Nine Saskatchewan citizens were invested into the Order of Merit last night, including the chief of the Whitecap Dakota Nation.

Chief Darcy Bear says during his 20 years as a councillor and now chief, his community has gone from near bankruptcy and third party management to a thriving First Nation with 600 jobs, infrastructure and a new school.

Bear says these changes happened because a vision of accountability and transparency on the reserve became a community vision.

He says receiving the award is a humbling experience that he owes to his community.