Muskody First Nation members are asking for urgent action to address Saskatchewan’s growing fentanyl crisis.
On Tuesday, the members of the community and the allies arrived at the building of the Saskatchewan Legislature, finishing an eight -day walk in honor of those who have died by addiction.
The walk began on June 9 in Muskody, located more than 300 kilometers northwest of Regina.
Organizer Betty Prosper shared the emotional cost that the overdose crisis is taking in indigenous communities.
“With so many deaths in the community and a recent overdose yesterday, how do we try to cry that when we have not finished crying our other relatives?” Prosper said. “We have just aggravated weekly. Weekly there is another death and then there is another death.”
Prosper said that most people in indigenous communities know someone who is affected by the crisis.
“We are losing all generations of mothers and parents, leaving all these children,” he said.
Erica Hennie, another organizer of the walk, said that the idea came from a dream that Prosper had, telling him to raise awareness about the problem and take measures.
“She came to me and asked me if she would help her, so that’s what we did.” Hennie said. “We put his dream in the process of this walk.”
Both women say that the province must work directly with indigenous communities to expand access to detoxification and treatment, including more workers and culturally receptive attention, before more lives are lost.
Betty Nippi-Albright, opposition of the NDP MLA for the Saskatoon center, said Tuesday that the system is failing people in crisis.
“We only have a small window of opportunity when someone seeks help and we need to be there,” said Nippi Albright. “The three -digit waiting lists for detoxification are not good. Every day, we listen to people who die from fentanyl overdose. Crystal methamphetamine is ruining lives here in this province, and the government needs to intensify.”
Nippi-Albright said that healing must be driven by the community and culturally based, and that indigenous solutions need more support from the provincial government.
