![Bearspaw First Nation Chief says opioid-related funeral costs are soaring, help needed](https://i.cbc.ca/1.6150654.1691175694!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpeg_gen/derivatives/16x9_620/bearspaw.jpeg)
Bearspaw First Nation Chief says opioid-related funeral costs are soaring, help needed
CBC
Bearspaw First Nation Chief Darcy Dixon has penned a letter to Indigenous Services Canada calling for help saying the community doesn't have the resources needed to deal with the deadly effects of the ongoing opioid crisis.
Dixon said he's concerned about the devastation left in the wake of the crisis, citing an extraordinary number of deaths especially among young people, mounting funeral costs, and a lower life expectancy among community members on the nation, which is part of the Stoney Nakoda First Nation west of Calgary.
"We have to deal with this today a lot sooner rather than later, because without dealing with this, there's not going to be a future with our young people," said Dixon.
He says funding is needed to grapple with the crisis, to cover the cost of addictions treatment, detox, and funeral costs. But he he's also looking for a more efficient way to negotiate with Ottawa that would essentially bypass the middle man.
Bearspaw, and its neighbours the Chiniki and Goodstoney First Nations, make up the Stoney Nakoda First Nation, and, because of that, they have a unique governance structure.
They must work together as one tribal council and come to a consensus when they request, receive and distribute federal funding.
Dixon says the problem is they don't always see eye to eye.
So he's urging the federal government to negotiate directly with Bearspaw as it does with other First Nations across Canada.
"It's not perfect, but at least it's there and our voices can be heard," said Dixon.
Dixon's letter, which he shared with CBC News, says the First Nation, similar to others in Alberta, is struggling with a high number of young people addicted to opioids and in many cases dying as a result.
According to Alberta Health Services, the life expectancy among First Nations in Alberta dropped nearly eight years between 2017 (71) and 2021 (63.2).
Dixon's letter also states that 28 people from the Bearspaw First Nation died last year, at an average age of 44. The First Nation has a total population of roughly 2,000.
"It is with great despair that we have been advised that we are on track to exceed last year's total of deaths. The tremendous increase in expenses for funerals has created an extreme financial hardship on my Nation and my people," Dixon's letter states.
He says funeral costs are upwards of $10,000 each.