DENINU KU'E/FIRST NATION - Members of Deninu Ku'e First Nation (DKFN) in Fort Resolution voted not to immediately replace their chief and council at their annual general assembly on Sept. 9 and 10.

"The membership spoke and it was 38 to 21," acting chief Louis Balsillie said of the final vote count.

Balsillie said, if the motion calling for a new chief and council had passed, they would have been replaced at the assembly. That's despite the fact that an election had already been called for Oct. 5.

That upcoming vote will include a byelection for a chief. The new chief will complete the remaining two years on the term of former chief Bill Norn, who was ousted by council in 2007. There was some confusion after the annual assembly.

Tom Unka, one of the leading critics of the current acting chief and council, said his understanding was there had been consensus that Balsillie would not be acting chief after Sept. 11.

"I thought he was given clear direction to vacate his position," Unka said, noting he believed the band's financial officer and a co-manager from the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs Canada were to run the band until the upcoming elections and oversee the vote.

"Finding out later that Buffalo was still in office really surprised me," said Unka, referring to the acting chief by his nickname. Balsillie said no such consensus was reached, noting it was discussed and rejected by membership.

"That's the way I looked at it," he said. The acting chief also noted the band's election code states that council members stay in office until elections are held for their replacements.

In the upcoming elections, three band councillors will also be elected to four-year terms.

Balsillie said the annual assembly went well, although he said some people were a "little bit" upset.

"There were lots of put-downs and call downs," he noted, adding the membership ultimately stuck together and came through the meeting.

The status of the council, particularly Balsillie's role as acting chief, has been controversial among some members of the band. Certain members have been asking for a new election for chief, claiming Balsillie has served too long as acting chief since Norn's ouster.

They also claim there has been poor communication with members and a decline in programs and services.

Also debated were ongoing delays on when to hold an annual general assembly. Before this month's assembly, the DKFN had not held such a gathering in more than a year and a half, largely because of an ongoing court challenge by Norn, who claims wrongful dismissal over his 2007 ouster as chief. An assembly had been set for July 15 and again for Aug. 17 before being postponed.

Over the summer, there was a petition calling for an assembly and new elections, and a letter to Akaitcho chiefs calling on them not to recognize Balsillie as leader. Balsillie has previously said he won't be running in the upcoming election.

"I'm tired of all this stuff that happened to me," he said. "It's too much stress."

The acting chief hopes the upcoming election will clear the air and end infighting at the band, adding, "It's got to stop."