St Mary’s First Nation
150 Cliffe Street, Fredericton, NB E3A 0A1
- (506) 458-9511 T.F. (888) 445-6644
September 22, 2021
Chief and Council Meeting Minutes, Motions and Summary
Chief and Council held a meeting at Maqiyahtimok on September 21, 2021. There were discussions to be held regarding housing, investment opportunities, ongoing strategy sessions, planning for National Day for Truth and Reconciliation as well as ongoing property encroachment and housing policy updates.
Below are the motions made by council:
Motion 1: Request to approve pouring of additional foundations for homes to allow construction to continue without hinderance in the coming months. Motion Passed.
Motion 2: A motion to accept a third building crew as an on-staff crew, contingent on their acceptable of council’s offer for wages, project management and final cost. Initial term will be for three homes over one year. Motion Passed.
Motion 3: Motion to include rooms for all members of a family during construction of a home, including children in shared-custody agreements. Homes which are already built are to be handled by housing through a different process.) Motion Passed.
Motion 4: Motion to address encroachment on band-owned lands on Dedham Street, adjacent to the new structure set to open in October. Motion Passed.
Motion 5: A motion to pursue information on an investment opportunity with a prospective business partner. Internal review of viability to be researched, more information requested. Motion Passed.
Open Discussion:
Discussion around needing to make a decision on the preferred process of handing the sanitary trunk replacement on the old reserve property. City has been waiting, has land to be granted to the reserve following the completion of the replacement or the denial of the access (Most of the land is not contingent on the agreement to allow a replacement, but a decision still needs to be made.)
Call for methods to increase citizen engagement on all issues, including the drug issues facing our community. A handful of members have come forward on this issue, but unified public pressure will likely prove more effective than waiting on police intervention in some cases. Recordings of the events in other communities provided inspirational to some members of council to try and motivate citizens to contribute in handling of communal issues. The discussion of declaring a state of emergency on reserve should drug use see a spike came up, but the implications of declaring one were not clear at the time.
An ongoing strategic review is underway within the band, to assist with the development of a 10-year strategic plan for the band administration. This was funded through a grant proposal, not own-source revenue, and will cover all facets of the band administration as well as band entities.
Security has presented concerns around staffing at the overnight gates. There’s been a shortage of workers willing to work the gates overnight meaning security personnel have been picking up the slack and accruing overtime, which is leading to them being exhausted due to overworking. Band Administration is looking into finding more reliable, drug-free workers to work at the gates and ensure only community members are allowed in.
Discussion around previously presented investment proposition ensued, further research is underway.
Conclusion:
Chief and Council remain committed to keep our community safe and healthy. Community members are encouraged to report any illicit activity to the appropriate authorities.
If you have any comments, questions, or concerns, feel free to contact band administration or a member of Chief and Council at the band office by calling +1 (506) 458-9511 or toll-free at +1 (888) 445-6644 during regular business hours.
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