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Wrigley wants police and nurse

Roxanna Thompson
Northern News Services
Friday, March 16, 2007

WRIGLEY - Getting a permanent RCMP officer and a nurse for Wrigley are two of the top priorities of the Pehdzeh Ki First Nation's new chief.

Chief Darcy E. Moses, who was elected to the position on Feb. 27, said elders in particular don't want to travel two hours to Fort Simpson for medical attention. Moses said he would be raising this issue with Nahendeh MLA Kevin Menicoche during a meeting on March 13.

Since being elected Moses has found himself on a steep learning curve.

"It's a whole learning process," said Moses about being a chief.

This is his first time in the position although he's been a band councillor for close to four years. Born and raised in Wrigley, Moses is an artist and also a seasonal firefighter with 12 seasons under his belt.

He said he decided to run for chief to help the community advance some issues.

Until this point there has just been a lot of talk and no action on many issues, he said. A lot of attention has been focused on the proposed Mackenzie Gas Project and not on the people or the community, he said.

Increasing the number of health and social programs available in Wrigley is one way that Moses would like to help community members. More programs in the school are also needed, he said.

"We as First Nation people have to work together to get our goals for our younger people," he said.

Youth need more training so they can become active in creating self-government for the community, said Moses. The training is also important so the youth can capture job opportunities.

If the Mackenzie Gas pipeline project moves forward, Moses said he would like 50 per cent of the community members to be qualified for jobs related to the project. Government support will be needed for this to happen, he said.

Moses is the fourth person to be elected chief in Wrigley in a 13-month period.

He was elected by a narrow margin, winning with eight votes compared to six for David Moses and two for Morris Moses.

To lessen the chances of community dissention, which has marked some of the previous leaderships, Moses said he will keep community members informed on what the leadership is doing and why. Misinformation has been a problem in the past, said Moses.

Getting people involved is also part of Moses' plan. Both young people and adults have been encouraged to work on various projects including pipeline negotiations, he said.

After two weeks in the position, Moses said he knows being chief won't be easy.

"It's difficult, and it takes a lot of your time and your effort," said Moses.