Photo of Tipi's in Piikani at the 2023 Piikani Nation Celebration
On Jan. 2, 2024, a local state of emergency was declared in a First Nation 32 kilometers southwest of Fort McLeod where deadly narcotics are leading to a rise in deaths.
Just as the New Year kicks off, a spike in drug related deaths in the Piikani Nation have led to Chief and Council declaring a local state of emergency as each death affects the tight knit community of Piikani.
The local state of emergency will provide greater resources to local agencies battling on going drug use and the side affects that come along with it.
RCMP will also be working along side local agencies to crack down on drug traffickers and gang related crime which are tied to narcotics coming into the Nation.
“The situation affecting our nation is not unique to us. Drugs, especially opioids and fentanyl, may prove to be the public policy challenge of the century affecting every community coast to coast.” said Piikani Chief Troy Knowlton, “In a tight-knit community like ours, the impact of drugs, especially addiction and tragically death, particularly among our youth, reverberate pain throughout our entire nation”.
Chief Knowlton says the nation is taking several measures to prevent drug use, improve emergency treatment and provide additional resources to agencies dealing with both drug abuse and its side effects.
The Piikani Nation is also making supports and services available for those who have lost a family member or friend to overdose.
According to the RCMP, 1,262 Albertans died from opioids last year — up 255 from the year before that.
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