It is unfortunate more leaders do not choose to lead by example.
To end September the Chinik band, part of the Stoney Nakoda Nation, revealed it was running a $4.5-million deficit. The First Nation as a whole was able to weather the storm thanks to the Wesley and Bearspaw bands which both recorded surpluses – $2.3 million and $3.1 million respectively – during the last fiscal year.
While the other two bands should be commended for their fiscal prudence, it is unfortunate the Chiniki band has all but wiped out that positive financial management leaving the nation with only $900,000 of what could have been a multi-million dollar surplus.
Now instead of finding ways to put that money to good use and help improve lives, the Stoney Nakoda finds itself in a precarious situation and the surplus will have to be used to offset the deficit.
In July, to help get its finances back under control, Chiniki was slated to begin implementing a financial remediation plan to help get the books back in order.
Implementation of that plan has been slow going, which came to the forefront during a meeting called by Wesley band members to discuss finances.
Not only has Chiniki been admonished for failing to act on the remedial plan, band members are angry that chief and council are not feeling more of the pain that has been forced upon band employees.
Layoffs and pay decreases have been issued under the remedial plan in an effort to reduce wages, yet the chief and council have decided to not take similar pay cuts.
Chiniki, similar to many other levels of government, seem to believe leader salaries are sacred. Rarely do politicians take the same steps to reduce their wages in times of financial instability and instead place the burden on its employees and taxpayers.
It’s the leaders who should be the first to feel the financial pain though. Their failure to uphold their elected responsibility – which in no small part includes fiscal prudence and accountability – should come with immediate consequences.
It is unfair to unload the entire burden of fixing financial problems that are for all intents and purposes the fault of poor leadership.
From what has been released, it is obvious financial accountability fell to the wayside in Chiniki and somehow millions of dollars were wasted.
Chiniki members, instead of reaping the benefits that could have come from similar fiscal responsibility demonstrated by Bearspaw and Wesley, are facing layoffs and pay cuts. The Chiniki band has also negated the gains made by Wesley and Bearspaw.
For all this the Stoney people deserve a full account of how the band ended in such a deep hole.
Chief and council decided they do not need to share the pain of the financial losses they were responsible for. They have also decided they do not have to explain themselves to their members or the media.
In short, Chiniki chief and council have demonstrated deplorable leadership and their people deserve better.
