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National Indigenous News April 16 · National Indigenous Newscasts

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_02: This is a look at your National Indigenous News.
• 0:02
  SPEAKER_02: I'm Daryl Stranger.
• 0:03
  SPEAKER_02: Chief Angela Lavasser of the Nissachua Cree Nation in northern Manitoba says that additional help is on the way to support the community in the midst of a suicide crisis.
• 0:13
  SPEAKER_02: Last week, the First Nation, which is also known as Nelson House Cree Nation, declared a state of emergency after three deaths by suicide in the last three weeks.
• 0:22
  SPEAKER_02: This adds to the two people who also died by suicide over the last two months.
• 0:27
  SPEAKER_02: Nissachua Crenation is a community of over 4,000 people located 800 kilometers north of Winnipeg.
• 0:33
  SPEAKER_02: RC and P have said they receive 500 health-related calls annually from the community, 80% of those involved a report of suicidal ideation.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_02: The First Nation has been actively working with partners, such as Manitoba Kiwaitinawi Ogamaganak, Kiwaitan Tribal Council, and Indigenous Services Canada, to establish additional mental health supports and develop immediate short and long-term strategies to support healing in the community.
• 0:57
  SPEAKER_02: Strategies and intervention would include a deployment of mobile crisis response teams, access to mental health clinicians, therapists, and cultural support workers, child and youth-specific mental health services, and long-term sustainable investments in prevention and community healing.
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_00: The Picani Nation War Veterans Society is set to host a memorial powwow on April 25th, bringing community members together to celebrate culture while supporting a meaningful cause.
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_00: Hailey Greer Stewart, president of the Picati War Veteran Society, says the event will raise funds for a new Veterans Monument with plans to complete it by November 11th, 2026 to honor the service and sacrifice of Picati Veterans.
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_01: And at the beginning of the year, we were endeavoring towards getting our new Veterans Monument up and going for the unveiling on November 11th of this year.
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_01: And we thought that APOWA would be a good way to initiate our fundraising initi activities.
• 2:04
  SPEAKER_01: We're already getting pretty good with our fundraising goals, and this is just a way to get the word out there.
• 2:10
  SPEAKER_00: In Bakani Nation, I'm Daniel Barber Tromble.
• 2:14
  SPEAKER_02: The number of overdose deaths of First Nations in British Columbia dropped by about a third in 2025, but the population continues to be disproportionately impacted by the province's toxic drug crisis that has killed more than 18,000 people in the last decade.
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_02: Dr.
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_02: Nell Wyman, the chief medical officer with the First Nations Health Authority, said Wednesday that the emergency has been used for political gain by some, putting progress at risk.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_02: The Health Authority released Indigenous-specific data for 2025 on the day after the province marked 10 years since declaring a public health emergency on April 14, 2016.
• 2:50
  SPEAKER_02: While progress has been made, there are significant headwinds, Wyman said, including the inaccessibility of substance use services in communities closer to home and the lack of long-term sustained and flexible funding.
• 3:03
  SPEAKER_02: Numbers released by the Health Authority show 289 First Nations members died of overdoses in 2025, compared with 433 the year before.
• 3:12
  SPEAKER_02: First Nations members in BC make up approximately 3.4% of the overall population, but account for 15.8% of all toxic drug deaths in 2025.
• 3:22
  SPEAKER_02: The First Nations Health Authority has said they are working on the issue with the help of the province.
• 3:27
  SPEAKER_02: That's a look at your national Indigenous News.