Elder council disputes First Nation's election
Sand Point First Nation electoral officer says proper procedures were followed
A group of elders with the Sand Point First Nation has gone to the Department of Aboriginal Affairs with concerns about a recent band council election.
The elders call themselves the Traditional Governance Council and say they want to invoke their right to take control of the First Nation's affairs.
Group spokesperson Matt Gladu alleges there were irregularities, including the removal of the ballot box from the voting location, overnight, until results were tallied the next day.
"We are self-governed. And, it is our custom that when our First Nation is being run amok, that this kind of procedure take place," he said.
Sand Point First Nation election results
- Chief Laura Airns won with 83 votes.
- Councillor Grace Dow was second with 51 votes
- Joe Ladouceur and Lillian Calder also elected to council
- The band's official news release says voting process provided for on-site polling, as well as mail-in ballots, for maximum representation
The electoral officer for Sand Point, also known as Bingwi Neyaashi Anishinaabek, said the election was fair, and abided by the community's custom election code.
Elizabeth Redsky noted the ballot box was sealed under supervision until she could retrieve mail-in ballots the day after in-person voting was conducted.
"I have four scrutineers on behalf of the candidates who watched the whole procedure," she said.
"There were also other band members in the room. I had two Thunder Bay police officers. I asked them for their police seals."
Redsky said her job is to ensure all band members had the opportunity to vote — and she fulfilled that obligation.