Caldwell First Nation chief on 'leave of absence' — reasoning unclear
Mary Duckworth elected chief in January, following fallout of powwow forensic audit
Half a year into her term, Caldwell First Nation Chief Mary Duckworth is now on a "paid leave of absence."
The band would not confirm Duckworth was away but CBC News obtained a council memo sent to community members which talked about her leave.
- Caldwell First Nation elects new chief, council following powwow audit fallout
- Audit of powwow shows $247K in 'unsupported' payouts
"While Council can appreciate that there may be questions surrounding the absence, privacy and confidentially prevent the sharing of any further information at this point in time," it reads. Councillor James Peters is listed as current acting chair and it said council "continues to meet and band operations continue."
Several band members confirmed to CBC News they had received the memo but none knew exactly why Duckworth was gone.
'Not getting ... information we need'
Duckworth was elected in January, replacing former chief Louise Hillier, who was ousted after the release of a forensic audit into a 2016 powwow. It found $247,790 in "unsupported" prize payouts for powwow drummers, and dancers and a $190,000 contract for video services given to a company owned by Hillier's son, done without seeking other bids.
Duckworth won the election with 77 per cent of the vote.
Chief Duckworth says Hillier and Dodge congratulated her on the win. She says the vote has brought the nation together. <a href="https://t.co/iwNmcZCtTB">pic.twitter.com/iwNmcZCtTB</a>
—@DanTaekemaShe has current support from former Caldwell chief Larry Johnson, who served as chief for 20 years.
He too received the memo but doesn't know what happened to Duckworth. CBC was unable to reach her for comment.
"I don't feel it was initiated by Mary herself," said Johnson. "The council has sort of grabbed the controls here and we're not getting the types of information we need as band members." He said he hasn't been impressed with council's actions at meetings, even though he supported most of them in their election campaigns.
CBC was able to reach two of the band's four councillors, both who had no comment. Acting chair Peters said they will be able to say more next week.
In the meantime, Johnson's looking for answers.
"We have numbers of Caldwell Nation people who are not going to take this sitting down."
The confusion comes at a particularly important time for the First Nation, who have been working for years to establish a reserve near Leamington, Ont. They received a $105-million land claim settlement from the federal government in 2010.
With files from Dan Taekema