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."

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.