James Smith Cree Nation survivors still struggle with trauma, addiction 1 year after tragedy
globalnews.caIn the last year, Skye Sanderson says she has lost everything.
Since her husband, Damien Sanderson, was killed by his brother, Myles Sanderson, during the mass stabbing on James Smith Cree Nation on Sept. 4, 2022, her life has gone “really downhill.”
Her three children no longer live with her. She relapsed into drug and alcohol abuse. Her eldest daughter was hospitalized after a suicide attempt. She’s broke. And she can’t figure out why this has all happened to her.
“I was wondering why my life is the way it is now. What did I … where did we go wrong? We always knew to stay away from Myles. Well, I tried to keep Damien away from him,” Skye tells Global News, seated outside her new partner’s house on James Smith, in the pouring rain.
“I always wonder, what made Myles kill my husband? Like, his own brother. What made him do that to my family, my kids?”
It’s two weeks before the community is due to mark a milestone many are dreading: the first anniversary of one of Canada’s worst mass murders, when Myles Sanderson killed 11 people and injured 18 others and then led police on a four-day manhunt. He later died in police custody.
A year later, victims’ families and those still recovering from their injuries are taking stock of what was lost. To aid in the healing process, a Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN) traditional health gathering was held at James Smith Cree Nation in late August.
Global News spent four days over the course of the event meeting with victims, family members of the dead and those working to make the community a safer place. Most say that the situation has not improved. Many believe drugs have taken an even stronger hold in the community. Recent “copycat attacks” have left residents on edge.
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