Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation leaders say Pelican Narrows remains under emergency safety measures after a fatal shooting Monday added to an already urgent public safety crisis in the northern community.
PBCN held a virtual media availability Wednesday afternoon to update the public after the June 1 shooting, which RCMP say left a 28-year-old woman from Pelican Narrows dead and an adult man seriously injured. RCMP later said the man’s injuries are now considered non-life-threatening.
The update came less than two weeks after PBCN and PAGC leaders held an emergency media conference in Prince Albert on May 22, where they warned about violent deaths, drugs, gangs, fear in the community, and thin police resources in Pelican Narrows.
Chief Peter Beatty said the community went into a full lockdown during the incident, including schools, while RCMP and specialized units responded. He said additional RCMP members, the RCMP critical incident response team, the emergency response team, Saskatchewan Marshals, and outside security are now in the community.
“There are a lot of police officers in Pelican Narrows, all having to do with the criminal investigation,” Beatty said.
Vice Chief Justin Halcrow said the community remains on high alert, with schools closed for the rest of the week, the local administration office closed to the public, Child and Family Services operating with a skeleton crew, and the clinic limited to serious medical needs.
He said the shooting happened near nursing units used by local health staff, leaving nurses, teachers, children, and families traumatized.
“The children were still traumatized in the schools,” Halcrow said.
Coun. Olivia Custer, who represents Pelican Narrows, said the violence does not reflect who the community is. She said organized crime, addictions, and years of neglect have created the conditions now facing residents.
Custer paused at points as she spoke about the effect the crisis is having on children and families in the community. Her remarks brought one of the clearest examples of how deeply the violence has reached into daily life.
“What happened on Monday is not who we are,” Custer said. “This is being done to us by organized crime, addictions, by decades of neglect.”
Custer said children in the community have been deeply affected, adding that some as young as six have been caught up in networks operating in Pelican Narrows.
“This is not acceptable, and it will not be tolerated,” she said.
PBCN leaders said safety measures now include outside security at the bridge into Pelican Narrows, the main road access point. Halcrow said the checkpoint resumed on May 29, and outside people are not being allowed in unless they are providing services to health, agencies or departments.
Beatty said the road is not the only concern, because people can still enter through waterways. Custer said bootlegging by water remains a serious issue, especially with commercial fishing season underway.
Halcrow said local stores are not fueling ATVs or selling fuel in jerry cans unless people have a permit for commercial fishing or traditional medicine gathering. Leaders said the quad ban was brought in after repeated concerns about shootings involving ATVs.
Beatty said PBCN has heard from both federal and provincial officials, but is still waiting for firm commitments. He said PBCN had a short conversation with federal Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree and plans to travel to Ottawa next week to meet Indigenous Services Minister Mandy Gull-Masty.
“We’re getting some sort of response, but we need a solid commitment,” Beatty said.
The Daily Herald asked whether PBCN would support Canadian Armed Forces assistance for security as an immediate stabilizing measure, Beatty said the option has not been fully discussed. He said it may be something raised when leaders meet federal officials in Ottawa, but added that any such request would have to come from community leadership and the community itself.
Halcrow said the current risk to public safety is considered low because of the RCMP, emergency response team, Saskatchewan Marshals, and outside security now in the community, but said more help will still be needed through partnerships with police and both levels of government.
Halcrow also said PBCN has been delivering health services under a tripartite agreement signed in 1995, but funding levels have stayed the same while the population has grown by 83 percent.
“We’ve been operating on a budget from 1995, and it’s 2026 at this time,” he said.
Grand Chief Brian Hardlotte said Prince Albert Grand Council is supporting PBCN and thanked local health, education and community staff who continue to respond.
“PAGC is here to help,” Hardlotte said. “It’s one of our member nations, and we are doing what we can to support.”
arjun.pillai@paherald.sk.ca
