The Daylu Dena Council in Lower Post, B.C., has imposed a community lockdown as of May 16.
As part of the lockdown, only residents of Lower Post are allowed in the community.
There is also a patrol of community members keeping an eye out for suspicious activity from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m., Harlan Schilling, the deputy chief of Daylu Dena Council, said. Any suspicious activity will be reported to the Watson Lake RCMP, who have a good working relationship with the community, Schilling said.
Schilling said there is no immediate danger to community members.
“We're just seeing a bit of a rise in just some activity that, again, is not wanted or welcomed in our community,” Schilling said. He credited Daylu Dena Council Coun. Catherine Porter with engaging the community for the initiative.
Schilling said the community is requesting that if people are not from the community, or do not need to be in the community, that they stay away.
“This will allow us to focus, you know, on our community members that are going through addiction problems at this time and some social issues.”
Schilling said that so far, all the community feedback on the measure has been positive.
He said that the community, which is located in British Columbia, is the closest reservation to the Yukon territory.
Hence, he said, some people who are wanted by the RCMP think they can use the community to hide out.
“That is just not the fact,” he said.
“We have a great, healthy, thriving community,” Schilling said. The community lockdown is a way of letting people know that if they want to be part of the community, then they have to contribute to a healthy living society, he added.
Lower Post has had exponential growth over recent years, according to Schilling.
He said over $100-million worth of infrastructure has gone up in the community, listing examples like the new administration building, supportive housing and an on-the-land healing facility in Iron Creek.
“We are now starting to see that we can be self-reliant, and that if we want a healthy community, it starts with us,” he said.
Contact Talar Stockton at talar.stockton@yukon-news.com
