The chief of St. Theresa Point First Nation believes drugs played a role in the death of two teenage girls last week.
On March 1, the two girls, both 14, were found outside in the cold in the remote community about 450 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg. They were taken to a local nursing station, where they were pronounced dead.
Police said they believe the two were outside for “a period of time” overnight, when the temperature dropped to -23 C.
An official cause of death has not yet been released, but Chief Elvin Flett of St. Theresa Point First Nation says he believes drugs were a factor.
Flett says the community is in the midst of a toxic drug crisis, and they need help to tackle it.
“Especially in the First Nations police force, we don’t have enough resources to contain the issue that causes the drug influx into our community,” said Flett.
Flett said the funding they get from the province for mental health issues is not enough for the size of the community, and the impacts of drugs and violence.
“Our resources are very small when you consider the size of the problem, and especially the size of our population, which is approximately 5,000,” said Flett.
Flett said the nation will announce further details about the deaths of the girls in the coming weeks, as well as plans for “aggressive measures” on preventing further premature deaths.