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 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.

Offenses occurred on December 23.

Travers, who was elected chief in July 2022, could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

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.”

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.”

He said live that 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.

Talked to Travers Free press Regarding the death of Lake St. Martin member Linda Birdie, whose body was found at the Brady Road Landfill in April 2023. Winnipeg police have ruled out foul play in his death after surveillance video revealed he went into his dumpster and the contents were collected by a truck and taken to a landfill.

“Residents are not trash, it's a shame to find their bodies in trash cans,” Travers said. “It's a trauma for our community.”

Travers has often blamed the provincial and federal governments for their handling of the 2011 floods that displaced residents of Lake St. Martin. He said Birdie was evacuated during the flood and was not allowed to return home.

Raymond Caper, a former chief of the Little Grand Rapids First Nation, is accused of seducing and sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl in 2021. The attacks are believed to have occurred in July and September 2021.

Charges against Keeper were dropped following his death in August 2022.

When the charges were announced, RCMP said they believed there were more victims, but Keeper was not charged further.

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

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