Staff turnovers are only 'growing pains'

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Metis association not in $80,000 deficit ? Prez

The president of the Metis Association of Alberta said he was dismayed when he read that the association had an $80,000 deficit in an October edition of Windspeaker.

Speaking at a Zone 3 Regional Council meeting Oct. 31 Desmeules admitted to the association's expenditures, as reported in the Oct. 2 article, but denied these expenditures had placed the association in a deficit position.

"We dismissed two employees in the most humane way possible," he said, explaining why two former employees Donna Woodward and Elda Goodin were given severance pay when removed from their positions in September.

"One employee received a payment of $12,000 and the other was paid until Dec. 1," he said, adding that the second employee would be receiving $6,000.

Past president Sam Sinclair was given an honorarium of $15,000 which was reduced from the proposed amount of $25,000, said Desmeules, adding he could not give an estimate to the cost of the annual assembly which was reported to run in the $25,000 range.

"Just working it out roughly, not including the cost of the annual assembly, we're looking at almost $50,000," said Local 14 president, Theresa Arseneau.

Desmeules did not refute Arseneau's calculations but said the amount is covered within the association's fiscal year budget ending Mar. 31, 1988.

In an interview Nov. 24, Desmeules restated that the association is not in a deficit situation, but the changes within the organization, including recent staff turnovers, are "growing pains."

Self-government official Steve Crocker left his position this week to work for Apeetogosan, but Desmeules says self-government is still on the agenda.

"We are even going to expand our plans," he said.

Currently, the association is negotiating a framework agreement, expected to be announced at any time, that would set in place the foundations of self-government.

People have to realize that political organizations are not cost effective. We have to be spontaneous and be able to quickly put out bush fires," he said.

Desmeules points out that currently the association is often subject to the whim of the provincial and federal governments and long term planning can be difficult.

"We have to respond at the last moment. When God calls you go to God and to us the govern is like God," he said.

During the past few years Desmeules points out that the cost of living has steadily increased, yet funding to the association, which stands at about $700,000 per year, has remained the same.

"Yet we have more people and things are more expensive today," he said.

However, he says the association will continue to work toward self-determination and cites the recent land purchase by the Zone 1 Regional Council as one step toward that goal.

Desmeules says that although the association is a society, it is basically a political organization forced to run on the Society's Act regulations.

"This means often bylaws are passed at the annual assembly that are not beneficial, but the people are tired and want to go home so they vote for them anyway."

Desmeules would like to form a structure "somewhere between a municipality and a society," that would give the association greater freedom to develop while allowing each area of the province to develop its own form of self-determination.

"The zones are already powerful, but they will become even stronger, while here at the association we will remain a political body . . . we're not getting into delivery services," he said.

The association hopes to fund self-government by resource sharing, which Desmeules says has already been put before the Alberta government for negotiation. Resource sharing will mean funds will be transferred to the association on a per-capita basis from the province's natural resources such as oil and gas.

Desmeules will also be undertaking a series of workshops on the new Metis Betterment Act and particularly Resolution 18 in the early new year

"We'll be holding one in the east and one in the west for both on and off-colony Metis," he said. "We have been working closely with the Federation (of Metis Settlements) and we have a good working relationship," he said.

However, right now Desmeules says he is waiting for the government to finalize negotiations on the framework agreement which should be signed any day.