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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Roy Erasmus Sr. was made acting chief of Ndilo last week in a move that caught the elected chief completely by surprise.

Ted Tsetta - removed by the Yellowknives Dene band council last summer - said he is talking with lawyers regarding his suspension and what his next steps will be, but otherwise, is in the dark.

"They're just making decisions left and right and I don't know what's going on ... They still haven't dealt with my issue," said Tsetta on Wednesday.

"My lawyers are telling me to keep it quiet until my issues are resolved. It's in my lawyers' hands right now."

Tsetta was suspended without pay in June for signing a letter sent to Ottawa that questioned the conduct of the band council, including the other Yellowknives chief, Dettah's Ed Sangris. The letter alleged millions of dollars had gone missing from the Yellowknives-owned Det'on Cho Diamonds, a defunct diamond cutting house, among other alleged irregularities.

It asked the federal government to step in and take over governance of the band while a forensic audit was conducted but the Department of Aboriginals Affairs and Northern Development refused to get involved.

Erasmus, appointed chief by band council Oct. 25, said it hasn't been determined how long he will hold the position of acting chief and that more was to be discussed at last night's band council meeting. The next election in Ndilo is scheduled to take place next year.

Meanwhile, Erasmus, a Yellowknives band councillor and former MLA, said he is excited about the new role, adding there is much work to be done because the council has been without someone in an acting chief role since Tsetta was suspended more than four months ago. Erasmus also recently retired from the territorial government where he served as assistant deputy minister of education and culture with the Department of Education, Culture and Employment.

"There are a lot of things that we have to deal with just on a day-to-day basis because the chief is not there, things don't proceed," said Erasmus.

"I'm just looking forward to moving things along so that the membership have someone to come to and to do the regular things to move things along. Some things have been in the works for a long time and they could stall because there's no one to make a decision or kind of push it forward, so I have to make myself familiar with those types of things and then go from there."

Erasmus said he couldn't speak on Tsetta's circumstances because of the legal matter.

"I really can't speak on that matter ... It'll be going to the courts, I guess."

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