Revolutionary Partnership Enhances Community Safety and Sovereignty
In a significant move to bolster community safety, James Smith Cree Nation has embarked on a pioneering partnership, launching FirstAlerts—an Indigenous-led emergency alert system designed to provide immediate information during crises. This initiative, announced by Chief Wally Burns on February 14, 2024, comes in the wake of a tragic stabbing incident in September 2022 that deeply impacted the community.
Developed by TryCycle Data Systems in collaboration with the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN), FirstAlerts is a feature of Talking Stick, an anonymous chat app aimed at facilitating peer-to-peer Indigenous support across Saskatchewan. This new tool empowers First Nations leaders to instantly alert community members about emergencies, including missing persons, natural disasters, and public safety concerns, directly addressing the shortcomings of conventional alert systems.
Chief Burns highlighted the significance of FirstAlerts, stating, “This is about putting control back into the hands of our people,” emphasizing the community’s need for empowerment and safety in the aftermath of the massacre that claimed 11 lives and injured 17 others. The system’s launch follows a coroner’s inquest that proposed 29 recommendations for enhancing community safety, with FirstAlerts poised to play a crucial role in this effort.
John MacBeth, CEO of TryCycle Data Systems, expressed confidence that more First Nations communities would adopt FirstAlerts, citing the system’s ability to meet the specific needs of Indigenous populations. “People are using Facebook to get instructions about their safety… we had to do something,” MacBeth explained, underlining the urgency and importance of providing reliable and efficient emergency communication tools.
FSIN Vice-Chief Dutch Lerat emphasized the necessity for First Nations to have autonomy over emergency communication, critiquing the bureaucratic delays and criteria limitations of existing systems. FirstAlerts represents a step towards self-determination in emergency management, granting communities the sovereign right to design and implement their own alert protocols.
TryCycle’s commitment to addressing the gap in emergency alert sovereignty for Indigenous communities underscores a broader effort to enhance safety and autonomy. The company’s dedication to this cause is evident in its development of FirstAlerts, a tool that not only promises to improve safety but also to foster a greater sense of control and resilience among First Nations communities.
As James Smith Cree Nation leads the way with FirstAlerts, the initiative offers a beacon of hope for Indigenous communities across Canada, showcasing the potential for technology to empower and protect, guided by the wisdom and leadership of First Nations.
