Building Safer and More Resilient First Nations Communities Within the Lesser Slave Lake Region (Alberta)

Building Safer and More Resilient First Nations Communities Within the Lesser Slave Lake Region (Alberta) Project Description :Lesser Slave Lake Indian Regional Council (LSLIRC) member First Nations include Driftpile Cree Nation, Sucker Creek First Nation, Kapawe'no First Nation, and Sawridge First Nation. Under LSLIRC's Canada-Alberta FNIPP Self-Administered policing and Indigenous Services Canada-supported bilateral shared services agreements/undertakings, LSLIRC also provides policing and various public/community safety services to Swan River First Nation. In total, just over 2,200 permanent on-reserve residents live in the five First Nations. These are another 6,000+ off-reserve members of these nations, many of whom have increased the frequency and/or length of their return visits to their home communities both during and post-COVID-19 pandemic. In order to focus more on addressing the "causes" rather than just the "symptoms" of what these communities are experiencing in terms of

increased public safety risk factors, it is critical to begin by understanding the legacy and inter-generational trauma which so tragically continues within each of these communities...the result of the region's significant and prolonged Indian Residential Schools experience and colonial legacies. This inter-generational trauma is real, present, and remains a key driver behind the higher (reported) criminal activity and crime severity ratings across the region. An ever-present and some would say increasing gangs/guns/drugs culture - combined with a pervasiveness of mental wellness challenges - are clearly two of the main drivers of what we are experiencing in terms of community, family and overall public safety risk factors. LSLIRC is prepared to enter into a 5-6-month-long "Developmental Phase Project" in which we will hire external (subject matter expert-informed) consulting services to reach out to our core and secondary partners to better understand what outcomes they would like to see...and to find out their suggestions for more effectively combating gangs, guns, and illicit drug activity. The consultant will also research and analyze crime statistics in developing an ongoing Programming and Community Outreach Implementation Strategy - focusing on prevention of gangs, guns, and illicit drug activity - and also develop a data collection strategy, system, and performance metrics tracking system. This initial "Developmental Phase Project" will be done in full consultation with our member First Nations, and partnered communities, as well as with all identified community stakeholders. Once we have completed this developmental phase, the main programming and outreach implementation phase would launch with the implementation strategy and corresponding programming work plan. More specifically, the consultant would to tasked to work on the following core activities over the course of this "Developmental Phase Project." 1) Outreach to our core and secondary partners to understand what outcomes they would like to see from this "Developmental Phase Project"...and to find out their suggestions for more effectively combating gangs, guns, and illicit drug activity. 2) Develop and recommend a detailed implementation strategy focused - first and foremost - on the prevention of gangs, guns and illicit drug activity...with this strategy being directly informed from the community-wide consultations, analysis of current crime statistics and trends, and identification of best practices prevention and youth diversion strategies/programming currently being effectively utilized in other comparable First Nations communities/tribal council regions. For more information on this Request for Expressions of Interest (REI), please contact Shane Pospisil @ Email: shanep@lslirc.ab.ca or Phone: 1-780-849-4943.