MEMBERTOU FIRST NATION, N.S. -- There are still many unanswered questions about the alleged abduction of a 14-year-old girl in Cape Breton -- specifically, why an alert wasn't issued.
First Nations communities on the island aren't waiting for answers, though -- they're preparing their own alert system, which had already been in the works before the alleged abduction.
By phone call, text or email, residents in five First Nation communities will soon be able to receive alerts from their local representatives.
While the communities had already been working on the alert system, the case of a missing Indigenous teen has pushed the issue to the forefront.
"I think it's something that's been necessary for quite some time now," said Jennifer Jesty, the emergency management co-ordinator for the Union of Nova Scotia Mi'kmaq.
The RCMP did not issue an Amber Alert in relation to the missing teen earlier this month. Instead, they sent a localized emergency alert out seven days after the girl was last seen by family.
"I've seen things happen in our communities versus mainstream society," said Jeff Ward, a Membertou EMO committee member. "Helicopters were sent, and ground search and rescue were there right away. Where for us, a different story was told."
The Mounties say, in this case, the missing teen did not meet the criteria for an Amber Alert, which included being abducted.
As CTV News first reported on Monday, 47-year-old Darcy Doyle of Mira Gut, N.S., was charged with abduction of a child under the age of 16 after the pair was found in the Canoe Lake area early Saturday morning.
"At the beginning of this investigation, strong evidence suggested that the male and the missing youth were in the Cape Breton area camping, and we did not believe they were leaving the area," said Cpl. Lisa Croteau, a spokesperson for the Nova Scotia RCMP.
Doyle remains at the Cape Breton Correctional Centre, while he awaits a bail hearing on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Jesty says they will no longer have to depend on authorities and can make their people aware right away.
"It was disturbing," Jesty said. "However, I'm sure the RCMP have their own guidelines when sending out an alert, but going forward we will be able to send out alerts a lot sooner."
Meanwhile, the RCMP say they are in consultation with senior officers of the provincial government regarding alerts issued to Nova Scotians.
Correction:
A previous version of this article did not specify that the First Nations communities had already been planning their own alert system before the alleged abduction. The article has been updated to clarify that information.
