How Attawapiskat's Chief Ignace Gull is taking war on drugs into his own hands

​The Chief of a small James Bay community in northern Ontario is taking the war on drugs into his own hands.

Ignace Gull, the Chief in Attawapiskat, said he hired a drug-sniffing dog and knocked on the doors of people he suspected were dealing drugs.

"Somebody opens the door, I say, look, we're here to search," Gull told CBC News.

Despite legal concerns, Gull tells people that homes belong to the Chief and Council, so he doesn't need a search warrant.

"We have a list, we know exactly who's doing it because it is a small community," he said. "I had to put myself forefront."

Gull also does pat-downs at the airport — a gateway for drugs into the community because of lax security.

What motivates Gull is the apparent lack of support since a state of emergency was declared in the community last November. In two years, two young people have died of opioid overdoses, he said.

Nishnawbe-Aski Police (NAPS), the local police service, doesn't have the resources to tackle the issue and a lack of Justices of the Peace in the remote community means it's very difficult to get search warrants, Gull said.

"We are going to wait forever for somebody else to come in and do it for us, and it doesn't work," Gull said. "All people talk about is technicalities and legal issues when we want something."

NDP Member of Parliament Charlie Angus has also lent his support to Gull's cause. In a recent letter to federal transport minister Marc Garneau, Angus stated his concern that passengers leaving Timmins undergo pre-boarding security checks. No such checks exist in James Bay communities.

"This double-standard has placed the fly-in communities at a much greater risk of exploitation from drug dealers," Angus wrote.

Gull, along with other representative from Ontario First Nations Chiefs, recently met with Ralph Goodale, the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness.

The ministry said it listened to Gull's concerns and was aware of the challenges in Attawapiskat.

A statement from a ministry representative said, "The Government of Canada is investing an additional $291.2 million over five years, starting in 2018–2019, in the First Nations Policing Program (FNPP)."

"These investments include increased and on-going funding for FNPP recipients to support priorities such as additional officer positions, officer safety, policing equipment and salaries. NAPS recently concluded a 3 year agreement under the FNPP and these investments will strengthen policing in Attawapiskat and bolster its response to these challenges."