James Smith Cree Nation leadership prepares for public inquest

By Nigel Maxwell

Acknowledging the emotional impact that will come with revisiting the violent and horrific events that scarred the community, James Smith Cree Nation Chief Calvin Sanderson says leadership is doing its best to provide support.

The first of two public inquests is scheduled to start Monday at the Kerry Vickar Centre in Melfort, and will examine in detail the circumstances surrounding the deaths of 10 people on the First Nation and the death of one man in Weldon.

On Sept. 4, 2022, Myles Sanderson went on a killing spree, going from home to home and stabbing and killing residents. Describing a recent sleepless night, Chakastaypasin First Nation Chief Calvin Sanderson told paNOW he’s been thinking a lot about what the families will be seeing and hearing.

“Waking up the spirits we laid to rest,” he said.

And while acknowledging the inquest may provide a degree of closure to some families, Sanderson noted the pain and trauma many people are dealing with runs very deep.

“Maybe every Christmas or every Thanksgiving, whenever they are at a special gathering, there is always going to be an empty seat,” he said.

Over the course of the past year and even this week in the final days before the inquest, a number of cultural supports have been provided within the grief-stricken community including horse and sun dance ceremonies, sweat lodges, and a musical ride with the RCMP.

While also noting the support and prayers that continue to come in from all over the country, Chief Wally Burns said he takes some comfort knowing the people who passed have moved on to the next camp.

“And we all know the next camp is all filled with good people,” he said.

With respect to his own personal questions and hopes surrounding the inquest, Burns explained considerable thought needs to be given to the impact from residential schools, noting many community members are dealing with the trauma passed down through generations.

He added it’s also important to consider what he called the systematic racism that exists in both the justice system and the RCMP.

“The RCMP, in general, they failed us and the justice system too as well failed us too so we all have to work together on a good perspective that’s going to change something that is broken and I think Canada is waiting for our response,” he said.

Peter Chapman First Nation Chief Robert Head said the local community’s security team has had tremendous success in the past year and has even become a model for other First Nations across Canada. And noting the work that continues federally on Indigenous-led policing, Head anticipates the legislation will only help to to improve their own security.

“That’s something we will look forward to in the future. But in the meantime our system is operating in a good way and we’re hoping other communities will look to us and adopt our system and the future will be safer for our people,” he said.

In November of 2022, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau paid a visit to the James Smith Cree Nation and announced a $60-million commitment by the federal government towards a new wellness centre in the community. Sanderson confirmed a committee has been meeting regularly and that an operational plan has been submitted to the federal government.

Following the first discretionary inquest, a second inquest starting Feb. 26 in Saskatoon will look into how Myles Sanderson came to die in the backseat of an RCMP cruiser. That inquest is expected to wrap up by March 1.

The RCMP announced the results of its investigation into the chain of events at the end of April. No details of how Sanderson came to die were released, although paNOW received information from a confidential source that he overdosed on drugs.