Terry Paul returned as chief of Membertou to start 40th year in office

Terry Paul has been re-elected for the 40th consecutive year as chief of Membertou First Nation, which has become recognized as one of Canada's most prosperous Indigenous communities.

"I feel elated," Paul, 72, said Friday. "I just feel so honoured that a good majority of the people wanted me back and that says to me that the people are very appreciative of what the chief and council are doing for the community of Membertou."

The chief won the contest with 61 per cent of the votes cast, handily defeating challengers Austin Christmas and Edwin LaPorte.

According to figures from the band, 729 votes were cast for chief in the community of about 1,200 people.

Nine of 12 councillors were re-elected in the band council elections Thursday, including David Marshall, Johanna Laporte, Dean Christmas, Paul MacDonald, Gail Christmas, Craig Christmas, Lawrence (Quism) Paul, Storm Sack and Allister (Buster) Matthews.

Ike Paul, Lee Gould and Graham Marshall were not returned to office. Taking their places are Mary I. Joe, Darrell Westley Bernard and Paul Bradley Gould.

"It's unfortunate that we lost three good councillors, but the people make those decisions, and the new ones, I look forward to working with them," Paul said.

The chief said it's been a long but gratifying time at the helm.

"I'm just enjoying the job and enjoying the accomplishments that we were able to do," he said. "There was a lot of lean years, but I just really appreciate that the people were very patient about what we were trying to do."

Over the last couple of decades, Paul and other band leaders have transformed the community, raising it up out of debt, growing the housing and commercial sectors, achieving balanced budgets and reducing their reliance on government funding.

Paul was the only Nova Scotian awarded Order of Canada in 2017 and in 2021, led a Mi'kmaw coalition in the billion-dollar purchase of Clearwater Seafoods.

The chief said he's looking forward to new growth in the community, with new housing and commercial real estate under development and investments in a proposed offshore wind marshalling yard and possible container terminal in Sydney harbour, as well as in onshore wind projects and the proposed Everwind green hydrogen plant near Port Hawkesbury.

The band is also building a big-box commercial centre on Highway 125 called the Seventh Exchange.

Just after his re-election in 2020, Paul stepped down as co-chair of the Assembly of Nova Scotia Chiefs in a dispute over the newly emerging moderate livelihood fishery.

Paul said he still regularly talks with the other chiefs in Nova Scotia, but the band is too busy with its offshore fishery investment and real estate developments to get involved in the moderate livelihood fishery.

"With the projects that we have, it gives me very little time to look at other areas with other communities," he said.

The band is not just focused on economic development, Paul said. He's looking forward to the development of a new health clinic and an addictions detox and rehabilitation centre.