Candlelight vigil for Elisa 'Lala' Tuckanow held at Regina city hall encampment
Mother of four was the first person to die at downtown homeless encampment
Letisha Bigknife wakes up every morning wishing that it all wasn't real — that she hadn't gotten the call early Wednesday telling her that her daughter had died.
Bigknife made the drive on Monday from Yorkton to the encampment in front of city hall in Regina for a candlelight vigil held in honour of Elisa 'Lala' Tuckanow. She is grateful for the volunteers and friends there who treated her daughter with kindness.
"I thanked them for welcoming her there and accepting her there," Bigknife said.
Bigknife last saw her 27-year-old daughter just days before she died of a suspected overdose at the encampment. Tuckanow is the first person to die at the city hall camp, despite numerous overdoses occurring there prior to that dark, rainy Wednesday morning.
CBC reached out to the Saskatchewan Coroners Service. It said the investigation into the camp death is ongoing and that the results from the post-mortem examination will be available in approximately four to six months.
When Bigknife talks about Tuckanow, she can't help but say the words "my girl" over and over again. She jokes that Tuckanow will always be her baby because she was born on a leap year. Tuckanow loved listening to rap, '80s and gospel music and she loved to bead. Bigknife makes ribbon dresses and regalia, and the mother and daughter had dreams of starting a business together.
Tuckanow had six brothers and a sister that died in infancy. Bigknife said the young mother of four was always in touch with her, letting her know that she was OK.
The last time Bigknife saw Tuckanow, she bought her sweaters, food, water, socks and other things to help her.
"She gave it to a lot of those girls who were at that place there because they didn't have clothes. She would give the last bit of anything. As long as everyone else was taken care of ... that's what kind of person she was," said Bigknife.
The road to addiction
Bigknife said her daughter first got into drinking with friends when she was 12 years old. Bigknife grew concerned about the gangs and substances in Regina, and moved her family in 2010.
"The street life was getting bad there, so I wanted to take my kids out of the city. So I brought her to Yorkton, where I thought it would be quiet ... a nice quiet place for her to live," said Bigknife.
But that did not stop some of her children, including Tuckanow, from getting into trouble.
"Anywhere you go ... it's there. That alcohol and drugs is there, so it doesn't matter where you think you're taking your kids to be in a safe place."
As the years went by, Tuckanow developed a serious drug dependency. Bigknife said Tuckanow would go to Regina for long periods of time because she didn't want her mom to see her in the state she was in. Bigknife takes care of her grandchildren, the eldest of whom is 10 years old.
Bigknife said that when Tuckanow wanted help, she had a hard time getting into rehab centres. She got turned down for welfare services and had difficulty with the long processes involved with getting housing.
"I tried everything that I could to help her, to love her, to try and keep her home," said Bigknife.
"But you know what? When I try to reach out to the people, reach out to the places ... I couldn't get anywhere with it. I felt so helpless. Because what am I going to do with my girl? What am I going to do for my girl?"
Bigknife said that for the nearly two weeks Tuckanow was at the city hall tent encampment with friends, she would go across the street to the YWCA most mornings to try to get shelter. Bigknife said her daughter never mentioned talking to a member from social services about housing while in the encampment.
"I can see why people stay in that kind of life. Because they have nowhere to go."
Hope for change
Bigknife said she wants to see the City of Regina and the province make it quicker and simpler for people to get the help they need when they are ready for it. She said there are too many barriers.
While Bigknife's heart is broken, she hopes her girl's story will shift the way people think about those with addictions and without homes in the province.
"She told me she wanted to help people. And I hope that this is a start ... to help those people there. I really hope that this opens people's eyes and their hearts, to understand that you can't forget these people there — that they are people too."
Vigil service
Family, friends and supporters came Monday to remember Tuckanow outside of Regina city hall. They took turns speaking in remembrance.
"It broke my heart that my granddaughter had passed away," said Tuckanow's grandmother Georgina Maces. "I was so hurt inside. I cannot express what I felt inside for my granddaughter."
Tuckanow's uncle, Shylo Stevenson, addressed the crowd and said they need to work with their hearts. He emphasized putting differences aside to make sure no one else has to grieve in the future.
"Each and every one of you, we need to come together and in a good way," he said.
"I'm happy to say my niece was here offering help and supporting."
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With files from Alexander Quon