Saskatoon Crime Stoppers using Cree translation to reach out to remote communities

Saskatoon Crime Stoppers is hoping use of traditional language might help produce fresh leads on missing persons in Saskatchewan's north.

The organization releaseda letter To Those Who Took The Missingas part of Missing Persons' Week in May. It was an emotional plea from police to people who may be responsible for missing person cases in the province.

Now, a Cree translation of the letter is circulating online to ensure the message reaches into as many Saskatchewan communities as possible.

"It was important for me to get involved, because there are so many crimes that are not reported and it's so damaging to other people," said Donna Merasty, who translated the letter in an online video.

Merasty, who is from Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation, has been living off reserve for almost four decades. She said she jumped at the opportunity to translate the letter, as she felt it was an important message to share and a chance to practice a language she loves.

"With reconciliation I think it was a very good idea that they used our language to translate information like that, because we want the people up north to come forward and tell us what they see," said the retired educator.

In Saskatchewan, there are 131 unsolved missing persons cases recorded between 1935 and 2019,according to the Saskatchewan Association of Chiefs of Police. This includes nine cases where human remains were located, but not identified.

Cst. Ryan Ehalt, who spearheaded the campaign around the letter, said it's important the message reaches north, as roughly half of the missing people in Saskatchewan are Indigenous.

Alongside the Cree translation, he's currently working to get the letter translated into Dene as well.

"Recognizing that in the northern community that is also an issue, we want to make sure that they know that they're not forgotten in this process," said Ehalt.

The letter is alsotargeted at those who may have information about a missing persons case. Ehalt said this is a chance for people in Saskatchewan's north to help ease the pain some families face.

Ehalt said hearing the letter read in Cree for the firsttime was "very powerful." He said he's excited about future partnerships between northern communities and the Association of Crime Stoppers Programs of Saskatchewan.