‘I had to say something because somebody is going to die’

In Fort Simpson, the effect of drugs on the village has some residents posting online pleas for help – and even naming people involved. Not everyone thinks that’s the best way.

Tackling the spread of drugs through NWT communities has been labelled a priority by the territory’s premier and was a key issue at July’s Dene National Assembly, where Indigenous leaders declared a state of emergency.

Earlier this year, Sharon Allen used Facebook to voice her mounting concern at the alarming number of deaths in Fort Simpson being attributed to health complications rooted in addiction, domestic violence, homelessness or overdose.

“In eight months we lost 17 people in our community due to addictions, homelessness, lateral violence,” Allen wrote at the time.

“Stop the talk and take action. Our people are dying.”

In doing so, Allen says she was trying to put into words some of the unspoken issues and silent suffering in the hope that it will spark action.

“It’s a crisis,” Allen told Cabin Radio. “These are uncomfortable things that people don’t want to talk about.”

Erin, a resident who asked for their real name to be protected so they could speak without fear of reprisal, said they had reached their limit when they wrote a Facebook post in June that named people Erin suspected of selling drugs in Fort Simpson.

The post, which quickly racked up responses, was later deleted.

A few weeks afterward, police charged five people in connection with a drug trafficking investigation.

Erin wanted the Facebook message to shake people into seeing what is happening around them.

Now, months later, Erin describes the continuing presence of photos of “coke on the table” in their feed.

“I felt I had to publicly say something because one of these days, somebody is going to die,” Erin said. “Somebody’s going to overdose.”

While some residents support the idea of public online posting about the crisis – and naming those thought to be involved – other residents think that approach could isolate and shame people who are already suffering from addiction.

“Calling out all these drug dealers and people that are using, publicly shame and name them – I’m really against that,” said Fort Simpson resident Stella Nadia.

“We’re not helping the people that are stuck in that cycle. All we’re doing is we’re hurting them more.”

In a village where many people have loved ones experiencing addiction, Nadia says everyone has something to gain from supporting people through healing. She wants more drug testing and drug education made available in Fort Simpson so people know what they’re taking, how it will affect their body, and what they can do to limit the harm.

“We should be proactive and stand up all of us, and let them know exactly what it is that they’re using,” Nadia explained.

“I’m just trying to prevent overdoses.”

Dealing evolves

Erin, a longtime Fort Simpson resident, says drug dealers in the early 2000s sold mostly weed. When they tried to sell cocaine, they recall “big community members who drove them out.”

“That’s kind-of what I want to see again, is people driving these dealers out of town, even if they are community members. You either stop it or you leave,” they said.

That approach, which some people call vigilante action, has raised separate concerns of its own in the recent past. In 2023, police reported two suspected dealers being “swarmed by Fort McPherson residents” and warned that people taking matters into their own hands “put themselves and their communities at risk.”

Fort Simpson and Fort McPherson are facing similar crises, and Erin says the situation is worsening to a point where the village no longer feels safe for the family.

While Erin says cocaine has become “very common,” another resident – who again asked for their name to be changed for their protection, referred to here as Trisha – said methamphetamines, or meth, are circulating in Fort Simpson too.

Police seized a kilo of meth in Yellowknife several months ago. In another instance, meth was found mixed with other drugs circulating in Hay River.

“Meth is the big thing being pushed,” Trisha said. “It’s a huge problem.”

Even with meth and cocaine on the streets, Trisha said there’s another factor to consider.

“The alcohol problem here is even worse than the drugs,” Trisha added.

‘It hasn’t changed anything’

Erin finds life in Fort Simpson isolating. Writing the Facebook post caused them to lose friends, they said, “but that didn’t bother me because these people were not actually my friends.”

Trisha said “no one wants me around because I don’t use any more.”

“I have so much trauma and I’m triggered all the time,” Trisha added. “It’s not the drugs any more, it’s the trauma, and I need to deal with it.”

Erin recalls receiving an angry message from a resident they named in their June post. The brief exchange left Erin wondering: “What are people going to do in this community? Come run me over?”

“I’m speaking out, but it hasn’t changed anything,” Erin continued. “We are supposed to be a healthy community.”

“I know a lot of people personally that have lost everything,” Nadia said.

“I would hate to see them lose their dignity, and I would hate to see them lose their pride, and I would hate to see them lose their life.”