Squamish Nation's council has had a busy first two months in office following the December election that replaced nearly half of council with new members. Major changes to the administrative team and governance are also in the works.
The Nation released an update earlier this month about the actions they took during their first 27 days in office. Work includes significant amendments to the Governance Manual – the document that establishes the role, procedures and responsibilities of Squamish Nation's Council and its elected members — firing two top bureaucrats and restructuring their positions, creating a whistle-blower policy to protect council employees, housing allocations, and a commitment to appeal the Federal Court ruling on the Nation's salmon catch limit.
Many of the changes are meant to increase transparency, trust, and productivity, says the newly elected Coun. Dustin Rivers (Khelsilem), a change he heard members asking for during the election.
"I think the biggest concern for our members over the last number of years was seeing a disconnect between the council and the decisions that council made, and the membership and where they were at," he said. "We know that the best way we can show our community that we're doing a job on their behalf is by making everything as accessible as possible."
Council fired two top administrators and is restructuring their positions. The Squamish Nation administration was previously headed by two executive operating officers: Chief Gibby Jacob – who retired before the election – for intergovernmental relations, negotiation, and business revenue; and Walter Schneider for program and service delivery, who was fired.
Audrey Larsen, department head of finance, administration and technology, was also terminated.
Monica Jacobs has been appointed as a liaison between council and co-chairs during the transition.
Coun. Deanna Lewis said the terminations were not for cause, and that a change was needed.
"There was a lot of power in those two areas; it didn't work for us," she said. "We are restructuring and need to go in a different direction."
Rivers said the council is restructuring much of the senior level of management.
"Irregardless of whatever decisions the previous council has made, the new council has felt that we needed to be able to... create a structure for the organization that's going to meet the needs of what we want to do as a council," he said.
In the past, Nation members have not been aware of what councillors were doing, how often they work and the decisions they make, Rivers said. Live-streaming council meetings, updating rules for in-camera meetings, and posting minutes and attendance records online are meant to change that. Members will soon be able to watch council meetings live-streamed on Facebook, and on the Nation's website once the site has been updated.
Lewis said accountability is another issue council is addressing. General meetings are supposed to be scheduled every four months, but there hasn't been one in three years. The next one is expected in March.
"There has been a lack of general meetings; there has not been a lot of community conversations," she said. "There not been a lot of accountability there."
Amending the councillors' oath to allow them to express their opinions while maintaining some restrictions for confidentiality is another change proposed. Also new is the whistleblower policy for employees currently being developed by staff.
Housing is another hot topic for the new council with over 1,000 people on the housing list waiting for a home. During the first 27 days, council completed 15 allotments, and another 15 are expected within the next couple weeks. The Wíw̓ḵem (Wiwikum) 13-plex project in the Squamish Valley is also nearing completion, and families may be moving in by summer. Other housing developments are in the works.
The Nation will also be appealing the Federal Court decision to deny the Sockeye Salmon catch limit increase from 20,000 to 70,000. In 2014, the Nation requested an increase from Department of Fishery and Oceans Canada, and a 10,000 increase, for a total of 30,000 salmon was granted.
The Nation hired third-party law firm Clark Wilson LLP to review the Governance Manual, and recommendations will be presented to council within the coming weeks for members to review before changes are finalized.
Neither the date for the swearing-in ceremony for the new council nor the exact date for the first general meeting, have been set, according to the Nation.
