A group of Squamish Nation members wants assurances that an internal investigation into the band’s governance will be made public.
On Thursday (July 17), approximately a dozen residents gathered at Totem Hall to discuss their requests to officials regarding an investigation launched in May.
The probe, reported in the Squamish Chief in June, is being paid for by the nation’s revenue and as such, details should be made available to the people, Squamish Nation member Joanne Nahanee said.
Some members have been told the report will be released to Squamish Nation officials on Friday (July 25), Nahanee noted.
That doesn’t mean it will fall into the citizens’ hands, Clarissa Antone said. Antone has been following the issue through council’s chambers. At the most recent meeting she attended, she said councillors stated they would look over the document and decide what to release.
“I am worried they are not going to share the whole report with us,” Antone said.
Some Squamish Nation members have questions regarding the band’s finances, Nahanee said. While the Nation has been touted in the media as one of the richest in Canada, Nahanee said she watches residents scavenge for cans to make ends meet.
“There’s something wrong here,” she said.
There are approximately 4,000 Squamish Nation members. Each is paid $1,000 per year as a distribution of the revenues generated through the Nation’s business and economic development initiatives, members said. Some have lobbied to increase the payments to $2,000, but have so far been unsuccessful, a number of the citizens at the meeting stated.
Squamish Nation member Bobby Baker called for an investigation of all departments.
“We’ve got to look at the bottom all the way to the top,” he said.
Historically some cases of alleged malfeasance have fallen by the wayside, Baker said. To break what Baker said appears to be a cycle, Squamish Nation members must demand that charges are brought against people if they are applicable, he said.
The Squamish Chief newspaper emailed a list of questions to the Nation, including who was conducting the investigation, whether RCMP were involved and whether the results were to be made public. The Nation’s executive operating officer Walter Schneider replied in an email on Monday (July 21).
“I’ve been advised by council,” he stated. “They are not making any comments at this time as the independent investigation is still ongoing.”
