Following a Sunday shooting, Wiikwemkoong Chief and Council enacted a mandatory two-year ban for any community or non-band members involved in illegal drugs, firearms, or violence. The move aims to restore safety and prioritize mental health over criminal activity.
WIIKWEMKOONG—At 12:01 am on Sunday, May 3, officers responded to a report of a male being shot in the village of Wiikwemkoong. Officers located the individual who sustained a gunshot wound. He was transported by ORNGE to Health Sciences North (HSN) in Sudbury for medical treatment.
A 32-year-old male from Wiikwemkoong was arrested at the scene and charged with the following offences under the Criminal Code of Canada: Attempted Homicide, Section 239(1)(a), Careless Storage of a Firearm, Section 86(1), Unauthorized Possession of a Firearm, Section 91(1) and Weapons Dangerous, Section 88.
Police confirmed there is no ongoing threat to public safety. An increased police presence was maintained in the areas of Andrew Street and Henry Street while the investigation continued.
On Monday, Wiikwemkoong Chief Tim Ominika made a statement to the community alongside several council members and WTPS Chief of Police Ron Gignac outlining changes that are going to be made in the community due to the continued illegal drug and weapons activity in Wiikwemkoong. This will include removal of these persons for two years. He said council met in an emergency meeting on Sunday and have decided “enough is enough.”
“Council has made a decision—if you are a community member, if you are a non-band member and you are involved with any illegal drug or weapons activity, you will be removed from our community for two years,” said Chief Ominika. “As you are all aware, there was a shooting in our community. We cannot treat that as normal. We cannot separate it from drugs, the weapons, the dealers, the intimidation and the fear that many of our families have been carrying. Council has said ‘enough is enough’.”
“We have made some decisions that will be important to protect our people, our children, elders and our lands,” said Chief Ominika. “The most important directions that have been approved is that people—community members, non-community members, anyone involved in drug trafficking, weapons or violence, intimidation, exploitation—will be removed from the community. This can apply to repeat offenders or first-time offenders.”
“Because one shooting can change a family forever. One drug dealer can poison many lives. One house used for drugs can terrorize a whole neighbourhood,” said Chief Ominika. “The path will require a minimum time of removal of two years from the community before returning. Not back in a few days or back next month like nothing happened. Two years. Two years to get to prove changes, two years to be drug free. Two years to get treatment.”
“Two years to show accountability, training and employment, community service and real plans to live differently. This is not about punishing people who are sick. This is about addressing the mental health and addictions, which is harming our children, our elders, our families, and future,” said Chief Ominika.
“Our land and homes are not here to support drug trafficking. They are here for our people. The families who are afraid, grieving, angry and exhausted. We hear you. Those who feel like nothing has been done. I can reassure you. Council has started. Council has acted. More work is coming,” said Chief Ominika.
“And to those bringing drugs, illegal and unregistered weapons and fear,” continued Chief Ominika. “The message is changing. You choose. You can choose to heal. You can choose accountability. But you cannot bring poison, weapons and fear into our community.”
“The harm has been serious. The response must be serious too. And this is why Chief and Council met over the weekend, to make these very, very important decisions—that we are not be tolerating this behaviour any longer. Council has made a stance, has made a commitment and a decision,” said Chief Ominika.
“That is why we are protecting our community, our members, our elders, our youth,” he continued. “And the future moving forward. So, with that, I want to share this important announcement to our community, our membership, and everybody who’s watching that we are no longer tolerating a legal drug activity, or trafficking firearms in our community.”
Chief Ominika introduced WTPS Chief of Police Ron Gignac who said, “I would just like to share that we have been working collaboratively since I’ve been the chief of police here, going on two years now. There’s a lot of behind the scenes work that the police services board does with our council, and we are very supportive of the decision they have made.”
“I thank you (Chief Ominika) and council for the degree work that’s been done in the realms of public safety, in particular when it comes to the Police Service we have. We have benefited from the leadership that you and the council have provided in the community, and we work collaboratively together,” said Chief of Police Gignac.
“I would just like to point out that some of the things that we embarked upon here could make our community safer. One being the offender management apprehension program, which takes any recidivist offender that is continually re-victimizing our community members,” continued Chief of Police Gignac. “These persons are in the offender apprehension program, so we have our officers out on patrol. We have our detectives and we’ll go pay visits to make sure that those individuals who are released, are abiding by the judicial court decisions after we have charged them.”
Chief of Police Gignac said WTPS is “part of the provincial compliance dashboard. Anybody that has been convicted or charged in some cases with firearms offenses and have been released from custody. We are now on that onboard system, so we receive all of the provincial notifications of serious offenders involved in firearms offenses.”
“And there’s a number of other considerations that go into the provincial bail compliance dashboard, and that’s to make sure that people are abiding by their conditions of release when they’re released into the community. We have the full support of the minister of the solicitor general in Ontario, Minister Kirzner,” said Chief of Police Gignac. “He’s been very supportive of First Nations policing and police Chiefs as well. We also have our community situation table, which is the first of its kind. We have 23 partner organizations here, from addictions to mental health, housing and a number of others, where we meet once a week. We have a retired OPP officer who runs our community situation table as the coordinator.”
Chief of Police Gignac said the situation table, “brings together our multiple partners, including our school board, our school liaison program that we’ve enacted here, where officers are in our schools daily, not just one police officer, but many officers engaging with our youth, engaging with our young people, the seminars, the speaker series we’re getting. We’re getting that relationship cultivated with our young people here, so they don’t have to experience what the current generation is facing in their 20s and 30s. The drug problems, the mental health problems that come from being addicted to illicit narcotics, so we’re going to continue doing what we’ve always done. We’re building further capacity here in the police service. We will continue to focus on the priorities, the evidence -based, and the intelligence-led opportunities working with our police services board and our community.”
“And enriching the lives of our citizens. How do we do that? Well, one of the measures that was just announced today by Chief Ominika and council in their decision,” continued Chief of Police Gignac. “We support you, Chief and we support our councillors. And we’re going to continue making a difference and moving forward, enriching the lives of our citizens in all that we do.”
“I want to commend our police service for all of the work that they have doing this far. We collaboratively work with and support our tribal police and the other joint forces who are working to combat illegal activity in our First Nation communities,” said Chief Ominika.
“Again, I will mention council has made its decision. If you are a community member, if you are a non-band member and you are involved with any illegal drug activity or firearms, you will be getting removed from our community for two years,” added Chief Ominika. “We are taking a stance and supporting actions to protect our membership.”
The Wikwemikong Tribal Police Service thanks the UCCM Police and OPP for their assistance during the response.
Anyone with details about the incident, or who may have CCTV footage from the area, is encouraged to contact the Wikwemikong Tribal Police Service at 7053703141. Tips may also be submitted through our website at wtps.ca or anonymously via Crime Stoppers at 18002228477.