James Bay Cree First Nation looks to banish drug dealers and alcohol bootleggers

A northern Ontario First Nation is looking to banish drug dealers and alcohol bootleggers from its community.

Moose Cree First Nation held a membership meeting this week to discuss how criminal traffickers could be kicked out of the isolated community on Moose Factory Island in Ontario's far north. 

Chief Mervin Cheechoo says the details of exactly how dealers would be identified and removed still needs to be worked out. 

"I think it's well-known who they are, but sometimes it's tough to deal with the situation from a police perspective," he says.  

"But I believe with the community support and all the community rallying to deal with this issue, I believe it's going to go somewhere."

Cheechoo, who was elected chief three months ago, says drug and alcohol addiction has long been a problem in the community, but he says it's gotten much worse in recent years with the rise of opioids. 

"Elders are suffering. There's a lot of elder abuse, violence toward elders and money being taken from them. Children are neglected and hungry and a lot of them are missing school," he says. 

"It's real bad here. People are struggling here."

Cheechoo says he knows that it won't be easy to banish drug dealers.

One challenge is that while Moose Cree could kick criminal traffickers off their territory, they don't have control over all of Moose Factory Island, which they share with the Moocreebec First Nation, as well as some private land owners. The dealers could also move across the river to the sister community of Moosonee.

Exactly who is targeted for banishment and whether or not they need to be convicted of criminal charges before that happens is another question that needs to be answered. 

"I think the courts will play a big part in it. We're not really fully there with every detail yet," says Cheechoo who does remember a few Moose Cree members being banished in decades past. 

First Nation staff will now work to refine the band council resolution that was passed earlier this year and discussed at the membership meeting this week.

Cheechoo says another membership meeting would need to be held to ratify the finished policy, which he thinks can happen within a few months. 

"It's a tough decision, but we want a healthy community here," he says. 

We've been mandated by our elders, we've been mandated by our grandmothers to deal with this issue."