Derek Neary
Northern News Services

Fort Simpson (Oct 27/00) - While most First Nations in the Deh Cho received administrative funding from DIAND, Jean Marie River and Fort Providence are still waiting.

All bands were required to submit an audit by June 30. Chiefs of both bands said the funding delay resulted from misunderstandings with their auditors.

"Our financial is done. I just got confirmation ... that we got our core funding," Jean Marie River chief Stanley Sanguez said Monday.

He said he understands the band's auditor had apparently been withholding information.

"I told DIAND to have a letter addressed to the chief and council of the Jean Marie River First Nations (to explain) why it was withheld," he said, adding the band council will then decide how to address the situation in future.

In Fort Providence, Deh Gah Got'ie chief Ron Bonnetrouge said his band sent their audit in early but it was mishandled somewhere between the band, the accountants and the federal government.

"So we had to back-track and try to chase it down again," he said. "There's nothing wrong with us not reporting stuff. Everything is there. It's just that the accountants couldn't get it in."

The audits must include a list of salaries, honoraria and travel expenses incurred by the band. This is the first year DIAND has enforced its policy to withhold funding until a complete audit is submitted. Sanguez said he has no problems with that.

"There are a lot of bad things happening within some of the bands in the North and in the south," he said. "I'm happy that DIAND is reviewing everybody so that the bands spend the money according to their understanding. It's good. It's like monitoring."

Bonnetrouge, on the other hand, said he's somewhat suspicious of the government's motives.

"One of my first questions to them was, 'What is this leading up to in the end?'" he said.

The delay in administrative funding, used to pay the chief's and other administrators' salaries, hasn't had a major impact in JMR, according to Sanguez.

"It's just like me having to wait one year to get $5 (as treaty payment). We could probably wait a year for that money," he said, adding that JMR has other funding sources and contracts.

Bonnetrouge said the Deh Gah Got'ie are expecting their core funding to be released as soon as next week.

Present program money had been used to cover wages and honorariums in the interim, he added.