Internal RCMP emails have revealed that a specialized team, the Emergency Response Team-Special Activities Group, which deals with high-risk situations, was not immediately available to respond to a stabbing rampage in Saskatchewan in September 2022 due to ongoing contract negotiations.
The stabbing attacks occurred on the James Smith Cree Nation and in the nearby village of Weldon, resulting in 11 people killed and 17 injured. Initially, the specialized team was offered to assist the Mounties in responding to the incident, but an email from Assistant Commissioner Rhonda Blackmore, the commanding officer of the Saskatchewan RCMP, stated that the team was unavailable because they were “in between contracts.”
While the RCMP confirmed that the specialized team was eventually deployed in response to the killings, they did not provide details about when the team arrived or how long it was delayed due to contract negotiations.
The National Police Federation disputed the claim that contract negotiations were ongoing at the time and raised concerns about the delayed response. The revelation has sparked questions about the readiness and availability of specialized law enforcement units during critical incidents.