NorthLeaders in Kátł’odeeche First Nation (KFN) in the N.W.T. have banned 14 people from entering the reserve over the last two years in an effort to address a growing drug crisis in the community.’It was to protect our youth, our elders, our community,’ says Chief Elaine AugerSarah Krymalowski · CBC News · Posted: Nov 26, 2025 6:00 AM EST | Last Updated: 6 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 3 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.The Sandy Creek area of the Kátł’odeeche Fırst Natıon in N.W.T. On Monday, the First Nation published a notice on social media naming 14 people banned from the First Nation’s reserve. (Anna Desmarais/CBC)Leaders in Kátł’odeeche First Nation (KFN) in the N.W.T. have banned 14 people from entering the reserve over the last two years in an effort to address a growing drug crisis in the community.On Monday, the First Nation published a notice on social media with the full list of names, accusing those identified of “ongoing suspicious and unsafe activity.”Kátł’odeeche Chief Elaine Auger told CBC News they were banned from the community through various band council resolutions beginning in 2024. She said all were identified as being involved with drugs by community watch groups in Hay River or KFN.It comes as KFN and nearby Hay River deal with an ongoing drug crisis.Auger said security, emergency medical services, and medevac services on the KFN reserve are unable to keep up with the demands they are facing. She says the drug crisis is also resulting in a greater number of young KFN members being put in foster care.“It was to protect our youth, our elders, our community,” Auger said of the decision to ban certain people from entering the reserve.“We’re having drug dealers that are not known to the community coming from other southern communities, coming in and basically living in other people’s homes. And band members were housing them.”The First Nation’s notice asks residents to notify KFN security or the RCMP if they see any of the banned people on the reserve.Sgt. Phil Unger, the RCMP detachment commander in Hay River, confirmed to CBC News that KFN is within its legal rights to ban the named people, none of whom are KFN members, from the reserve.But whether the RCMP will be able to aid KFN in enforcing the bans is a “complicated question,” Unger said. ‘Not everyone is aware of what’s happening in their community,’ said RCMP Sgt. Phil Unger, in Hay River. (Marc Winkler/CBC)Unger said RCMP can legally remove banned individuals from the reserve if they are outside or in a public building. But if the person has been invited into the home of a community member, police can’t remove them from the home.Unger says the ban could also help raise awareness of the drug crisis within the community. “Probably the best advantage is it brings it [to the] forefront,” he said. “Not everyone is aware of what’s happening in their community.”ABOUT THE AUTHORSarah Krymalowski is a reporter with CBC North in Yellowknife. She previously reported from Iqaluit. You can reach her at sarah.krymalowski@cbc.ca.With files from Marc Winkler
Kátł’odeeche First Nation bans 14 people from community amid ongoing drug crisis
