Vandalism result of ‘pure and simple’ racism, says Dehcho First Nations

“The area is historically and culturally significant to the Indigenous people in the region.”
— Justice Sheila MacPherson

Dehcho First Nations leadership held an emergency meeting Friday to decide what actions they will take to address what they termed to be a “violent and dangerous situation” that has developed at Lindberg Landing.

A unanimous resolution was passed authorizing Grand Chief Herb Norwegian to take whatever action may be necessary to protect Dene people and Dene lands, stated a release.

Norwegian stated: “This abdication of legal responsibility by both the national police force and the territorial government to protect the interests and safety of Dehcho citizens is ‘racism, pure and simple.’”

Earlier last week, heavy equipment belonging to Nogah Enterprises of Fort Simpson, a Dehcho First Nations company, was carrying out court ordered clearing of the main access road at the Lindberg Landing site when it was severely vandalized on at least two occasions.

Holes were drilled into 22 tires and windows were smashed on some of its heavy equipment in the middle of the day when workers were away on a break.

Damages are estimated to be in excess of $100,000.

Norwegian believes that unidentified squatters living illegally on the property had blocked Dehcho citizens’ access to the site by erecting the locked gate earlier this year.

It’s alleged by the First Nation that the RCMP were on site at the same time, “but they vacated the site before the work was completed and the vandalism took place as soon as they left.”

In a September 5th decision, NWT Supreme Court Justice Sheila MacPherson stated the GNWT officials “may be accompanied” by RCMP while carrying out the removal of the gate, security cameras and any other materials obstructing the access road.

Clinton Leussink is a joint tenant with Susan Mae Lindberg on four leases in the Lindberg Landing — a remote area located off Highway 7 between the Village of Fort Simpson and the Hamlet of Fort Liard, two to three kilometres northeast of Blackstone Territorial Park.

The area also has a public boat launch on the Liard River. Access to and from the public boat launch is through the Main Access Road.

Court heard the area has historically been used by Indigenous harvesters to hunt and fish and historically and culturally significant to the Indigenous people in the region.

The area in question is also subject to a land withdrawal order to facilitate the Dehcho process land claim.

Stated the judge in granting an nterlocutory injunction: “The fact that a public road is blocked by a gate, preventing Indigenous people from freely accessing land that they have used to hunt and fish for hundreds if not thousands of years, and preventing (GNWT) officials from carrying out their statutorily mandated duties, is a serious issue to be (later decided).”

Tensions at Lindberg Landing started in late 2024 and has been simmering for most of 2025.

As reported by CKLB in May, a court ruling stated authorities had been threatened with resistance if a court-ordered eviction proceeded of a family with two infant children from their illegal camp.

Court heard that Aiden Hoven has been living with his family in an ATCO trailer while working at an adjacent sawmill legally owned by Leussink.

Leussink sent emails to the court which suggest, “any order respecting (Hoven’s) removal will be resisted,” stated Justice MacPherson, in her May 9th ruling.

“Mr. Leussink indicated, ‘I eagerly wait the issuance of this warrant because there are many people willing to stand in front of their shack and prevent any attempt to kick them out onto the streets — or worse, the bushes.’”

It’s not clear if Hoven’s possessions had all been removed, but the metal gate had been, leaving behind two posts sunk into cement.

After the vandalism, on September 25th, CBC North reported Fort Liard RCMP accompanied the Nogha workers to Lindberg Landing in a “peacekeeping capacity” at the request of the GNWT.

RCMP said no charges have been laid, reported CBC North, and that the GNWT’s Department of Environment and Climate Change Police is the “primary investigative agency” in the incident.

Grand Chief Norwegian alleges the means: “The RCMP have effectively announced that racist attacks and vandalism aimed at Dene in our own homeland will not be investigated or prosecuted.

“Indeed, very soon after the RCMP announced that they would not be investigating, another serious act of vandalism occurred.”

Norwegian is also pointing a finger at the GNWT for failing to uphold its own laws and legal agreements signed with the Dehcho First Nations.

He says their failure to honour existing agreements with the DFN and failure to act on historical grievances has fostered the current situation and emboldened people to break the law.