OPEN LETTER TO OCN CHIEF AND COUNCIL. Chief and Council Opaskwayak Cree Nation Opaskwayak, MB R0B 2J0 November 27, 2014 Dear Chief and Council, As a collective group of concerned OCN citizens we believe that the most immediate and pressing task for our elected Chief and Council is to reduce OCN’s deficit. This accumulating debt is the highest deficit in the history of OCN. The Chief and every Councilor who now sit as our elected leaders have an opportunity to provide leadership that will have a lasting legacy to our community of Opaskwayak. Good or bad, it will be forever documented as history for Opaskwayak. We, the Concerned Citizens of Opaskwayak also have an opportunity to leave a legacy. It too will be recorded and it too will have a lasting legacy to our community. Good or bad. Nevertheless, we act in goodwill and in accordance to our convictions and in adherence to the values of our people we feel the responsibility of building a healthy and a debt free community for our future children, keeping in mind the 7th generation. It is in this spirit that we present the following concerns: 1) The most immediate and pressing concern is the Usand agreement, an outside source acquired to deal with our debt, this move has serious implications which are far too serious to ignore. This would place our community in financial jeopardy and compromises any future development. We are convinced that continuing on this path, only perpetuates the accumulating debt and will have a long and lasting negative impact on future generations. It further absolves those in positions of leadership, whether elected or hired, from their responsibility to present a balanced budget. 2) One of the most significant negative effects, in our assessment, is the loss of our autonomy. This is very clearly stated on Usand’s website as follows: “A key part of any community or organization is the presence of reliable, efficient financial systems. These procedures and policies can save you time, money, and in the worst case, a legal issue. Finance Committees are put in place to ensure that entities are working efficiently, effectively, and legally, and help to advise the Band Council on various financial topics.” Usand, first and foremost acts in its own interest, much the same way any business would. If, for instance, they are to ensure maximum return for their involvement, they would do what any responsible business would and that is to form their own financial structures. In this case, it is possible for Usand to come with a recommendation such as dissolving our very own PBDC board. This governing body of our Economic Development was established many years ago and is the cornerstone of our pride and a testament of our collective progress. The mere consideration of this is beyond worrisome. Opaskwayak has a long and well known record of sound leadership and business expertise. Our progress has been guided and upheld by the guiding principles of our collective minds and values. We are OCN citizens and such reflect those values we inherently possess in all that we build. At OCN, we are proud to be independent and we are proud to be progressive. We have built our own Corporation and since its inception it has been a beacon of pride to our community and other First Nations. If we are to restructure, we must do it ourselves. This Progress and Independence will be dishonored and our past Chiefs and Councils will be dishonored by moving forward with this plan. On Friday November 13, 2014 in the Council Chambers, we were assured Usand was off the table. It was then that a vote was taken and agreed upon that Council would pursue another direction in keeping with our community’s motto of “Progress and Independence.” We strongly urge you once again, to cease this course of action in entering into a contract with Usand. We, the citizens of OCN, believe we have the capacity to develop a plan that will address the accumulating debt. We must work together and this will require that we make decisions that will be difficult but necessary. We must act sooner than later if we are to address this issue and the far reaching implications it has to every citizen in our community. We thank you for listening to our concerns. We urge you as elected leaders to act in accordance to these concerns and to continue to honor the independent legacy of our previous leaders. We are committed to the task at hand and will continue to oppose the plan to partner with Usand; we know the dire consequences this will have on the future of OCN. We are prepared to work together. We ask that our long standing traditions of leadership be honored wherein leadership respect the voice of their citizens. Sincerely, Concerned Citizens of OCN
Posted on: Sat, 29 Nov 2014 06:26:04 +0000
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