Saturday, August 15, 2015

Poor band, rich chief

by Jon Manchester CASTANET - Aug 15, 2015 / 8:37 am
A Lower Mainland First Nation may be tiny, but its chief pulls in a huge salary. Chief Willard Cook of the 93-person Semiahmoo First Nation in Surrey was paid $267,309 last fiscal year, according to financial documents released under Canada’s controversial Financial Transparency Act. Tax free, that's more than Prime Minister Stephen Harper is paid. Meanwhile, Semiahmoo Coun. Joanne Charles was paid $187,138, while Coun. Roxanne Charles made just $4,725. Band members say living conditions vary wildly. Part of the reserve has city water, high-speed Internet and garbage collection, the other does not. “We can’t get simple things that we need,” member Darren Dollan told CTV. Dollan has water delivered into a plastic container in his backyard twice a month at $110 per trip. It's his source for bathing and laundry, but is plagued by algae growth. “You get sick off of this stuff,” he said. Dollan was shocked to learn how much Cook is paid while he can’t get running water. He says there hasn’t been a band meeting in more than a decade. The bulk of the Semiahmoo’s revenue – $3.3 million – comes from the provincial government.
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http://pse5-esd5.ainc-inac.gc.ca/fnp/Main/Search/FNMain.aspx?BAND_NUMBER=569&lang=eng 
Official Name Semiahmoo
Address 16049 BEACH ROAD, SURREY, BC
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http://pse5-esd5.ainc-inac.gc.ca/fnp/Main/Search/FNMain.aspx?BAND_NUMBER=616&lang=eng
Official Name Okanagan Number 616
Address 12420 WESTSIDE RD, VERNON, BC

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