Derek Neary
Northern News Services

Fort Liard (June 10/02) - New chief Floyd Bertrand said band members got the dramatic change they wanted as he was swept into office in a landslide victory May 30.

Bertrand trounced incumbent Judy Kotchea, out-polling her 130 to 21. Two other candidates garnered a total of 20 votes.

His said his priorities will reflect what he heard at public meetings over the past year. Bertrand said people want steady jobs and more communication from the band council, "a dramatic change from what's going on now," he said in his new office.

Bertrand says he isn't planning to abandon all initiatives undertaken by Kotchea and her council. A separate land claim for Fort Liard is something that is of interest to the Acho Dene people, as is settling boundary disputes within British Columbia and the Yukon, he said.

"Judy did a lot of good work ... it was lots of time and money spent on things like that. You can't just discard it," he said. "I will still be looking towards the idea of land claims, but right now I don't want to say anything. We'll see where the governments are in terms of land claims."

He said he has kept himself informed on the Deh Cho Process and plans to keep the lines of communication open with the Deh Cho First Nations, as well.

Opportunities in the forest

A 30-year-old former forestry officer for RWED who was seconded to the band a year ago, Bertrand is promoting forestry projects and jobs to offset the seasonal employment offered by the oil and gas industry.

"I've seen a lot of the work come and go. Right now it's pretty quiet," he said. "A lot of locals want jobs."

The band recently purchased a sawmill through a contribution agreement with the government. There is an abundance of fallen timber along the roadside in Fort Liard that needs to be processed and a small-scale logging operation could also be undertaken, according to Bertrand.

Workers would be needed to operate the mill, drive trucks and to plant more trees, he added.

He is also championing education, including upgrading for adults, so they can move into management positions with the band's economic development arm.

Being relatively young and having gone back to school himself, Bertrand said he can relate to the younger generation.

"One thing I'm going to stress to (the councillors) is that we're here to work as a team," Bertrand said. "We were elected to make things better for the people."

Former chief Judy Kotchea said she is satisfied with the work she and her council completed during their term.

"Where the job is concerned I don't have any regrets," she said. "I put my heart and soul into my work here."

Kotchea wouldn't rule out running for public office again. As for the present, she said she has circulated her resume in the community.