A Yukon NDP MLA is levelling serious allegations about drug dealing by people who rely on and work at a government-funded support program for people released from jail.
Vuntut Gwitchin MLA Annie Blake told the legislature the Yukon NDP has heard from previous workers and clients complaining of staff and participants selling and distributing substances at the Supervised Housing and Reintegration Program, or SHARP, which supports individuals on conditional release from jail or prison.
“We hear from people, either former staff and participants or people currently part of SHARP, who feel so unsafe due to substance use and dealing at SHARP that they consider trying to get back into the Whitehorse Correctional Centre, just to feel safe or to gain access to meaningful and consistent support,” she said.
The allegations came out on May 1 as Blake spoke to a non-binding motion that she put forward late in the spring sitting seeking a review of all programs in the Yukon operated by the Connective Support Society. Programs include the Whitehorse Emergency Shelter, Housing First and SHARP.
The Yukon’s MLAs from all parties unanimously carried the motion in favour of a review.
The purpose of the review is to determine if the operator is fit to continue running these programs.
Blake’s motion follows an inquest into the deaths of four women at the shelter in 2022 and 2023. The inquest jury’s eight recommendations are aimed at Connective and the Yukon government.
READ MORE: Jury in coroner’s inquest rules 4 deaths at Whitehorse Emergency Shelter ‘accidental’
Ahead of the vote on the motion on May 1, Blake also said her party has received concerns that a “number of individuals” have died at Housing First and that people don’t feel safe using the shelter.
“Many frontline and senior staff noted that written policies did not always reflect the reality of working in a shelter,” she said, citing inquest testimonies.
These three programs are run by Connective, which manages the shelter in partnership with the Council of Yukon First Nations. Connective is getting nearly $6 million in funding from the Yukon government through the health department this year.
Blake wrote an April 30 letter to Tracy-Anne McPhee, who is the minister of Justice and Health and Social Services, urging an investigation into the allegations regarding SHARP.
The Yukon NDP communications lead said the team hasn’t filed a report with the RCMP. Blake’s motion was the next step taken after learning about the allegations.
In the legislative assembly, McPhee called the allegations “brand new.”
McPhee said she immediately called the Justice department to see if they had heard of such things. They had not — and that concerned her.
“I immediately checked with the Department of Justice to determine whether or not they had heard any of the same complaints. There’s some very serious allegations in that letter, which need to be followed up immediately. They had not been made aware of any of those allegations, whether they be from staff or from individuals who spend time at those housing and reintegration programs,” she said.
“I’m very concerned about the allegations — very concerned about all of what is occurring with respect to the care that we provide and the services that we provide for Yukoners through these programs that happen to be managed at this time by Connective.”
McPhee indicated she will be following up with Blake to see if she has more information and to review the allegations.
Call for review
In the house, Blake cited McPhee being quoted in a News article from May 2023. At the time, McPhee said the shelter is a place where essential needs such as housing, support and services are being met. Her comment was made in the context of the release of two “safety and wellness” reports on the shelter by House of Wolf and Associates Inc. and Vink Consulting Inc.
“We cannot enhance or improve what we don’t know about,” McPhee said.
READ MORE: 4 shelter deaths occurred under Yukon government’s watch; 3 people died under new management
Blake agreed with that concept. That’s why she’s calling for the review to consider whether programs should continue under the same operator.
“Even just having the need for an inquest should be enough for this government to take immediate action to review all programs operated by Connective. This includes evaluating their effectiveness and ability to not only adequately run or deliver programs, but to do so while providing support to those who access in a safe and meaningful way that does not cause harm or lead to the loss of life,” she said.
“We need to remember that people are not disposable. Any life lost is one too many. All of these deaths were preventable. And two of the women that have passed at the shelter are from Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation. People deserve to be treated with dignity and Yukoners deserve to have access to supports and services that feel safe while also knowing that their physical safety will not be compromised.”
McPhee told the legislature it’s important to learn from the inquest process and what the jury wrote about, and to consider what’s contained in their recommendations.
“We will evaluate those very carefully, and that we will undertake a plan of how they will be implemented,” she said, while showing respect to the families of the deceased women.
McPhee said she reached out to the affected First Nations to ask what they need and want and about how to respond. She doesn’t want to prejudge anything; she wants to be open to conversations and guidance.
“I’m concerned that this motion is a bit of a backdoor because it doesn’t mention at all the recommendations of the coroner’s inquest, which have to be foremost in our minds in reviewing the work of Connective,” she said.
McPhee took no issue with reviewing the programs managed by Connective.
“In fact, there are legal implications of us not reviewing those, and there are, included in the transfer payment agreements, the authority for this organization to run these programs, the opportunity to do such evaluation, to do such review, and it is our responsibility to do so,” she said.
“We will make sure that our government is ultimately responsible and is ultimately reviewing and improving at all times how those services are delivered and making sure those services are delivered within the expectations of the agreements that we have and that they are first and foremost achieving what is in the best interest of Yukoners who need those services.”
Premier Ranj Pillai indicated the motion amplifies the work that’s already underway.
He mentioned he has previously gone to the shelter to hear from clients and staff.
He spoke with three of the four families of the deceased women.
Pillai told the legislative assembly about how the three-week-long inquest personally affected him.
“I’m sorry for whatever you had to go through in the last couple of weeks, because I know that that was not easy for anyone,” he said.
Pillai also knew one of the women who died at the shelter.
“In my case, there was one person that was a student. I really respected my relationship with that individual. Josephine Hager, I want to say her name here today, because I think she was a very special person. I had a chance to spend time in land-based activities with her. She attended a class that I oversaw and had an incredible sense of humour,” he said.
“It’s heartbreaking.”
Pillai noted relationships with Yukon First Nations, Connective and the Council of Yukon First Nations will be key moving forward.
“Let’s move on it with direction from our chiefs,” he said.
An email statement received from Connective on the afternoon of May 2 doesn’t directly address the allegations but indicates support for a review.
“Given that the inquest only ended a week ago, and that this motion passed only yesterday, we need more time to ensure we are taking measured and thorough action, together with our funders and partners,” reads the statement.
Connective’s focus is on working with the Council of Yukon First Nations and the Yukon government to review and figure out the scope of the inquest’s recommendations, per the statement.
“We have begun to map out a careful and considered approach to implementation and are eager to continue focusing on this important work,” the statement reads.
The statement recognizes that reviews are an important part of Connective’s programming.
“We welcome these opportunities to work with our funders and partners to gain additional insight into how we can best deliver the programs and services the community needs. We were already in discussions with our funders and partners around doing reviews of our Housing First and SHARP programs this year, independent of the inquest or the motion in the legislature,” reads the statement.
“As just one part of a much larger system of care and support, Connective is deeply committed to taking action to improve our programs and services. We will also continue to advocate for additional programming and services for people in the Yukon, and particularly for Yukon First Nations people, who continue to disproportionately experience multiple barriers to accessing appropriate housing and health services that reflect their needs.”
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include Connective’s response.
READ MORE: Large crowd marches in downtown Whitehorse following inquest into 4 deaths
Contact Dana Hatherly at dana.hatherly@yukon-news.com