Steps are being taken to put a byelection in place, but Chief Paul Michel of the Adams Lake band terms the band’s current situation “precarious.”
At a general band meeting attended by more than 150 people on Thursday, Feb. 23, band members were in favour of hiring an executive director by March 1 to help expedite a byelection of three councillors, as well as setting up a meeting in about two weeks to review the band’s election rules, particularly those governing its community band panel.
Currently the band has a chief and just two councillors, rather than five.
The day after the meeting, Michel called the decision to review the panel rules “excellent,” but described his concerns about council.
One concern is not having a chief and council quorum, in light of federal government requirements, he said.
“We have an awesome executive management team and department managers – they’re getting their budgets and we have a strong finance support and we have an interim budget manager hired to help get the budgets. How do we approve budgets without a quorum? So that’s the question and is still my question today,” he said Friday. “So this has put us in jeopardy.”
Three councillors were removed from office in October after a community panel of the band responded to a petition contending they had breached their oath of office. They were reinstated by the court, with conditions, while they appealed the removal process and, as of earlier this month, were removed from office once again when their appeal through the courts was dismissed.
The three, Georgina Johnny, Brandy Jules and Ronald Jules, are now making a final appeal of the dismissal through the Federal Court of Appeal. Michel, who was elected on Dec. 15, filed an affidavit supporting the appeal, stating the band “would be placed in a most difficult position if a stay is not granted and the three councillors are removed from office.”
He said Friday he stands by the affidavit.
“I am not for or against any of the removals; my statement of facts is it jeopardizes the best interests of the band that we will not be able to approve our budgets in time.”
His other concern is the byelection.
The band is in the process of hiring an executive director and has provided an offer of employment, but the offer hasn’t been accepted yet.
“Hopefully it will be in place by March 1st,” Michel said, noting that an executive director can hire an electoral officer to set up the byelection, but usually an election is called by a quorum of band and council.
“Council needs to approve the electoral officer, you need an electoral officer to call the election, so this is also precarious.”
Talitha Wispinski was also at the meeting. She expressed a more positive view.
“Overall I think it was a pretty good meeting. A lot of people spoke out and said they’re really sick of this ongoing thing, we need to come to a conclusion, we need to start governing ourselves so we can start moving forward. We’ve been in this stalling process with too much chaos for too long.”
While she isn’t in favour of dismantling the community panel, she said some changes might make sense.
Mostly, she says, the community needs to do what it can to make sure the children have a good future.
“We’re a good community trying to get things sorted out. I hope for the best for everyone in the community. It’s been a long go and I hope we can come to good solutions for the future.”