A new era is dawning as Beausoleil First Nation transfers the role of chief from one to the next.
Joanne P. Sandy enters into the role this morning after winning the recent Beausoleil First Nation election. She earned 252 votes for the position, amounting to 33% more than her two closest opponents of incumbent Guy Monague with 169 and Wesley King with 167, respectively.
With nine years as chief councillor under her belt, Sandy ran on a campaign of integrity and viability.
“It is my position that the qualities that contribute to being a good councillor are: Approachability, dependability, honesty, trustworthiness, empathy, and being down to earth,” she wrote in her campaign statement.
Sandy cited collaboration between chief and council as being essential to the success of the First Nation and the overall community.
“It is my hope to continue the projects that are underway and to see them through to completion,” wrote Sandy in her campaign advertisement. “These include the dock project, the new ferry, the Clearwater (M.V Waaseyaagmik), and new police facility.”
Outgoing Chief Guy Monague served three years in the top role. His regular two-year term was lengthened with two additional six-month extensions given due to the COVID-19 pandemic affecting safety standards with elections.
“The journey and responsibility of being Chief has been one of honour, hard work, and great accomplishments by this council,” said Monague in his final video message as BFN Chief.
“Our next major step as a community is economic growth,” Monague said later in the video, suggesting e-commerce as a means of connecting to the world market as an example.
Sandy will be joined on council by Tanya Roote-Jamieson, Trevor Reid, Whitney Walsh, Jane Copegog and Murray Sandy. Joanne P. Sandy finished sixth in the council race while Wesley King took the seventh spot.
But with Sandy winning the election as chief as well as receiving enough votes to become the sixth and final elected member of council, some residents showed concern on social media how one person could hold both positions simultaneously.
Vaughn Johnston was the electoral officer overseeing the election.
“The reason why some people say ‘Why can’t you take the seventh councillor (Wesley King), and if (Sandy) resigns from council then just move the seventh one in who came right behind her as an elected councillor?’ The Indian Band Election Regulations states that the membership elects the council, and seventh wasn’t elected; the top six were.
“And that’s how Indian Affairs law interprets it; the only way to fill it if the sixth councillor or one of the councillors resigns is to have a byelection. You can’t move the next person in, because they weren’t elected,” Johnston explained.
Neither incoming Chief Sandy nor outgoing Chief Monague were available for comment.
Johnston said he didn't know whether Sandy would consider holding a byelection, stating that the previous administration also ran with five council members at times. Additionally, the official website for Beausoleil First Nation Chief and Council showed Sandy as retaining both her Chief and council positions for the 2021-2023 term.
Inauguration for chief and council begins this morning at 11 at the Shorefront Pavilion on Christian Island. With the stay-at-home order ending, all BFN members are invited to attend, regardless of residency. As pandemic protocols are to be followed, those residing off-island must complete a visitor’s form prior to access.
The event will be recorded and live-streamed on the Chimnissing News Facebook page.
