by Richard Gleeson
Northern News Services

NNSL (Sep 15/97) - A pay dispute between the newly elected chief of Lutselk'e and the band council is resolved, at least for now.

Florence Catholique was elected chief of the community of 300 on June 18. Succeeding long-time chief Felix Lockhart, she was one of only two new members elected to the seven-member council.

Three weeks ago, Catholique pressed council to tell her how much she was to get paid. They told her the salary would be $20,000 annually.

"I said I wouldn't work for that kind of pay and quit," said Catholique. "But when I got home people told me, 'You can't just quit, you were elected,' and we decided to hold a public meeting to work it out."

Catholique said Lockhart was paid $45,000 annually, plus housing and fuel costs.

The band council, said Catholique, insisted she complete the Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) 12-step program to get as much pay as Lockhart. The demand was based on a band resolution, made in the 1970s, that says only AA members can serve on council. Catholique refused.

"I don't think my wage should be based on whether or not I drink, it should depend on whether or not I do the work," she said last week. "The fact that I'm a social drinker doesn't mean I have a problem. I'll go for treatment, but I want a program designed to deal with my own needs.

"There are people on council who are peyote users," she added, referring to followers of the American Church movement. "Why does it apply to one and not others?"

Catholique said she feels part of the problem can be traced to councillors' resistance of a new organizational structure she is introducing in which each member would be responsible for a portion of the band's business.

At a public meeting Monday it was agreed that Catholique would be paid $50,000 annually, plus housing and fuel costs, she said. Catholique agreed to sit down with community drug and alcohol co-ordinator Emily Saunders and talk about what treatment programs that were available for her.

Catholique said she has also approached the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development for funding to make all council seats paid positions. Currently councillors receive no pay.

"I need to have that money to be able to expect the kind of work councillors are going to be doing," said Catholique.