Native Council of P.E.I. dispute ratchets up at meeting
Charlottetown Police ended up being called in, but did not remove anyone from the premises
An ongoing dispute at the Native Council of P.E.I. involving dozens of members escalated Thursday evening at a meeting in Charlottetown.
Jamie Thomas and several other executives were removed from the leadership of the Native Council earlier this month. Tonight, she and her supporters met in the building at the meeting.
In mid-January, a group of members led by Lisa Cooper, now interim chief, took over the leadership of the organization.
Tonight, dozens of Thomas' supporters met in the basement, where they were separated from the new council by a locked door.
Somehow, the door was opened and the crowd rushed to an upstairs office where Cooper, along with other members of the new executive, locked themselves inside.
Shortly after, Charlottetown Police showed up to observe the situation, but did not kick anyone out.
Thomas and the elders met in a small office and discussed the situation. Eventually, they asked most of the crowd to leave. Several of her key supporters said they weren’t going anywhere and would remain quiet and peaceful.
As of late Thursday evening, that’s how the situation remained.