'We need to meet it with force': Chief of Behchokǫ̀, N.W.T., aims to tackle local drug trade

Sarah St-Pierre · CBC News

· Posted: Aug 20, 2026 7:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: August 20

This story is the second in a two-part series about the drug crisis in Behchokǫ̀, N.W.T. Read the first part here.

Chief Bertha Rabesca Zoe has been watching the houses where she suspects drug trafficking is happening, in her community of Behchokǫ̀, N.W.T. She sees people go in and out at all hours of the day.

"These people are doing it in broad daylight," she said. "Nobody is taking on the drug dealers at all."

With a population of about 2,000 residents, Behchokǫ̀ is the largest Indigenous community in the Northwest Territories, and the illicit drug trade is made worse there by the community's proximity to the highway leading into Yellowknife. 

While territorial public health officials confirm crack cocaine is the most consumed illicit drug in Behchokǫ̀, wastewater sampling has revealed a slew of other substances and indicates a drug supply tainted with potentially deadly substances like fentanyl.

Rabesca Zoe says after a year as chief and seeing what's happening, she's now ready to mobilize her community to tackle the problem head on — though she says she has almost no resources to do so.

She does have some ideas though, and she also wants to hear from other community members.

She also recognizes that healing will have to be part of the big picture.

'This needs to be community-led'

Rabesca Zoe is a lawyer, and says her professional background means she understands the kind of evidence police require to prosecute drug traffickers, and what challenges they face.

She believes that police are doing what they can in Behchokǫ̀, even while the crisis in her community worsens.

She said she is in the early planning stages of a strategy to take on drug trafficking. One of the first steps on her list is to hear what community members would like to see.

"This needs to be community-led," she said. "It doesn't need to be big, but community people need to feel they're part of the solution."

Rabesca Zoe has her own ideas, including community marches, implementing neighbourhood watches, putting up security cameras, or having vehicle check stops.

She said she has also been considering the idea of training people to create a local security force, or hiring a contract security force in the meantime. Asked whether that might increase the risk of violence, she said it was still only an idea and one that she had to consider because residents don't feel safe.

Rabesca Zoe said she is also looking at what it would entail to declare a state of emergency, and whether she could banish people from the community.

• 5 people ordered banished from Taku River Tlingit territory

• Q+A | As Indigenous communities consider banishment to address drug crime, a lawyer explains how it works

"We need to meet it with force in my view," she said. "We are at that level." 

Healing pathways

Rabesca Zoe also has empathy toward community members who are involved in drug trafficking. 

"Because we are a traumatized nation, we need to also be empathetic and sympathetic and compassionate and see through the people that are hurting, see through their eyes where they're coming from," she said. 

She said she can't gloss over that aspect of the drug crisis, because solving it means addressing trauma related to other addictions, sexual violence, domestic assaults, lateral violence and incest abuse — and making sure there are services available for people who need them. 

"Alcoholism was what drowned those things before, now it's these drugs," she said. 

Monfwi MLA Jane Weyallon Armstrong also feels more has to be done to set the community on a new path. 

"We're still dealing with the residential [school trauma] and then now, it's gone to another level of mental health, especially with the future generations," she said. 

She emphasized the need for healing pathways, and on-the-land programs. She said she wishes to see longer term on-the-land programs available as well. 

She said when she went through a recovery process herself years ago, turning to religion helped her, and she wished to see more young people given that chance. 

Upcoming legislation

Three pieces of territorial legislation are intended to help take on drug dealers. 

The Trespass to Property Act, which passed in March, allows RCMP to remove trespassers from private property, among other things.

The Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods Act (SCAN), introduced in June and not yet passed, would allow territorial officials to launch investigations into homes suspected of being used for illegal activity, based on confidential complaints from the public. It would also establish a team of officers to initiate and investigate complaints.

The Civil Forfeiture Act would allow the territorial government to permanently seize property that has contributed to illegal activity, such as buildings or vehicles, or property that has been gained through illegal acts, such as money. The proposed legislation is currently being reviewed by a committee.

Weyallon Armstrong believes that legislation can only go so far toward helping restore community safety and well-being, and that more is needed especially in the areas of health, social services and housing. But she said the proposed legislation is a start. 

"That legislation is a tool that we can use to help clean up our communities," she said.

CBC requested an interview with the RCMP about addressing the drug crisis in Behchokǫ̀ but no one was available before publication. 

• Prostitution, elder abuse and tainted drugs: Drug crisis in Behchokǫ̀, N.W.T. getting worse

Rabesca Zoe says she aims to start community engagement in September to determine how her community wants to respond to drug trafficking. 

"I know that there's a lot of people in Behchokǫ̀ that want to contribute to creating a safe community for our children, our grandchildren, our elders," she said.

"I'm very hopeful and I strongly believe that we can achieve a lot of this stuff if we work together."