James Smith Cree Nation unveils new emergency alert system
System also available for other First Nations looking to better prepare for emergencies
James Smith Cree Nation (JSCN) released a new emergency alert system Wednesday, two weeks after the coroner's inquest into the stabbing massacre at the Saskatchewan First Nation.
In September 2022, 11 people were killed and 17 others were injured during a stabbing massacre in James Smith Cree Nation. Earlier this month, a coroner's inquest into the massacre resulted in 29 recommendations, including eight measures that could make the community safer.
JSCN is now the first First Nations community in Saskatchewan that will be able to send community-based safety alerts directly to their members, local leadership said Wednesday.
"That morning we could have saved lives if we had an alert system like that," said Robert Head, chief of Peter Chapman, one of the bands that make up James Smith Cree Nation.
"The younger generations are all connected by cellphones and they're all on these apps and, you know, they're going to have the most impact when it comes to the alert system."
Head said cellphone infrastructure would have to be enhanced for more northern communities to use this feature.
He said the app will put more control in the community's hands.
"We can respond in real-time to immediate threats within the community."
The system, called FirstAlerts, is a newly launched feature on Talking Stick, an anonymous chat app developed by TryCycle Data Systems in partnership with the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN) that provides peer-to-peer Indigenous support in Saskatchewan.
The alert system is only implemented on JSCN for now, but Head said he hopes other First Nations will start using it to issue emergency alerts about missing persons, natural disasters and public safety emergencies.
Chelsey Stonestand, a community addiction worker at the James Smith Health Clinic, said she is optimistic that this system can help the community.
"I'm feeling hopeful. I think any opportunity that can come forth to create more of a safe feeling in our communities, that will help," she said.
Stonestand said many people in the community are using Talking Stick and she would encourage everyone to use the new feature.
"All we can do is try and so I do hope that it serves its purpose. And not just in James Smith, but in all First Nations communities."
TryCycle Data Systems CEO John MacBeth said he is confident more communities will sign on.
He said existing emergency alert systems have often failed to serve the unique needs of First Nations communities.
MacBeth said since Talking Stick has been downloaded over 25,000 times, it made sense to add this feature to the existing app.
"The key is to try to get that information out the first time to get it out correctly," he said. "It's very important we do it in a very timely, timely manner."
MacBeth said his Ottawa-based company has spent the last year developing FirstAlerts because it saw the urgency.
He said the present version will be text only, but the option to add images and videos will appear in coming months.
MacBeth is hopeful that the app can be used in other First Nations across the country and North America.
"This is an Indigenous problem. It's not defined by borders. This is a problem that's endemic," he said.
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