A bit of a battle is brewing on the Standing Buffalo First Nation, about 80 kilometers northeast of Regina.
A band councillor tried to arrange a disciplinary hearing against chief and council but apparently she did not have the proper authority.
In the meantime, Chief Roger Redman says Stella Isnana was suspended this month for conduct unbecoming a councillor.
Isnana, who was elected last March, says the chief and other councillors spend too much money on things like meetings and travel and not enough on measures like job training.
She says she has refused to accept an honorarium of $5,000 a month paid to councillors.
“I just did not think that was right,” she says. “That was for my monthly travel to my meetings and I just did not think I was going to attend that much meetings for that much money. I just said no, this is not accountable guys.”
Chief Redman counters the band has cut expenses by about 35 per cent and is working to address any concerns being expressed by band members.
“We’ve heard the concerns through our membership loud and clear and we are addressing those concerns,” he says. “We have addressed those concerns for this past fiscal year and in our third quarter we are on target. We cut back 35 per cent on our travel to meetings and stuff like that. We understand there are concerns and we have addressed them.”
He says the band and council have always been completely open and transparent in their spending with salaries and per diems posted right in the band office and plans to start posting spending on its website.
Redman adds the band has been doing that for more than ten years and will continue to be open and responsive to what band members want.
This is an election year on the reserve.