Vuntut Gwitchin chief decries court order that would have sent violent offender back to Old Crow
CBC
The Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation has declared a state of emergency in order to stop a sex offender from returning to Old Crow.
Christopher Russel Schafer, 45, has a criminal history of violent sexual assaults and other assaults spanning more than 20 years, including a vicious attack in Old Crow in 1999. He also has recent charges of assault, forcible confinement and uttering threats in Whitehorse.
Vuntut Gwitchin Chief Dana Tizya-Tramm said the Yukon Territorial Court ordered Schafer to be released to Old Crow on Saturday. He said they gave the community one day's notice of Schafer's return.
"I think like many others in our community, my voice escaped me for a minute," Tizya-Tramm said of his reaction to the news of the court order.
"Soon after, my heart dropped because I knew there was going to be a lot of pain — pain for the family, pain across the community."
The small town of about 250 people has just two RCMP officers, no doctors and no mental health professionals.
Tizya-Tramm said the court order set the community on edge. The Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation quickly declared a state of emergency to make it illegal for Schafer to set foot on its lands — he now remains in jail in Whitehorse and is set to appear in court later today.
Tizya-Tramm said he's hopeful the court will allow him to speak on behalf of his people to make it clear the community is not ready for Schafer to return.
He said the court order hurt more because the Vuntut Gwitchin made its position known a year ago that people with a criminal history like Schafer's should not be returned to the community.
"It turns out our voice was overlooked twice, our community was overlooked twice. And this affront to our community was felt all in that moment," he said.
Bonnie Bingham, a councillor with the Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation, said Old Crow still hasn't recovered from the damage Schafer has done in the past.
"There is still unresolved past trauma from the actions of this particular man, and there hasn't been enough work to address and heal the community," she said.
The emergency measure, which also bans anyone from helping Schafer to stay on Vuntut Gwitchin lands, brings a penalty of up to six months in jail for those who violate it.
Tizya-Tramm said his concern isn't just for his community — it's for Schafer as well.
The Thunder Bay International Airport is expanding its security screening area, adding a third screening line in the coming months.
Multiple Durham Region police officers diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) say the service is compromising their recovery by fighting their access to workplace mental health benefits.
Winter's far from over, but Ontario's already facing a road salt shortage that's forcing some cities to make adjustments or ration supplies.
A Toronto man is facing potential deportation to Cambodia after being sentenced last year on drug trafficking charges in the N.W.T.
After more than two years of fractured diplomatic relations, Prime Minister Mark Carney will visit India in the coming weeks as both countries look to diversify trading partners in the face of U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade war.
A city committee has voted to waive more than $3 million in development charges for a planned 24-storey tower slated to bring scores of affordable housing units to London's Old East Village.
Even for some Republicans who’ve been staunch supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump, the move by the Department of Justice to launch a criminal investigation into the Federal Reserve and its chair Jerome Powell is a red line that should not be crossed.
The effects of a low pressure system tearing through Newfoundland and Labrador are being felt across the province on Monday.
A southwestern Nova Scotia community in mourning over the death of a 13-year-old killed in a dog attack gathered on Sunday to remember the boy who loved riding his bike and used to share his lunch money with other children.
A witness in a Moncton double murder trial testified Monday that the man accused of the crimes admitted to the killings when they were in prison together.
Montreal Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada’s first city budget includes an average residential property tax rate hike of nearly four per cent — beyond last year's rate of inflation — to help pay for its $7.7 billion budget.
The Tories are distancing themselves from a board member over social media comments he made after a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent fatally shot an American woman in Minneapolis.
A Saskatoon judge says a bus driver who mixed alcohol and pain killers while driving a charter bus with 52 children aboard posed an "outrageous" risk.