Home page

Text size

E-mail this page

TTHEK'EHDELI/JEAN MARIE RIVER
Last week, Jean Marie River First Nation gained a new chief by acclamation, but he says that doesn't mean he will lead without support from the community.

Stan Sanguez: Acting chief has been elected chief by acclamation.

"I feel good and positive. Basically if I didn't get a sense of support from the community, I wouldn't have ran," said Stan Sanguez.

Sanguez, who has acted as chief, sub-chief, acting chief and band councillor in the past, now holds the reins in Jean Marie River until 2014.

He said housing, education, devolution and the Dehcho Process will be four of his top priorities – and he won't go about it quietly.

"I'm not afraid to talk for my community. If there are issues that need to be raised for my community, I'll do that," he said.

"Sometimes you have to be vocal when it comes to negotiations with the federal government and the territorial government."

Sanguez has been acting chief in Jean Marie River since February of this year, when the band council removed chief Isadore Simon following a vote of non-confidence.

"I'm happy I'm back here for three years," Sanguez said.

Housing, which was at the forefront in the Deh Cho during the territorial election, is a major problem in the community, according to Sanguez.

The main culprit is the NWT Housing Corporation, he added, because they focus on renting units instead of finding ways for residents to become homeowners.

"They say, 'Oh Stan here, he doesn't make enough so he can't get a house,' or 'Stan here, he makes too much, he can't get a house.' So there's a gap we have to address. How do we work with the territorial government to make sure people in the communities own homes?" he said.

Education and training have to be improved as well, according to Sanguez, and the territorial government has to help the community train its own people.

This is vital if local organizations, such as the band office, are to keep hiring local people, he said.

One piece of the puzzle is finding a devolution agreement that aboriginal groups can side with, he said, and another is getting the community involved in the Dehcho Process

"It's so crucial right now, the negotiations with Canada," he said. "We call it the Dehcho Process. We don't call it the land claim because we're negotiating land and resources in the Deh Cho region."

Sanguez said he would work hard to make sure members of Jean Marie River First Nation are kept up to date on negotiations, and that he is up to date on what they want out of negotiations.

"We need to be knowledgeable in what's going on with the negotiations because sometimes the main table negotiations will say, 'Well, chiefs, what do you guys think about this?' Sometimes you have to make a quick, sound judgement when you represent communities," he said of meetings with federal negotiators.

"Sometimes you have to say, 'Hey, if you want me to support what's going on with negotiations, I have to go to my people because we move ahead with this.'"

Having a strong, well-rounded band council to work with is key to staying tapped in and communicating with residents, Sanguez said.

We welcome your opinions. Click here to e-mail a letter to the editor.