SHESHATSHIU, N.L. – Leaders in the Innu community of Sheshatshiu in Labrador have authorized barricades at the town’s entrance and evicted some residents in an effort to curb the flow of drugs.
Eugene Hart, chief of the Sheshatshiu Innu First Nation, said in an interview today that as of Monday, community safety officers have been checking vehicles as they enter the community.
He also said three people “who are not from the community” have been asked to leave due to concerns over drugs.
The order came into effect after two community meetings attended by about 150 people were held to discuss methods to keep out illegal substances.
Hart says drug trafficking targeted at youth has been “taking over the community,” and residents are seeking rapid actions to decrease the flow.
He added that about 28 people have died due to substance or alcohol abuse over the past three years, in a community with a population of about 2,000.
Sheshatshiu has dealt with crises of addiction, suicide and violent death before. The town had to find ways to reduce widespread gas-sniffing by young residents in the early 2010s and declared a local state of emergency after a series of suicide attempts in the fall of 2019.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 26, 2025.
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