At the last regular council meeting August 30 2016 Chief and Council announced a motion had been passed to enter into the Community Consultation Plan to create a new by-law.

It is the intention that this by-law prevent the shutdown of services to the community. All members are entitled to uninterrupted access to program and services located at all band owned premises regardless of political will or agenda. It is the responsibility of Chief and Council to protect this inherent right for all members and staff.

We will be initiating the Community Consultation Plan process which will give everyone a chance to voice their concerns on the impact of the by-law on our community.

The Community Consultation process was adopted by council in late 2014, it is a mechanism to ensure each member has the opportunity to comment on council initiatives that involve policy and law making. In general, a level two process goes through several stages, including three consultation meetings that are reported on to the membership throughout the process.

The next step will be to obtain legal advice and hold a public forum including legal counsel in which members will have input regarding the specific content. More information will be available in the coming months.

We would like to be very clear that it is not the intention to prohibit protests, rather it is the belief that the community buildings and the services they provide belong to all members and should not be impeded by community unrest or a difference of political views.

Such a by-law would provide for the continuous and uninterrupted delivery of elder’s health care, children’s services, education and cultural programming, social service delivery etc. while still respecting the right of peaceful protest.

We welcome comments and suggestions and hope you will take part in the Community Consultation process regarding this important step to protect member’s rights.