an emergency state due to the toxic drug crisis. They are joining the calls so that the leaders of the federal and provincial government take urgent measures and provide resources to help them deal with it.
“This crisis is a direct result of the sequels of residential schools and the last generational trauma that continues to devastate indigenous communities,” he said.
“The toxic drug epidemic is not just a Homalco problem, it is a direct consequence of colonial policies that fractured families, suppressed culture and left lasting scars in indigenous people.”
In March 2024, the GWA’SALA-NAKWAXDA’XW Nations, two nations of the Northern Island with a population of 1,100, declared an emergency state After the death of 11 members. The nation said many died due to drug and alcohol poisoning.
The Nuu-Chah-Nult Tribal Council, which represents 14 nations from the west coast with about 10,000 members on the island, declared an emergency state in September Due to mental health and opioid crisis. One of his member communities, the first nation of Ahousaht, had declared an emergency state two weeks before that, after the death of two young people in a few hours in separate incidents.
The leader of the first nations says ‘we are in a crisis’
Terry Teegee, regional head of the assembly of the first BC nations, says that 10 years after the toxic drug crisis, there is not enough support or culturally appropriate and culturally appropriate resources for indigenous communities. Indigenous people, particularly women, invent a disproportionate number of the lives lost by toxic drugs.
“I think we are in a state of crisis with many first nations in this province,” said Teegee, who blames the generational trauma of residential schools for the depth of the current crisis.
“One of the things we are seeing unfortunately is almost a generation of generation as a result of the opioid crisis.”
The head of Homalco, Darren Blaney, spoke in a video posted on social networks announcing the state of emergency of the nation. He expressed sadness for the recent deaths of his four young members and said that Homalco’s leaders would celebrate a community dinner on March 14 to discuss plans to address the crisis.
“It will need more than the boss and the advice to help the community keep drug traffickers out, but also to support people when they try to light,” he said in the video. “We need our young people to perform their full potential.”
The leadership of the Homalco Nation and the health authority of the first nations were not immediately available for an interview when CBC contacted.
Blaney asked the province to be involved with the Homalco and other nations that have declared that an emergency state to find immediate long -term solutions through a government to government process. The CBC did not receive an immediate response from the province when a comment was requested.
Blaney says he hopes to receive more funds to build a trauma center to help prevent future deaths.
“We have lost too many people for drugs and alcohol; we can’t continue on that path,” he said. “We will all heal from this process.”
