It was back to work Friday for Chief Tammy Cook-Searson and the rest of the Lac La Ronge Indian Band council.
The band’s upcoming election has been postponed and chief and council’s term extended on an emergency basis to Apr. 30.
Cook-Searson said now the election has officially been put on hold, the focus turns to dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Now we’ve been called back to extend our term until Apr. 30 for now, in the interim, and then go from there,” she said. “So, we’re going to be meeting with the emergency management group today to get briefed on that and just to be able to help out where we can.”
The band’s election act was amended last year to include an eight-member tribunal to oversee the vote for the first time.
The election tribunal had already cancelled an advance poll set for Mar. 19.
The actual vote had been scheduled to take place Monday.
Cook-Searson said she stopped campaigning door-to-door the week of Mar. 16 because of concerns around the novel coronavirus, instead reaching voters though social media and by phone.
She said the number one priority now is ensuring band members can get the help they need during this unprecedented health crisis.
“There’s a lot of people out there who are worried that if they get sick, they want to know that somebody’s going to be there to provide for their basic needs. Like bringing food or medicine or whatever it is that they need.”
According to a press release issued Thursday, under the term extension chief and council do not have any spending powers.
(PHOTO: Lac La Ronge Indian Band Chief Tammy Cook-Searson. Photo courtesy Tammy-Cook Searson Facebook page.)