Exploit the exploited

Following the December 5, 2005 announcement by Department of Indian Affairs officials that a

“Co-Management Arrangement” is required for Tobique First Nation, an agreement was signed

December 12, 2005 by seven council members with Teed Saunders & Doyle. The firm

assigned

Ralph Gorman, T.J. Smith and Kenny Kyle to the Tobique file. One of the

responsibilities of our

co-managers is to “ensure that Tobique First Nation operates within its

approved budget and achieves its

annual Remedial Management Plan deficit reduction

target”. Please visit our website at

www.newtfn.com/agr

for more details of the co-

management agreement.

Since the signing of the agreement, our co-manager has not met with the full Chief and

Council.

Councilors Vaughan Nicholas, Brenda Perley-Hafke and myself have contacted T.J.

Smith to

convey our concerns regarding his failure to meet with all council members.

emphasized to him that any action taken by the Director of Operations, Band Manager, Co-

Manager and “Assistant Chief”

has to be authorized by the Chief and Council.

However, it

seems the

co-manager has decided

that he will deal only with the Director of Operations and

Band Manager.

As a result of meetings between the Director of Operations, Band Manager, and Co-Manager,

they have decided to borrow 1.5

million from Peace Hills Trust. This amount is required to

maintain operations for the next two months (current fiscal year ends

March 31, 2006). They

have already borrowed $800,000 dollars from next fiscal year’s social assistance budget to

maintain

operations. Apparently, that amount has been expended and thereby creating a

shortfall of 1.5 million for the next two months.

The three have proposed to repay the loan

using program and services funds from our next fiscal year budget. The full Chief

and Council

have not ratified this approach and I am certain that community members would not support a

loan that will require

us to use program and services funds from next year’s budget.

It has also come to my attention that Ian Gray, Assistant Regional Director General of Indian

and Northern Affairs Canada at

Amherst supports the application for a 1.5 million dollar loan

made by the Director of Operations, Band Manager, and Co-

Manager. In his correspondence

to Peace Hills Trust (dated January 10, 2006), Mr. Gray stated “Indian and Northern Affairs

Canada commits to transfer to the TFN, for the purposes of repayment of the loan, $1,500,000

from the April 2006 transfer

payment under the TFN Funding Agreement”. This will

undoubtedly cause a major disruption in the delivery of services such as

education, social

services, and housing during the next fiscal year! Please contact Ian Gray at (902) 661-6200 if

you disagree

with the loan application made by Neil and Sterling. We cannot continue to

borrow funds from our future generations!

The Director of Operations, Band Manager, and Co-Manager Lay-Off 110 Workers

On December 29, 2005, the Director of Operations, Band Manager, and Co-Manager laid off a

total of 110 employees. The lay-off

notice to each employee stated, “Upon behalf of the

Council of Tobique First Nation it is with regret that we must inform you that

effective

December 30th, 2005 you are temporarily laid-off”. I want to make it absolutely clear that the

council was not involved

in the decision to lay-off these workers. T.J. Smith informed me that

Neil Perley and Sterling Perley were the two administrators

who developed and finalized the

list of lay-offs. Of course, the final list was not presented to the council for ratification.

According to the co-manager, he asked Neil and Sterling to look at each position and

determine if that particular position was

necessary for the remaining three months of the fiscal

year. The final list therefore reflects Neil and Sterlings views that these

positions are not

necessary and therefore should be laid-off. The co-manager emphasized that he relied on

their judgment to

finalize a list of lay-offs. He also assumed that they had the authority to

develop and finalize the list.

Once again, I am surprised and certainly disappointed that the high-income positions were not

touched as an additional

measure to save money for Tobique. We are in a deficit because of

the extremely high incomes ($65,000 - $114,000/year) that a

few individuals are currently

collecting from the payroll. Yet, they are not affected by the financial mess, which they

themselves

have caused to occur in Tobique. Why should they continue to be rewarded for

their incompetence and questionable

expenditures?

Did You Know ...

While 110 employees were being laid-off, select members of “Team Tobique” were

vacationing in the Bahamas and other

exotic locations

Beaver Paul, CEO for TEDCo reported to the Victoria Star that the company generated a

revenue of 15 million dollars in the

past few years; if that is indeed the case, what happened to

our profits?

TEDCo expended $307,937.44 for professional fees during the 2004–2005 fiscal year; who

are these expensive

professionals?

Condolences

Imelda and I would like to offer our condolences to the families of Anthony Nicholas, Virginia

Perley, and Ron Perley for the loss

of their loved ones. We are thinking of you during your

times of sorrow and we wish you peace and comfort in the days to

come.

Our prayers are with you!

Editor: Prof. Dave Perley Tel: 273-4277

Email