Pic Mobert First Nation in northwestern Ontario declares state of emergency over gang activity

A First Nation in northwestern Ontario had declared a state of emergency over escalating safety concerns around gang activity.

On Tuesday, leaders from Netmizaaggamig Nishnaabeg First Nation – also known as Pic Mobert First Nation – held a press conference at Queen's Park to demand more support for what they're calling "a crisis in violence, organized crime, addiction and mental health."

"A series of violent incidents, inhumane delays in emergency response, and the unchecked presence of organized crime have left our citizens feeling scared, abandoned, and unsafe – even in their own homes.

"This is not an isolated or temporary situation. It is becoming the new normal," Chief Louis Kwissiwa said in a news release issued Tuesday morning.

Between 350 and 400 people live in the Ojibwe community, which consists of two reserve lands located off Highway 17 along White Lake. The First Nation is about 55 kilometres east of the town of Marathon.

Pic Mobert is served by the Anishinabek Police Service and Marathon detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP).

Chief Kwissiwa told CBC's Jonathan Pinto that they declared the state of emergency because people feel unsafe in the community, "There's a lot of mental health issues. There's a social issues, there's addictions. With all of that, people are feeling really insecure. It's the lack of policing, it heightens the crime, the organized crime, the human trafficking, you name it, all of that, it heightens. 

He said they are asking the province for a commitment to adequate police funding. "We have a plan in place. We're not asking them to fix it for us. We're asking them to help us fix it, to assist us with our plan that we have." 

The First Nation has three key asks for the province:

Elsewhere in northwestern Ontario, Fort William First Nation, which neighbours Thunder Bay, declared state of emergency in July over the community's ongoing drug epidemic.

A lack of police officers, and the distances they must travel to Pic Mobert, are one of the main issues when it comes to delayed response times, explained Paul Michtics, director of community safety for Pic Mobert and a retired OPP officer, during Tuesday's press conference.

"Police patrols and presence for [less] than half of each month in our community is insufficient, and a stark contrast to the levels of service that other towns receive in the province of Ontario," Michtics said.

"We need to stop drug trafficking, violent crimes, weapons and illicit drug use. We need a police service that is present in the community, enforcing our local laws to disrupt and prevent these violent activities."

The First Nation has four dedicated officers and wants to see that at least doubled, he said.