Members of the Innu community of Sheshatshiu in Labrador will gather in August to discuss the banning of alcohol following a series of recent deaths, accidents and arrests.
A member of the community’s council, Greg Pastitshi, says people are finally waking up to the fact that they have a problem because too many kids are using drugs and alcohol.
A ban on alcohol in the more remote Innu community of Natuashish five years ago has been linked to reduced crime, but alcohol smuggling remains an continuing issue.
Mr. Pastitshi says people will still find ways to smuggle alcohol and adds there is little the town council can do of people drink in nearby towns such as Happy Valley-Goose Bay.
The RCMP says alcohol and drugs, such as cocaine, are the cause of frequent police calls in Sheshatshiu.
“There’s no doubt it’s a problem,” says RCMP Cpl Rick Mills. “I can attest to that. It’s a continual thing we are dealing with, not just in this community but most of Labrador.”
Statistics Canada and RCMP data suggest that the number of cases are far higher in Happy Valley-Goose Bay than the national average.
Statistics Canada said in a 2011 report that the number of incidents per police officer was 129 in the Happy Valley-Goose Bay region. That compared with an average of 30 incidents across the country.
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