Tsawwassen First Nation members voted for 23-year-old Bryce Williams for Chief, again

On April 10, Tsawwassen First Nation members voted
for 23-year-old Bryce Williams—again—to make him their chief. It’s the second time in seven months that Williams has been elected to the position, having the first time overturned because of a discrepancy with the advertised election date. Both times Williams defeated former long-time chief Kim Baird, this time by only 20 votes. “He beat me fair and square,” tweeted Baird on election night. After her first loss to Williams, Baird had been widely rumored to be interested in the position of chief commissioner of the BC Treaty Commission. Baird had led Tsawwassen to the first treaty finalized under the BCTC process. It came into effect in 2009. On April 12, however, Bernard Valcourt, minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development, announced the reappointment of Sophie Pierre as chief commissioner, with agreement from all the principals of the BC Treaty process: Canada, British Columbia and the First Nations Summit. In a blog, posted April 13, Baird said she was disappointed in losing the election. “Yes I’m disappointed, who wouldn’t be – especially after all I’ve given to my community for over 22 years?” Baird writes she is now wondering what will be next for her. “It will be challenging to find a job that is as diverse and fulfilling as my last one–and one I can invoke my passion. So in the interim, I will pick up a few short term consulting contracts while I figure out what to do when I grow up.” In a press release issued April 11, Williams thanked Baird for her commitment to the community, which is “reflected in the promising future that we look forward to. I wish her all the best, and hope she will continue to contribute to building TFN’s future for many years to come.”