Illicit drugs are getting into Yukon's only fly-in community. Officials say there's little they can do

The Yukon government says that stopping illicit drugs from reaching the remote, fly-in community of Old Crow is an urgent issue — but government and regulatory officials also say they have limited authority to do much about it. 

The Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation issued a public notice earlier this summer warning Old Crow residents that tainted drugs may have made their way into the community, and urging anybody using illicit drugs to carry naloxone and to not use alone. 

It followed a letter sent earlier this year from a territorial government minister to Yukon's MP, describing the flow of illicit drugs into Old Crow as an "urgent" and "pressing" issue that somehow needs to be addressed.

CBC News sent the Vuntut Gwitchin Government — which declared a substance use emergency in Old Crow two years ago — multiple requests for an interview, but the First Nation said it had nothing to say "beyond what has already been shared publicly."

Meanwhile Annie Blake, the NDP MLA for Vuntut Gwitchin, says drugs have had devastating impacts on her community and she wants more done to address the issue. 

"We've lost so many of our community members," said Blake. "And we continue to see so many people struggling." 

She says impacts are compounded by the community's size and isolation.

"We see things very openly and deeply with each other, and when people are struggling, everyone feels it." 

Blake, who has spoken openly in the past about her own struggles with substance use, says a toxic drug supply can have particularly devastating impacts in Old Crow.

"For the most part, a lot of people who use, use in groups. It's a safety mechanism. But if there's a toxic drug supply, it's a huge risk factor. It's quite scary."

She says she visits with people who are raising their grandchildren because the children's parents struggle with substance use issues, or have died due to overdose. Blake said they are frustrated by the lack of attention to the issue. 

"What are we doing to support the children who've lost their parents? The grandparents raising their grandkids? What grief supports are we investing in? What mental health services are available?" Blake asked. 

"These are the questions I keep hearing in the homes I visit."

Jurisdictional gaps, limited enforcement

In a January letter to Yukon MP Brendan Hanley, obtained by CBC News, the territory's highways and public works minister described some of the challenges to stemming the flow of illicit drugs into Old Crow.

Minister Nils Clarke wrote that those challenges include the fact that "there is no federal or territorial law that would authorize the RCMP to search all mail or baggage arriving in Old Crow." 

Yukon RCMP told CBC News in an email that random dog searches at an airport would violate Section 8 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which protects against unreasonable search or seizure.

To use a sniffer-dog team at an airport, the RCMP says there would have to be "reasonable suspicion" that an offence had been committed.

Larger airports around the country rely on the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA), which was created after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in New York, to screen passengers and baggage. But Clarke points out that in Yukon, CATSA only operates out of Erik Nielsen Airport in Whitehorse, and not the airports in Dawson City or Inuvik, N.W.T. — the two aerodromes with direct flights to Old Crow. 

"Passengers and goods flying to Old Crow are not screened by CATSA, as they do not go through our screening checkpoints prior to boarding the aircraft," said CATSA spokesperson Dominique Huras in an email to CBC News.

Clarke's letter says even if CATSA did provide security, searching for drugs is not part of its mandate. He wrote that in conversations his office had with federal authorities, it became clear that CATSA "specifically targets threats to safety of civil aviation," but does not screen for "community contraband." 

Transport Canada, which regulates CATSA, told CBC News in a statement that the authority screens for "prohibited items that could potentially pose a threat to aviation security," and provided a link to a full list of items banned from flights, including weapons and incendiary devices.

It is a criminal offence to carry illicit drugs in checked or carry-on baggage on any flight, and CATSA told CBC News that when illegal drugs are "inadvertently discovered during screening, local police are advised."

'How are we supporting those who are already struggling?'

Blake says some residents in Old Crow want to see more RCMP presence at the airport and tighter security on flights to the community. She also says some people would like to see more local drug enforcement in Old Crow. 

"We only have two RCMP officers, so some people talk about the need to have more presence in the community," she said. 

However, Blake also said it's clear that enforcement on its own isn't the answer. 

"People also ask, how are we supporting those who are already struggling? Where are the harm reduction services, the health care, the safety checks, the nutrition? Why is there no regular programming like men's groups or women's groups? Why aren't there workshops to help people understand how to access Yukon government supports?" Blake asked.

She said conversations are happening between the Vuntut Gwitchin, territorial and federal government agencies, as well as funding initiatives and programming.

MP Brendan Hanley also said "we have to talk about the bigger picture." 

He went on to list mental health supports for youth and adults, harm reduction services for those using drugs, treatment options in community, including land-based healing, and post-rehabilitation aftercare as resources that could help turn the tide. 

Hanley said "there is no one clear defined pathway" for addressing the issue, but that any solution will require collaboration between the Vuntut Gwitchin government, the Yukon and federal governments, RCMP, and Air North, the airline that serves Old Crow. 

He also suggested the territorial government has a role to play "as the operator of all public airports in the Yukon."

Neither the territorial, federal, or Vuntut Gwitchin government would provide specifics on what actions or meetings are currently taking place to address the issue.

The First Nation has said that safer-use supplies are available at the Old Crow Health and Wellness Centre.