Box

100, Saddle Lake, AB T0A-3T0

780-726-3829 * 780-726-3788 Fax * 1-800-396-2167
www.saddlelake.ca * info@saddlelake.ca

COMMUNITY BAND FORUM

HELD AT SLCN YOUTH CENTRE
TUESDAY, MARCH 1, 2016
At the height of the Forum we had an estimated 100 or more participants.
1. Meeting called to order at 10:27 a.m.
2. Elder said opening prayer
3. Opening remarks:

There were opening remarks from Chairperson, Councillor Charlene Houle-White, Chief Leonard Jackson
on moving forward and getting more feedback from the people.
The Community Crisis Team, through Eagle Healing Lodge, reported on the conference they attended and
the work they are doing as they are another resource in the community and their focus is Enhancing
Identity and Self Worth through nhiyawak Teachings etc. The lead is Roberta Whiskeyjack.
Members were then placed into groups. Each group appointed a group lead to assist in writing down
suggestions/feedback/recommendations. They broke out into three (3) groups
4. Breakout Sessions:
5. Closing:

Chief Jackson informed the participants the information collected will be available for the next meeting and
the next step is to review information and come up with next steps and strategies/plans of action. It will also
be expected for all departments to attend and ensure at least (3) staff attends from each department.
Each group focused on one (1) of the (3) areas:
(Please note, all of these will be interchangeable and will overlap)
1. ADDICTIONS
2. CRIMINAL ACTIVITIES, DRUG DEALERS & HOUSES, GANGS ETC. (Undesirable and violations
against nhiyawak wiyasiwwina (Human Laws) & manitow wiyasiwwina (Creators Laws))
3. SAFETY IN THE COMMUNITY & ADDRESS SUICIDE

Saddle Lake Cree Nation (Onihcikiskwapowin)

Box 100, Saddle Lake, AB T0A-3T0

780-726-3829 * 780-726-3788 Fax * 1-800-396-2167
www.saddlelake.ca * info@saddlelake.ca

GROUP 1: ADDICTIONS
QUESTIONS:
1. WHAT ADDICTIONS IN COMMUNITY?
2. WHAT IS PRIORITY/RECOMMENDATIONS INDEALING WITH ADDICTIONS?

QUESTION # 1 ANSWERS:
Alcohol
Sex
Lateral Violence
Drugs, all types including prescription

Gambling
o Bingo
o Cards

QUESTION # 2 ANSWERS:
Language, Land, Law, Livelihood
Holistic (Physical, mental, emotional, spiritual)
Getting in contact
Detox
Awareness
o Education
Safe Place
o Better Access to Treatment
Parental Responsibility
Purchase a Bed (DETOX)
3 pronged-attack (Before, during, after)
More Involvement with the schools/parents
HARM Reduction AWARENESS
Break the Silence
All Concerns must be addressed altogether
Prevention, Intervention, Follow-up
Find out number of addicts (statistics)
Stop Enabling others
PROCLAIM WAR ON DRUGS!!
Band/Drug Dealers, Identify Drug Dealers
Anonymous tips Line
Crisis Line
Stronger Awareness Campaign
Involving Schools
The Loved ones who are sober need support
too
Programs to support individuals
Who are left to pick up the pieces of those
(loved ones) lost to addictions/suicides
Alternative ways of Inner Healing
Long term healing center

Saddle Lake Cree Nation (Onihcikiskwapowin)

A letter written/given to every home on our

reserve to make them aware of what we are
doing
More Elder Involvement
Report a Drug Dealer Today!
Identify evicted people
Create our own Hotline
Maintain consistency
Acknowledging peoples wellness journey
Deal with lateral violence
More support groups
Unconditional love
Develop more mental health program (In
school)
Partnering with Programs
1 hour/day of NNAADAP classes
More cultural ceremonies/teachings
More awareness in elementary school
Teach life skills to children in-care
o Aging out children
Mens roles and responsibilities
Female Rights of Passage (Follow proper
protocol)
Vision Statement
After care program
Relationships, respect, responsibility,
reciprocity
Building identity, empowering
Work with the families
Need to look into the increase of illness (ex.
HEP C)
Ceremonies, protocols, language

Treatment centre
Trust-building workshops
Being able to utilize cultural ceremony
A law addressing parents who abandon their
children
Intense therapy
Re-visit our school system

Families to heal families

Mentorship programs
1-hour/day of positive in schools (physical,
spiritual, mental, emotional)
For students/staff
Maintain sense of humor

GROUP 2: CRIMINAL ACTIVITIES, DRUG DEALERS & HOUSES,

GANGS ETC. (Undesirable and violations against nhiyawak wiyasiwwina (Human Laws) & manitow
wiyasiwwina (Creators Laws))
QUESTIONS &/or FOCUS:
ISSUES:
Drug Dealers/Drug House
Drug/gang activities

WHAT CONSEQUENCES & WHAT CAN WE DO?

Problems and Solutions are ours!!
Crime Report Form
Tough love in home! In community!!
Evict drug dealers terminate drug users
Drug tests
Improve Communication newspaper, radio
Research what are other communities doing
like Blood reserve
Safe phone to report confidentiality
Take responsibility Control!!
Tribal Police/Justice/speed bumps!!
Regular WS develop a schedule/calendar
Include into education Policy/programs

Keep our children in our schools up to Grade

9?
All programs to be involved!!
Council, staff to be drug free
Enforce laws and policies
Database
Develop an action plan
Visit each other to share and exchange ideas
Elders to visit our schools
Create employment
Implement and follow our culture Values!!
Change our attitude(s)!!
Each of us has to change!!

OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS:
1. Public/safe forum for people to share pain and
stories
2. Circles with different topic to share feelings
about
3. Concentrate on the good that the programs are
doing

4. Activities that bring up good feelings and

energy such as dancing, acting, drama
(ARTS) Film making/photography
5. Shut down S.L. programs, have a coffee break
and talk to each other

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Box 100, Saddle Lake, AB T0A-3T0

780-726-3829 * 780-726-3788 Fax * 1-800-396-2167
www.saddlelake.ca * info@saddlelake.ca

GROUP 3: SAFETY IN OUR COMMUNITY & ADDRESS SUICIDE

QUESTIONS:
1. SAFETY: HOW DO WE GET THERE?
2. HOW DO WE HELP PREVENT SUICIDES?

ISSUES & SAFETY CONCERNS/LACK OF SAFETY:

Drug/gang activities
Need to feel a sense of community
Housing issues
o Housing need
Fear is a big thing in our community
RCMP
o Where are they?
o Do they fit in?
o Cultural Sensitivity
o Response time is slow
o Dont feel safe reporting
o Dont Feel Safe Reporting to Police?
What is going to happening if
report?
What happened with the Recreation
Department?
Dependency is an issue
Long time ago, there was no child welfare, etc.
when a family is having problems, we visited
and helped each other
o Child Welfare: Keep our children
here-not send them out
o Children removed apprehension
o Children removed instead of adults &
children suffer most
Like punishing the kids instead
Departments to be part of this - consequences
if not participate
If people employed and not part of solution,
then replace
Lack of follow up
PTSD (lack of resources)
Women should not do drugs
Whole family impacted
Denial
Safety, Suicide
Alcohol & Drugs (Addictions)
o Addicted employees also
Anger/frustration with services
Saddle Lake Cree Nation (Onihcikiskwapowin)

What lessons do we need to learn from the loss

Sexual abuse
Child neglect
Hopelessness
escape addictions
money lack of
poverty
homelessness
prostitution
different today/values/elders
spirituality lack of in our community
caregiver burnout
grief & loss multi-losses complex grief
stress
broken families
unhealthy parents
limited funds
bored
lack of communication
weak or misguided beliefs about death &
suicide
alone, abandoned, hopeless,
Unloved spirituality
All ages, everyone at risk, all status
no trust
acting our behaviours not personal
lateral violence
postponing events because of funerals
o Too many deaths
o Sometimes some events postponed &
affect supports
o Depends on type and respect

Saddle Lake Cree Nation (Onihcikiskwapowin)

PRIORITIES/RECOMMENATION/SOLUTIONS:

o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o

o
o

Support or stand together head on

o Safety in numbers
o Safety Starts at Home
Our problems and issues are ours, we need to
own our solutions, we have the answers
Listen to our children and give them credit
Never Give Up?
Sometimes do because it is right
Be grateful for what we have
Tough love and fight fire with fire
Retrain our minds and attitudes
All programs to work together
o All programs helping collaborating
the family
o Programs, plans to support
o Regular meetings and enough time for
people to schedule
o Strategy plan to implement
We need to start visiting each other
Visit, interact, social gathering
o Make common & regular
Access our educated people for help
Starts at leadership
Be aware who vote in leadership
Support our people stay home and not have to
leave (jobs, good life, safe)
Bring in more speakers to share stories
Scared straight
Boot camp, (including parents (whole family))
Training
Hand out community program
Strengthen Family Values
o Safety starts at home
o Role Model (2)
Change myself first to help our
community
o Self responsibility, including in our
family
Equip women with skills to protect themselves
Ceremony/Culture/Laws/Education
o Implement Creator and human laws
(2) defined in our nehiyawe
Pastahowewn
o Strengthening our Own Laws, not
colonizers laws.
own laws/policies (we want
our own)
o Strengthen and utilize our teachings
Commitment
Love
Caring, etc
o Under treaty we never agreed to their

o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o

laws, we would maintain our own laws

and ways
All speak nehiyawewin
Know our nehiyawe teachings
Self-defense women ceremony
Women guiding young women
Men guiding young men
Elders
Ceremony call on ancestors for help
and guide
Complete and implement SLCN
Education Law
Schools
Live and exercise our spiritual
language and culture in the
schools (Not only in Cree
Class)
Keep our kids at on reserve
schools at least to grade 6
Incorporate identity and
culture in schools
Stop labeling our children in
schools (coding)
Especially off reserve
Support our children to feel
safe to go to school on reserve
Nobody is doing anything
about bullying in schools

RCMP:
o Crime report form
o We need training from them too
o families
o programs
o schools
Safe call ie. crime stoppers internal
o A tip line (safety in numbers)
Policies federal/provincial review
o bend the rules of government
Community Database & Map
o For Emergency Management
o Assist in grants for more programing
or initiatives
Ambulance Response Time
House numbers at the
driveways
Safe houses (2)
Re-structuring (evaluate) of all programs for
maximum potential
Cutting of gas/water/power at drug houses
(good idea)
Take Risks
o If able to rat out on own kids, able to
rat on others

Page 5 of 6

Saddle Lake Cree Nation (Onihcikiskwapowin)

Its not ratting as negative

but trying to save our family
and friends, people we care
about
o Tough Love. You have to face it dead
on Take our power back as parents
Get educated. That makes our mind stronger
Positive communication strategy
o Communication lack of
o Newsletter and radio station. We need
them back
o Hand our community info once a week
at Bisons Post Office
o Make common and regular
Solutions drug dealers are our families
o Strong support of drug dealer evictions
o Supports to not be attracted to dealing
o Drug Dealers & Addicted - How do we
help them to bring out in the open?
intervention strategies
o Treatment Recovery - Strong after
care
Banish drug dealers from reserve
o Need communication and
collaboration to evict dealers
o Trespassing: banned people
Drug testing of band employees
o at least within the schools
No power and gas to Drug Houses
Stop water to known drug houses
Safety - Use app Cell 411
Change thinking on drugs buy clothes & food
for children & family
o

When asking for help dont take it lightly

People need to take responsibility for
themselves and for their own healing
talk about suicide to the young
teach about love to our children
parents to be aware of signs/symptom of
Suicide
addictions talk about drugs
wellbriety
gratitude teach kids
manners/respect teach kids
coping skills teach
building resiliency teach
talk about death
have employment
parenting skills
independent living
living skills
need volunteers
revisit programs look at alternative methods
four fires/pipe/pray/feast of hope/celebrate
together
raise intensity of the positive energy of our
community
everyones gifted
be aware of yours/others energy
need healthy boundaries
acknowledge children/adults
Ask whats going on, show care/love
take back personal power
cut off assistance until after working on self
Employable people - to earn welfare cheque.
Work or attend programs/volunteer hour

NEXT MEETING SCHEDULED FOR: MONDAY, APRIL 4, 2016 at 10:00 AM, SLCN Youth
Centre
AGENDA:
1. Review Information gathered from meetings
2. Plan next steps forward

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