Harry Cook retires after 18 years as LLRIB chief

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For the past 18 years, Harry Cook's top priority each day was the needs of the members of the Lac La Ronge Indian Band (LLRIB). That all changed on March 31 when Cook retired from the role of chief, a post he'd held since 1987. Now the responsibilities of leading Saskatchewan's largest First Nation belong to a new chief-long-time band councillor Tammy Cook-Searson.

And while his own daughters -Tara and Janet-often saw little of their father during the work week, Cook's role as the band's top politician also saw him playing a "father" role to many of his band members. Over the years, he has had to learn to emotionally distance himself somewhat in order to effectively deal with the needs of his people.

"I have an open door policy," Cook said April 1, the day after the band's general election, "and people walk in and sometimes they close the door and just in confidence tell me about their life."

Sometimes these stories are full of joy and celebration-a new baby, a graduation-and then that person leaves and the next comes in with devastatingly bad news, or just a tale of grief or shame.

"You can't have your emotions up and down all day, so you have to be very patient," Cook said.

"If you laugh one minute and cry the next, how long can the emotions last?"

He has had to apply that same level-headedness and patience to his dealings with band members' requests and demands, carefully evaluating situations on the basis of the band's financial resources, rather than on a gut reaction or-even more dangerously for a First Nations politician, who is related by blood to many of his constituents-personal ties to the supplicant.

The role of a chief is complex and often misunderstood, and that can lead to some awkward situations. As Cook put it, the premier of Saskatchewan would likely never get a phone call from a child saying, 'I have no way to get home.' And an adult with a flat tire near Prince Albert would never call the mayor of La Ronge to say, 'I'm your citizen, and I've got no money to replace my tire.' "We get those calls," Cook said.

In his mind, the chief's duty is not to hand out money like a doting parent, it's to be an advocate for the people, "to negotiate with any other agency that might enhance our ability to get a little more than we've currently got," Cook said.

"Chief and council are not bureaucrats. A lot of them were not trained to administer programs ...

Once that (budget) is approved, it's up to the directors to run their programs as effectively and efficiently as they can with the budget they have. It's not up to the chief or the councillor to decide who gets what and who does not get anything."

It's that sort of thinking-combined with a strict sense of accountability for all monies that come into the band's coffers-that have made the LLRIB's administration so effective under Cook's leadership. In a recent study by the auditor general of the most effectively managed First Nations in Canada, the band was listed as one of the top five.

The LLRIB has also become noted for its economic development initiatives, which Cook lists as his proudest achievement. The band's business arm, Kitsaki Management Limited Partnership (KMLP), currently holds 14 portfolios, from hotel management and organic food procressing to catering and insurance. KMLP's flagship is Northern Resource Trucking, a joint venture with Trimac Transportation that was the band's first major initiative after Cook was elected in 1987.

"What we found was that many of our people who were starting to get a good level of education had no opportunities within the band system... so we decided, we're going to have to do better than this. We have such a young population, and we have to utilize our resources," Cook said. So, the band studied the markets and saw a need within the mining industry for a means to effectively haul supplies in and out of the uranium mines.

These days, KMLP consistently appears on an annal list of the top 100 businesses in Saskatchewan and has won the band numerous awards for successful business practices. KMLP is even known internationally because of its exporting of wild rice and mushrooms, and Cook has made frequent trips overseas to meet with European and Asian clients and attend trade shows.

"We're very much exposed to the world picture now," he said. "It starts with one good idea, and building on that."

Although he has become well-known both in political and business circles through his work with the band, the Indian Government Commission, and mining giant Cameco's board of directors, Cook has refused several opportunities to take his political ambitions beyond the confines of northern Saskatchewan.

Although he grew up in Stanley Mission, Cook left the North as a young man to work as a welder in Regina. "When I came back (in 1979), our band needed a lot of help in the developments that other people enjoyed that I've seen down south," such as basic water and sewer infrastructure in homes, he said.

Since then, in his work with the band's housing department, a term on council (1983-85) and 18 years as chief, Cook has maintained that local focus.

"If you concentrate more on the needs of the people that you're serving rather than the broad-based picture, you can be more effective," he said. "I've always aspired to look after the band membership and ... northern people."

After 18 years, however, it was time to let go. The main reason is health: Cook, who is 61, was diagnosed 10 years ago with diabetes, and in recent years, his travel schedule and erratic mealtimes have played havoc with his body. He also wants more time to spend with Rose and his girls, and perhaps to pursue other opportunities-maybe even in the larger political realm. He has already received several job offers, but plans to take until the fall to just relax.

"I want to be able to enjoy some free time while I can with some health," he said. "I could easilycarry on, but if I died on the job, a lot of people would say, 'Well, we thought he was smarter than that.'"

At the core of Cook's success as chief is his relationships with his family and with God. He and Rose have a 37-year marriage based on trust and mutual understanding, and any visitor to his office is likely to be treated to a run-down on the accomplishments of his daughters. It is also in that office that he makes time every morning for connecting with his Creator.

"All the days that I've worked, even today, I kneel down before I start my day and pray," he said.

"I'm a human being, I have a lot of weaknesses. (I say), 'help me throughout the course of my life, each and every day. It's the only thing I would say that has helped me, spiritually, to be strong."