Gadwa regains control at Kehewin

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Gordon Gadwa is back in the driver's seat at Kehewin Reserve.

The 44-year-old chief had been locked out of his office by six of eight band councillors who voted Aug. 17 to oust him. They then appointed Gloria Badger as acting band chief.

Gadwa, who has been chief of the east-central Alberta reserve for the last decade, met with the group of multinous band councillors in late September and threatened legal action.

The meeting between Gadwa and the rebels followed an earlier meeting in the day between the council and Elizabeth Turbayne, regional director general with Indian Affairs in Edmonton,

Turbayne told the two groups they either worked together until the next election in March 1990 or resign and pave the way for a new election.

Gadwa said he warned the councillors he'd take legal action if they didn't back down.

"It was just a misunderstanding and some people were just bulldozing their way. It was getting to the point where I either took it to court or we settled it and worked together," he said, in an interview Oct. 12 at Enoch Band reserve, where Alberta's

Indian chiefs met for two days.

Gadwa said he had a court injunction, which he planned to enforce on the councillors at the Sept. 25 meeting if an agreement couldn't be reached with them.

"I didn't do anything wrong and I wasn't going to be ousted the way they tried to oust me," he said.

"Their actions weren't legal at all," he said. "There's laws to be followed."

Gadwa said he hopes the issue will die down and that the bickering on the reserve ends.

"If the will is there, we can bring the whole thing back together. I'm hoping for the best," he said.

Gadwa said he'll hold no hard feelings against the six councillors if they mend their ways.

"If they can show they mean business when they say 'we should work together from now until them' (the March election), I won't have any hard feelings," he said.

"But if they're going to start fighting for this and that, then that's just opening up the wounds gain and I'll use whatever means to get them on track, so we work together until the next election," he said.

Former Acting Chief Gloria Badger declined comment as did band councillor George Dion.