Saskatoon

Richard Ben re-elected as Chief of Makwa Sahgaiehcan First Nation

Chief Richard Ben has been re-elected as leader of the Makwa Sahgaiehcan First Nation.

People of Makwa Sahgaiehcan re-elect Richard Ben as Chief

Chief Richard Ben. (Richard Ben's Facebook page)
Richard Ben posted this comment on his Facebook page on Wednesday. (Richard Ben's Facebook page)

The people of the Makwa Sahgaiehcan First Nation have re-elected Richard Ben as Chief.

The band election was held a week after two toddlers died on the reserve in a house fire.

The nearby village of Loon Lake's volunteer fire department did not respond to the call for help because it said the First Nation had violated a contract stipulating unpaid bills would result in a loss of service. 

Ben said he did not recall signing that contract. The First Nation later paid the outstanding bill totalling $3,400.

A funeral for the children who died was held on Monday.

Chief Ben has not responded to CBC News' requests for interviews since the election.

He posted about his re-election today on Facebook.