Fw: Globe - Has $5,000 destroyed this band?
----- Original Message -----
From: Doug Kelly <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Sat Nov 29 09:26:43 2008
Subject: Globe - Has $5,000 destroyed this band?
COVER STORY: NATIVE AFFAIRS
Has $5,000 destroyed this band?
Last spring, the Musqueam received $20.3-million from the government - igniting
a firestorm over how the money should be split up. After a nasty campaign,
Monday's vote could change the community forever
ROBERT MATAS
November 29, 2008
VANCOUVER -- Prominent Musqueam leader Wendy Grant-John has seen a lot of
elections on her reserve in south Vancouver since she first became involved in
band politics more than 20 years ago.
But this fall's rough-and-tumble campaign for chief and 10 members of the
council has caught her by surprise.
"It absolutely amazes me that [the band's] success breeds negativity in a lot
of people," Ms. Grant-John said in the final days of a campaign dominated by
personal attacks and intimidation. She recounted a recent conversation with a
band councillor who said he almost thought it was better when the Musqueam were
in deficit and had less money.
The election on Monday marks a turning point for the band. After years of
pushing for recognition of who they are and what belongs to them, the band is
now in the process of deciding what it wants to do with its newly acquired
wealth.
Last spring, the Musqueam received a $20.3-million payment from the B.C.
government as part of an out-of-court settlement resolving long-standing land
disputes. Later, the band distributed $5,000 to each of its members.
Ms. Grant-John, a dynamic three-time chief now running for a council seat, said
tensions in the community reflect the situation confronting several native
bands across the country.
"There has been more acceptance of [aboriginal rights and claims] and
communities are now beginning to look inward, saying, okay, now that we've got
this recognition, how do we start to implement independent, accountable
government, business development for ourselves and keep our traditions," she
said.
"We have to really work toward reflecting what the community is, in this day
and age. It's an evolution and growth."
But the Musqueam are not just any band: They are among the wealthiest in
Canada, owning prime urban real estate in Metro Vancouver that would be worth
hundreds of millions of dollars if ever developed. The band is involved in
several businesses, including two golf courses, a hotel with a pub, rental
housing and long-term land leases. Federal transfer payments for programs such
as housing, employment, fishing, health and social assistance brought in an
additional $5-million in revenue last year.
About 580 of the 1,127 band members live in a compact community along the
Fraser River in southwest Vancouver, just east of the University of British
Columbia. However, their reserve does not reflect their wealth. Some housing is
comparable to comfortable middle-class Vancouver neighbourhoods. Several homes,
covered in blue tarps and with derelict cars parked in the front yards, look as
if they are in the poorest areas of the province.
Traditionally, the Musqueam were governed by the heads of prominent band
families. Family allegiances continue to have an influence over the band's
affairs after the federal government imposed democratic elections on bands in
the 1950s. However, family ties no longer decide the outcome.
The election is more like a popularity contest, some band members said this
week in interviews. In a community with fewer people than many high-rise
apartments, there is no need for candidates to introduce themselves to the
voters. There are no all-candidates meetings and few candidates put up signs or
distribute pamphlets. Candidates seek out support over the phone, by e-mail, on
Facebook and by visiting neighbours and family. All adult band members,
regardless of whether they live on the reserve, are eligible to vote.
Tensions on the reserve first bubbled up earlier this year after the so-called
reconciliation, settlement and benefits agreement between the Musqueam and the
B.C. government. The agreement resolved disputes over the sale of the
University of British Columbia golf course, land in Richmond now used for the
River Rock casino, and environmental remediation of the Celtic Shipyard lands
along the Fraser River. Two parcels in the Pacific Spirit Regional Park were
also transferred.
"This is a new chapter in our relations that aims to provide long-term benefits
and improve the lives of the Musqueam people for future generations," Premier
Gordon Campbell said. The agreement also provided $20.3-million in cash.
That payout ignited a firestorm on the reserve. Some band members wondered
whether future generations would be the only ones to benefit.
Musqueam council wanted to put most of the money to debt reduction and
expanding current programs, giving only $1,000 to each band member. Several
Musqueam - many living in mouldy homes with leaky roofs, others relying on
social assistance - questioned why they should continue to live in poverty
while the band held assets worth millions of dollars.
They felt that council's activities were not transparent and the leadership was
paternalistic. After a month-long protest outside the band office, the
membership voted 262-78 to increase the distribution to each band member to
$5,000.
The election will show whether the protest was just a summer fling or reflected
a shift in power on the reserve. The candidates for band chief offer members a
clear choice for the future.
Incumbent chief Ernie Campbell, who is seeking re-election, promises
continuity: He has been involved in Musqueam politics for 44 years. He served
three two-year terms as chief in the 1980s, and has been off and on council
several times since then. Mr. Campbell joked even he did not remember how many
terms he has served as chief.
As the Musqueam's chief negotiator in recent years, he has significant
accomplishments to take to the voters. Mr. Campbell said the arrangements
negotiated while he was chief have provided the band with an opportunity to be
financially independent. But he faces an uphill fight to convince members that
he should remain as chief while the band debates how to develop its lands. "I
want to see things through. There is unfinished business," he said.
Councillor Jordan Point is the candidate with innovative "big picture"
thinking. Mr. Point, who has been on council for 14 years, lost his previous
bid for chief by 20 votes. He sees himself as an advocate for a new way of
looking at what the band does. Many community members "have been saying, we
have been doing what we are doing for a number of years, but where do we go
from here," he said.
Mr. Point speaks of building townhouse complexes and multi-unit housing on the
reserve, rather than single-family homes, and of developing Musqueam lands for
destination tourism, alternative energy projects and even an advanced medical
centre.
"I like to see us be forward-thinking," he said. "In every facet, we are so on
the cusp of being able to advance ourselves. The potential is amazing - what we
could do if we could structure ourselves, develop vision, develop a strategy
and move forward ... with viable business opportunities that are sustainable."
Challenger Gail Sparrow, who was chief for one term in the 1990s, identifies
the immediate needs of those living in mould-infested housing, with
debilitating diseases or on social assistance, as the band's top priority. She
was a spokeswoman for the protest during the summer, pushing council to
increase the payout to $5,000.
"You've got to engage in the short term in order for the long term to be
reached," she said. "It's fine and dandy to be involved in long term [planning]
... but the question is, what are we doing today. Why are we, the richest band
in Canada, with the largest amount of assets and with some of the most valuable
land in Canada ... still status quo? The people's lives have not changed."
Ms. Sparrow said she also shares the concerns of youth, who are looking for new
leadership, and of Musqueam off reserve who do not receive the same education
and housing benefits as those on reserve.
A fourth candidate for chief is Wanona Scott, making her first run for
political office. She said she is concerned about the lack of jobs in the
community and inadequate health care. She would ensure the leadership is
accountable for how band monies EW spent, she said.
To Ms. Grant-John, the former chief, the settlement with the government
encouraged more people to become engaged in band affairs. She anticipates the
community's understanding of what needs to happen will continue to evolve as
the band's discussions move from housing to unemployment to education to
culture.
"It's an exciting time," Ms. Grant-John said.
*****
Community profile
1,127
Musqueam band members
580
Band members living on reserve
6
People who speak the Musqueam language hun'q'umin'um'
18
Children participating in preschool Musqueam language classes
338
Size in hectares, across eight properties, of Musqueam land holdings suitable
for development
$2.7-million
Approximate revenue from five long-term leased properties
214
Names on waiting list for new housing on reserve
170
Number of Musqueam-owned homes
16
Youth under 8 removed from the community and placed in government care over the
past 18 months
31
Youth under 19 removed from parents' home and now living with extended family
50
Number of members who received some form of drug and alcohol counselling last
year
Source: Research released by band council this month and 2006 census statistics
*****
THE FATE OF THE $5,000
For the first time in recent memory, none of the Musqueam were on the welfare
rolls in September after a distribution of $5,000 to each band member following
a multimillion-dollar out-of-court settlement with the B.C. government.
However, the windfall did not last long. Some were back on social assistance in
October, and band officials anticipated that, before the end of the year, the
number of people receiving social assistance could be close to previous levels
of between 50 to 60.
Paige McDonald, 20, has two children, a 10-month-old and three-year-old. Her
partner is a band member who received the $5,000. They spent the money on
essentials such as clothing, rent and groceries; they also bought a new TV and
a leather couch.
Social assistance rules prohibit spending on so-called materialist things, such
as televisions, CD players or cellphones. "A lot of people did not listen. That
was your money," Ms. McDonald said in an interview, suggesting the authorities
should not have placed restrictions on spending.
By mid-November, Ms. McDonald was back at the food bank looking for groceries.
Les Guerin was living on the reserve earlier this year without electricity or
water. After publicity about his living conditions, he was permitted to connect
a high-pressure water hose and thick electric cable to a neighbouring house. He
used his funds to buy a septic tank and improve his makeshift accommodations.
His home is now heated and he has a freezer for his fish.
Band member Mike Sparrow, who was involved in the protest that led to the
distribution of the money, said most members used the funds to make their lives
a little more comfortable. He did not hear about a lot of wild partying after
the distribution.
"They had police patrolling the reserve all night, when they gave out the
money, but everyone was quiet. There was nothing going on," he said. "For days
afterwards, I drove around and talked to people - they got TVs, furniture, some
young people got vehicles."
He put his money into a vehicle to haul his fishing boat. His brother bought a
door and some windows; another brother bought a new water heater. He spoke to
one woman who used the money for a trip to Europe to meet her husband's family
for the first time. "A lot of people got things they really needed," Mr.
Sparrow said.
The payout for those 18 years old and younger was placed in a trust fund.
Robert Matas
Grand Chief Doug Kelly (Tseem Th'ewali)
Treasurer & Tribal Chief for Intergovernmental Relations
Stó:lô Tribal Council
Area Office
PO Box 3013
Cultus Lake, BC
V2R 5H6
ph: 604-847-3561
fax: 604-847-3527
cell: 604-798-1436
email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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