Montreal Lake Cree Nation band office. (Submitted photo/ Conrad Naytowhow)

By Nigel Maxwell

Elections COVID-19

MLCN election postponed; fish derby cancelled

Mar 17, 2020 | 2:16 PM

A scheduled March 31 election at Montreal Lake Cree Nation has been postponed for four months due to concerns around COVID-19.

The decision was made Monday by Electoral Officer Lawrence Lewis, following consultations with the band’s governance committee. The election for Chief and off-reserve councilor will now take place July 31.

The nomination meeting was also held Monday and current councillors Charmaine Ermine, Dallas Naytowhow, Cal Henderson, Dean Henderson, and Troy Naytowhow were all acclaimed.

In a statement, Lawrence Lewis said Frank Roberts and Eldon Henderson will retain their current positions until the election to “ensure the continuity of governance, administration, and leadership of the community and to help the band through the pandemic concerns.”

The person challenging Chief Roberts will be Joyce McLeod. Lewis said candidate presentations will be made available online at a future date.

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Meanwhile, the election is not the only event at Montreal Lake affected by COVID-19. The upcoming fishing derby, which draws visitors from across the country, has been cancelled.

The annual fish derby draws hundreds of passionate anglers each year, each hoping to reel in the $100,000 grand prize. (Facebook)

The event was scheduled to take place March 21. Roger Bird, Chair of the Sport, Culture and Rec Board said the cancellation is a huge disappointment given that the event raises money for youth programming on the reserve. In years past the event has raised over $120,000 in profit.

” I hope that the leadership in our community will step up and I think they will,” Bird said, adding the board will also go after grants and pursue other fundraising options to help recover the money lost this year.

nigel.maxwell@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @nigelmaxwell