Lake St. Martin chief accused of sexually abusing child – Winnipeg Free Press

The chief of the Lake St. Martin First Nation has been charged with child sexual abuse and child pornography.

Christopher Travers, 40, was arrested on February 1 and charged with sexual assault, possession and production of child pornography and sexual intercourse.

Winnipeg police confirmed the arrest Wednesday. They said the victim was an elementary school-aged boy, but declined to comment further.

The violations occurred at the end of December 2023.

Travers, who was elected chief in July 2022, could not be reached for comment Wednesday. Court records show he appeared in magistrate court on Feb. 2 and was released on bond. His next court hearing will be held on July 3.

Travers appeared to be holding a meeting at a Winnipeg hotel in a live stream the first nation posted on social media last week. He discussed the petition calling for his resignation, but did not elaborate.

“The allegation against me should have been raised on a family law platform,” she said in a video posted on April 3. “That family law platform should have been (there) to protect the children of Lake St. Martin and it should have been raised there.”

In a live broadcast, he said he has no plans to resign.

“I will not leave the position of the head. I will go through the storm, the only way out of it is him,” he said.

A member of Lake St. Martin, speaking on condition of anonymity, said community elders wrote a letter in mid-March detailing allegations of child sexual abuse and asking Travers to resign. The letter was given to him on April 3.

“It's so amazing. “I don't think any of us knew that he was trying to cover up these charges,” he said. “He didn't talk about them. He had never brought them up yet. He didn't look at them at all.''

Winnipeg police chose not to release a public report of the alleged crimes because investigators do not believe Travers used his authority as a supervisor to gain access to the child.

“Recently, when we've done some releases involving teachers or coaches, the people who were accused, they used those positions of power to reach their victims. That was not the case,” said the Winnipeg Police Service. Dani McKinnon said.

MacKinnon said the crime took place in Winnipeg and the release could affect the identity of the victim.

“At the end of the day, we don't issue releases on most of these files,” he said. “We do not publicize cases of sexual abuse and child pornography because we do everything we can to avoid re-victimizing the survivor or their family.”

Travers sits on various committees, including the Interlake Reserves Tribal Council and Anishinaabe Children and Family Services. Lake Manitoba Chief Cornell McLean, who sits on both councils, is concerned about the allegations.

“Any allegation is very serious, but especially if it involves a child because Chief Travers sits with me on the Anishinaabe Children and Family Services Board and of course our responsibility is to protect children,” he said.

Anishinaabe CFS members are reviewing their bylaws, McLean said, and the Interlake Reservation Tribal Council plans to hold a special meeting and seek legal advice on next steps because their constitution does not contain guidelines for misconduct by board members.

“I don't think we're going to remove him, but we're definitely going to suspend him or talk to him about taking some time off the council,” said McLean, who chairs the Interlake council. “This is not a paid service. Ultimately, if he decides to do it, to do the right thing, it's up to him.”

The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs declined to comment on the arrests, saying in a statement it was “not aware of the details of these allegations.”

“AMC would like to confirm its support for the residents of Lake St. Martin,” the statement said. “AMC is committed to working with Lake St. Martin First Nation Council to ensure that appropriate supports are available to all those affected.”

An anonymous resident of Lake St. Martin said the 2011 flood also took its toll on the community.

“I cry when I think about it. The floods that happened, the government's refusal to exchange our land, (the council) is still developing temporary gang offices, and then all this issue with our chief,” he said.

“It's scary, it's harmful, it's a shame, and we need good leaders in positions to make a difference for our community members.”

Lake St. Martin First Nation is located approximately 225 kilometers northwest of Winnipeg in the Interlake region.

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