FSIN staff cuts minimal

Cuts to salaries of Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations vice chiefs and tapping into gaming revenues and a treaty rights protection fund has allowed most of FSIN’s workers to keep their jobs. Chiefs voted nearly unanimously to cut the salaries of the four vice-chiefs from $100,000 per year to $75,000. The $135,000 salary of FSIN Chief Perry Bellegarde remains unaffected, as it is funded by the Assembly of First Nations. In January, 66 employees were told that because of federal government funding cuts of $2 million they might not have a job as of April 1. Eight people have been laid off, but Bellegarde says proposals have been submitted for other funding in hopes of bringing the employees back.