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Liard race heats up

Derek Neary
Northern News Services

Fort Liard (July 08/05) - Band members in Fort Liard go to the polls on July 14. The Drum interviewed four candidates who had declared their intentions to run for chief by July 5. Nominations closed July 6.

Here is what each of the leadership hopefuls had to say:

Floyd Bertrand

Should he be re-elected, Bertrand is pledging to embark on new oil and gas development with guaranteed jobs and training for band members.

He said he will press forward with the construction of a new band office, support and encourage education through scholarships and to take the trans-boundary issue with B.C. and the Yukon into the negotiations stage.

A two-term incumbent, Bertrand counts starting a day care service, renovating the youth centre, creating jobs, acquiring more band operations funding and addressing housing problems among the accomplishments he and his band councillors have to their credit. He said the community would be well served to have continuity in leadership.

Beaver Enterprises, a band-owned company, is projected to show a profit of $500,000 by the end of this fiscal year and is in better shape than last year, said Bertrand, who has also acted as president and vice-president on the Beaver board of directors.

Despite being tired of what he described as "negativity" among some band members, he said residents have asked him to run for chief again.

"So I must have been doing something right for the people," he said.

He admits that he has been dogged by claims that he puts his family and his wife's family first.

"If you look at the band list I'm related to half the town," he said in his defence, but he denied that he uses his authority to benefit his family.

To address allegations that Acho Dene Koe leadership has misappropriated funds, Bertrand and band council authorized a forensic audit. It will cover the period from the late 1990s to the present.

Harry Deneron

Deneron was instrumental in leading the Acho Dene Koe into oil and gas exploration and development more than a decade ago. When he became chief, he inherited a $1.3 million deficit and was encouraged to declare bankruptcy. Instead he ushered in industrial development and built Beaver Enterprises into a thriving business, what he called "the backbone of the community."

"If you look around Liard now, there's nothing going on," said Deneron, who was elected in the 1970s and served as chief throughout much of the 1980s and 1990s. "What we built is gone... Lots of things need to be done. I'm the guy who did it before. I started with nothing."

He criticized the frequent turnover in Beaver Enterprises management. As well, he complained that there is often nobody at the company's office, leaving phone calls to be answered by a machine.

Deneron contended that the Acho Dene Koe's investment fund has been mismanaged.

Should he be elected, he said he would cancel the new band office project.

"It would be dead right now," he said, noting that there is plenty of office space available at the Beaver Enterprises building.

He said band members are also going to expect the chief's $90,000 salary and fringe benefits such as free housing to be clawed back.

Deneron added that not enough has been done on the trans-boundary dispute with the Yukon and B.C., but he wants to advance that file.

"I'm a doer. I'm not a sit back guy, a 9-5 guy," he said. "I work as long as there's things to do."

Frank Kotchea

Creating employment, having new houses built and reviving the community of Francois are Kotchea's top priorities.

New land leases must be issued to oil and gas companies, he said. Job creation is crucial so that Fort Liard's high school graduates aren't lost to the south, according to Kotchea.

Housing is the root of social problems, he said. There are three to four families crammed into two-bedroom units, which is unhealthy, he said. Kotchea estimated that 30-40 new houses are needed in the community. That construction would also provide employment and career opportunities for young band members, he noted.

"We might have a journeyman carpenter walking Fort Liard's streets or an electrician or a plumber, who knows," he said.

Housing and employment were also prominent issues during his term as chief from 1988-1991, he remarked.

Rebuilding the community of Francois, approximately 30 kilometres inside the B.C. border, would bring jobs and a boost in morale, he suggested. Many Fort Liard residents, including Kotchea, were born in Francois, and they would like to return there, he said. The town once boasted three stores, two churches and a school. It was disbanded by the federal government in the 1940s after the flu epidemic struck. Having to tackle B.C.'s provincial jurisdiction over the area now, he acknowledged that he would likely have to go to court to realize this goal. It's a dream that his father spoke of quite often but is no longer around to see.

"Stuff like that, it takes a long time. It's not going to happen over night," said Kotchea.

Floyd Diamond'C

Diamond'C is proposing to put policies and procedures in place to make chief and council more accountable. Band council meetings will be announced and public meetings will be held regularly, he said.

Chief and council should appoint the president of the Beaver Enterprises board, but it should be Acho Dene Koe band members who elect the board of directors, Diamond'C contended.

He added that he would hold quarterly shareholders meetings and would have the Beaver president give chief and council a monthly update.

Having served as Beaver Enterprises director from 1997-2003 and a band councillor from 1997-99 and again in 2002-03, Diamond'C said he understands how the oil and gas exploration process works.

"It can be done again with the cooperation of local communities surrounding us," he said.

He is emphasizing unity among community members and organizations. The Acho Dene Koe should start working alongside the Metis and the hamlet, he recommended. They will all be merged as one community government in the future, he noted.

"I think I have an open mind," he said. "I think I can re-unite the community."

In education, he would like to see parents work closely with teachers and the district education authority to lower the drop out-rate in Fort Liard. Traditions and language should be taught in preschool and through Grade 12, he said, adding that he speaks Slavey to his own four-year-old son.

Residents must also come together to take on social issues. Going back to the land would help, he said.

As for housing, the community needs a housing committee and should have a full-time Housing Corporation representative, especially to deal with elders and disabilities issues, he said.

The abundance of timber around Fort Liard could be used to build log houses, according to Diamond'C. Someone should be designated to oversee forest management and build a fire break to help protect the community, he said.

He added that tourism opportunities such as hiking trails and boat or canoe trips on the Liard River ought to be explored.