Grandmothers form alliance against drug trade on Manitoulin
Marion Peltier has been a mother for two generations.
The grandmother from Wikwemikong First Nation, Ont., says she is raising her grandchildren to keep them safe.
"Us grandmothers don't really have freedom to live our own lives because there's fear for our grandchildren," says Peltier.
"They're scared and we have to support our children."
Peltier is part of Wikwemikong Grandmothers, a group first formed in 2012, after the members realized people were coming from outside the community, supplying drugs and getting locals to sell them.
At that time, the grandmothers held demonstrations at the Wikwemikong/Assiginack border, kept an eye on community members and asked a private security company to help Wikwemikong Tribal Police.
Their actions worked — for a while. But Peltier says a violent incident earlier this month was the last straw.
"I see the stuff that's going on," she says. "The suppliers are back."
Now, Wikwemikong Grandmothers is getting organized.
Peltier says the group will be holding a community meeting on Monday, asking residents and band members to voice concerns and brainstorm possible solutions.
Decrease crime, unemployment rate with more security
The grandmother's have invited Ronald Wells to the meeting. He is the president of CanCom Security and is a member of the First Nation community. His security company has been assisting local police since 2012.
"The police are doing a magnificent job, but some of the calls have been pretty demanding," Wells says.
"We observe and report back to leadership and police. The deterrence is huge."
Wells says back in 2012, he operated with 18 guards, two patrol cars, two guards in each car and bike patrol during the summer.
Budget constraints forced the Wikwemikong band council to cut those numbers in half. Wells says he now operates with six guards and one patrol car.
The plan is to look for more funding from the band council and other provincial programs so security presence can be increased again.
Wells says this would reduce crime and decrease unemployment rates within the First Nation community, since all hires would be band members.
"I actually had a lot of community members come up to me, who were part of that drug trade," Wells says. "Full grown men who would come down and break down and say 'I don't want to do this anymore. I want to help my community'."
Chief wants more preventative measures
Though the grandmother group says the community feels unsafe, Duke Peltier insists the majority of people are not involved in the drug trade.
Peltier, the chief of Wikwemikong Unceded Territory, says he'd like to see the First Nation invest in more community programs, sports teams and after-school groups.
"We need to place more of an emphasis on activities for our children, so that these areas in the future would not necessarily be concerns," Peltier says.
"The younger minds can be shaped to seek out better choices."
Peltier says the band council needs to see demand from the community to hire more security.
Even then, he hopes locals do it for the right reasons.
"Sometimes you get into an employment relationship, as opposed to being in it for your community and your family," says Peltier.
"There should be a vested interest in ensuring community safety."
The community meeting in Wikwemikong is scheduled for 6 p.m. Monday, May 29, in the band council chambers.
