Black Lake Chief Defends Authority To Govern

Black Lake Chief Defends Authority To Govern

Monday, November 14, 2005 at 15:22

 

 

The chief of the Black Lake First Nation is denying claims his administration does not have enough councillors to rule legitimately.

 

Chief Freddy Throassie says the band’s own election code stipulates that a quorum is met if a chief and four councillors are in place.

 

He says that number is being met despite the fact that three positions on the band council sit vacant.

 

Throassie also says there is no money right now to hold a by-election for those positions, but points out a general band election is coming up in May and voters can have their say then.

 

However, at least one band member disagrees with those arguments.

 

Jimmy Laban says one of the four councillors serving with Throassie now publicly resigned his post in September and shouldn’t have been reinstated.

 

However, Throassie says the councillor in question never actually quit.

 

He says that while the man did put up a sign in the community stating he was no longer a councillor, it was only for a short while, and he recanted his position soon after.

 

The chief also says no official paperwork was ever filled out and no process followed.

 

Throassie maintains that he and his councillors are listening to band members and taking direction from them.