PBCN Tax Settlement Decision Disputed

PBCN Tax Settlement Decision Disputed

Thursday, July 15, 2004 at 14:45

A former band councillor in Pelican Narrows says small business owners and fishers stand to lose out over a recent decision by the chief and council of the Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation.

Graham Linklater says at a meeting held earlier this week, Chief Ron Michel and four of his councillors informed the community they would be pouring 2.8 million dollars from a tobacco and gas tax settlement with the province into the band’s ailing emergency fund.

Linklater says the move goes against the wishes of everyone in the community because the money being used is essentially tax dollars band members paid to the provincial government a few years back.

Linklater says the situation is especially tough to swallow for fishers and business owners, who he says were dinged very hard by the tax and just want some financial relief.

Linklater adds legal action may be the community’s next course of action if their concerns aren’t addressed.

He also isn’t ruling out the possibility of a sit-in.

PBCN Chief Ron Michel was not immediately available for comment.