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ISN Maskwa, an indigenous company owned by Missanabie Cree First Nation incorporated in November of 2020, has created Canada’s first operational Indigenous Emergency Operations Centre (IEOC) which is based in Sault Ste. Marie. The IEOC has been operating 24/7 since April 2022.
One of the primary missions of ISN Maskwa is to assist indigenous communities in building trained teams of leaders and community support personnel to support an Indigenous-led response during evacuations or community emergencies. The leadership teams have been trained using the IMS (Incident Management System) model to levels 300 and 400.
On August 23, 2022, the IEOC had its first operational deployment request. Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) requested ISN Maskwa to assist First Nation and Inuit Health Branch (FNIHB) in assessing the security operations in remote nursing stations in Northern Ontario. It was believed that the ongoing nursing shortage in Ontario was causing tensions between community members and medical staff working in remote communities.
The IEOC was activated and within 48 hours, supervisors and trained community support personnel were deployed to five remote communities. By September 11, 2022 and despite transportation and accommodation challenges, assessments and additional security support were completed. Many lessons were learned and the IEOC proved it had the robustness and flexibility to work with Indigenous communities on short notice. Health care is a priority as well as treaty rights; this deployment showed Indigenous communities that FNIHB is committed to ensuring they get the health care workers they need.
The objective of the IEOC is to make emergency response as effective and accessible to Indigenous communities as possible. Indigenous leaders who see it as a viable alternative to the traditional emergency responses will make the choice based on their own community needs.
Past “After Action Reports” following fire and flood seasons consistently had a theme from Indigenous leaders. They expressed frustration with the lack of consultation and their inability to provide their input as to what was best for their people.
Depending on the urgency and scope of the emergency, the initial consultation sometimes had to take a backseat to the need to move the communities to safety. A lot of the frustration expressed came from the situation after the communities were on the ground in the host community. The solutions to the challenges faced by Indigenous people displaced from their homes in a host community were expensive and often done with little regard to the evacuated.
Using the knowledge and leadership of the effected communities allows the IEOC to ensure an Indigenous-led response to reduce the stress and trauma of evacuations. The majority of the leadership of the IEOC are members of Indigenous communities in Northern Ontario and are composed of retired police officers and community leaders. They are familiar with the Indigenous communities they are working with and know the conditions on the ground.
The IEOC will reduce the time spent on all partners calls that so many of us in emergency management are familiar with. They will accomplish this by engaging the effected community’s leadership and forwarding the requests for assistance to responding provincial and federal agencies. This, in turn, will assist provincial and federal emergency managers to have more efficient communications with Indigenous communities during critical times.
By utilizing the IEOC, Indigenous leaders will have a direct input into managing emergences in their own communities. They will have faster response to any queries they have and an enhanced flexibility in their decision making based on those responses. Their point-of-contact will be other Indigenous leaders with similar backgrounds and points-of-view.
The Indigenous Emergency Operations Centre is a long overdue initiative and an idea whose time has come. The IEOC team looks forward to building relationships and helping to bring great leaders together for a common purpose: Safe “unexpected gatherings” in emergent situations, led by Indigenous communities for Indigenous communities and working with host communities for the best possible outcomes.
For more information or to contact the IEOC visit https://www.isn-maskwa.ca/.
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Forensic Evidence: Collection vs. Intelligence Gathering
It is a viciously cold night in february and homicide is called to attend a shooting in a sparsely populated area of your city. As your investigators approach the scene, they note several pieces of evidence that need to be collected before the forecasted heavy snow rolls in. Your forensics team is called in to attend and sends two officers to begin the documentation and collection of items that lay about the scene.
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Harnessing Geographic Data Technology
In an era flooded with data and technology, law enforcement finds itself grappling with a paradoxical issue: having too much information, yet not the right kind to empower officers on the ground. How do police organizations wade through large amounts of data and transform it into actionable insights for their frontline members? The answers lie within evidence-based policing, an approach that combines law enforcement with the precision of data analytics.
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THE FUTURE OF LEADERSHIP IN POLICING
Under the leadership of Chief Jim MacSween, the executive leadership team at York Regional Police (YRP) established a mission to re-imagine leadership development within the organization. YRP knew that standardizing leadership principles and delivering them to all ranks of the organization would enrich the development of ethical and professional leaders.
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The Tri-Party Responsibility in Employee Wellness
The conversation around employee wellness in policing is gaining increasing priority for all police personnel for many good and justifiable reasons. This conversation was exacerbated by a global pandemic where law enforcement professionals may have been disproportionately impacted by a variety of challenges, including vulnerable populations, anti-vax advocates and others whose mental health was significantly impacted by restrictions, lack of social and economic opportunities,
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Behind Blue Eyes
Behind Blue Eyes: A Police Officers Resiliency Journal as a way to help myself, other police officers, and first responders heal. My journal is a tool and resource and was created because my 23-year-old self would have benefited from the wisdom, insights, and life experiences that I have now. I was not prepared for the death, trauma, and suffering that I would see in my career. Since I was not prepared for it, I didn’t know how to navigate it or to handle it effectively.
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THE FUTURE OF LEADERSHIP IN POLICING
Under the leadership of Chief Jim MacSween, the executive leadership team at York Regional Police (YRP) established a mission to re-imagine leadership development within the organization. YRP knew that standardizing leadership principles and delivering them to all ranks of the organization would enrich the development of ethical and professional leaders.
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President ’s Message
As police leaders, living in uncertain times is part of the fabric of our professional lives.
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Behind Blue Eyes
Behind Blue Eyes: A Police Officers Resiliency Journal as a way to help myself, other police officers, and first responders heal. My journal is a tool and resource and was created because my 23-year-old self would have benefited from the wisdom, insights, and life experiences that I have now. I was not prepared for the death, trauma, and suffering that I would see in my career. Since I was not prepared for it, I didn’t know how to navigate it or to handle it effectively.
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Connect, Lead, Inspire
As policing leaders, there are key elements to consider when it comes to developing outstanding organizations. Opening conference keynote presenter Tanya McCready of the Winterdance Dogsled Tour and author of Journey of 1000 Miles opened the conference with a timely message: time, dedication, trust, and practice are key elements to leadership, as well as ensuring that leaders know their team and where they thrive best.
