KEESEEKOOSE FIRST NATION-- Keeseekoose First Nation held its first Opioid Crisis Conference on Wednesday.
“It’s no secret what these communities have been dealing with. The Town of Kamsack, Cote, Keeseekoose and Key have been dealing with meth and opioids for the last little while. In fact it’s become a regional problem,” Second Vice-Chief of the FSIN, David Pratt, said.
Wednesday's conference heard from a speaker who has developed recovery programs for First Nation’s communities. He says the key to recovery is communication and building a cohesive community foundation.
“One of the ways we've been working back home in Ontario was the collaboration of services with the pharmacists, community level workers and the health departments to all work together as one,” Tim Ominika, Indigenous Program Director of the Northwood Recovery Treatment Clinic said.
Leaders in Keeseekoose are looking to build a united front with their neighbours.
“What better place than to have it in the school to educate our young people about the dangers of crystal meth as well as getting advice from our elders and community members on how we can address it,” Pratt said.
Moving forward, leaders will take what they've learned and apply it to their communities. They say they will call on all levels of government for more resources to help tackle the crisis.
