Controversy surrounds Beaver First Nation's vote to split

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According to Beaver First Nation Chief, Harvey Bulldog, the majority of his people voted in a referendum last month to divide the two reserves they now occupy about 20 miles east of High Level into separate nations. A press release issued by Bulldog on Sept. 20 said a referendum was held Sept. 9 and ratified Sept. 16. Bulldog lives on the Boyer River reserve, where the voting is said to have taken place.

Barb Wendt, a councillor who opposes him, however, said the referendum was meaningless because only a minority of eligible voters participated and most of the band don't want a referendum, especially in Child Lake reserve where she lives. Bulldog contends that Child Lake initiated the split originally, then backed off. Wendt said that's not the case.

Indian Affairs spokeswoman Michelle Snyder said the rules for dividing one nation into two require that both sides have to work towards agreement on division of assets. A majority of the people must vote to divide the band and a majority must reach consensus on division of assets. Once a joint agreement is in place, Snyder said they can ask Indian Affairs for a departmental review. If the department agrees the terms of the division are "acceptable", the matter goes for ministerial review and approval.

"We've had problems ever since we got in council [a year ago]," Barb Wendt stated. "Harvey Bulldog has been chief there 20 or more years and always had a family member on the council. This year, no relative of the chief is on the council." She said Bulldog has been "trying to stonewall" everthing the council has undertaken to do. At the end of May this year, she said, the band acquired their first co-manager. Gary Callihoo is the second co-manager they've had since May, according to Wendt.

Bulldog accuses the present council of "taking away my signing authority." He insists "we never had a deficit. Most of the surpluses are in term deposits." Asked why his signing authority was removed, the chief's only comment was "They said I was missing meetings, but they're meeting secretly."

This year's band audit, which Bulldog said was done by Hiller Management Services in Edmonton, was rejected by council, the chief said. At Bulldog's urging, Sweetgrass contacted accountant Larry Hiller Sept. 27, but Hiller was not willing to speak about finances or anything else connected to the First Nation.

The other defender of his regime that Bulldog referred Sweetgrass to was Lloyd McKenzie at the North Peace Tribal Council. McKenzie was away, but his spokesman, Ron Henriet, was able to make comment on Sept. 27.

"I know the band has got some critical difficulties with it and that's probably as far as I want to go. I haven't talked to Chief Bulldog in probably three weeks. Chief Bulldog has done a good job in managing that band in the time he has been chief."

Nevertheless, Bulldog said the two reserves, with a combined membership of about 625, half of them living there, have not got along since the signing of Treaty 8 last century.

"Work and council ethics were never the same, with Boyer being more aggressive in general development of its reserve," Bulldog asserts.

As an example of what he means, Bulldog said Boyer River has developed about 5,000 acres of farmland, compared to Child Lake's 300 acres. His estimate of their respective land bases are 16 sections in Boyer River and 12 sections in Child Lake. He named several opponents, whom he said have formed a directorship aiming to take over what he describes as "a multi-million dollar farming operation."

Wendt was the only councillor who responded to our requests for information about the dispute, although councillors Derrick Kipling and Ernest Kipling from Child Lake were with Wendt during at least one of our three conversations between Sept. 28 and 30. Wendt was annoyed that another newspaper had printed what she claimed was just one-sided information, but she also said "I don't want to say too much about this. It's an internal matter."

The council has no input, no support with his referendum," Wendt said. She explained Child Lake members boycotted a pre-referendum meeting on their reserve, and the referendum itself. She said that is because they reject the terms of the split that Bulldog's side is said to favor: that money will be allocated on a per capita basis, and other assets, such as buildings and equipment, will stay in their present locations. According to Wendt that means Boyer River would get everything.

Wendt went on to say there are 150 on-reserve members eligible to vote between the two reserves, 72 of them in Boyer River. The chief needs a majority, or 50 per cent plus one, to be successful in the referendum. According to Wendt, only 36 people voted in favor of the split; 6 voted no and there was one spoiled ballot. These numbers agree with what Indian Affairs said it has on file, except Snyder could not confirm the number of eligible voters.

As for the council election that Bulldog said is imminent, Wendt said that also can't take place without full band participation. She further disputes that an election can be held under band custom regulations, and, again, Indian Affairs supported her statement that Beaver First Nation currently follows Indian Act election regulations. Bulldog insists Boyer River is going to hold an election "probably by the end of October," and he said the split will most likely occur a month later.

Bulldog said the division of Beaver First Nation is under the direction of himself and a "community action committee" consisting of eight people. He mentioned by name four from each reserve. Wendt said no public meeting was ever held about forming an action committee and she did not know who was on it.

Bulldog said he and his supporters are operating in accordance with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the Indian Act and provincial laws. He adds that Indian Affairs is opposing the division process "vigorously;" likewise, Boyer River's election regulations Bulldog said Indian Affairs is "unilaterally" attempting to make Beaver First Nation adhere to Indian Act voting provisions; whereas, he claims they are rightly under band custom election procedures.

The chief said his committee will attempt to contact all members, both on- and off-reserve, so they can decide which First Nation they want to belong to. He said people they can't contact will be assigned to one of the new bands based on their previous association, but provisions will be in place for those who want to change allegiances later.