Sustainability - With respect to "The Day After" concern of what happens after the Federal cheques stop in 2009, CAFN has made inroads.  2006 saw an exciting partnership agreement with NWTel for developing the Latitude Wireless cellphone network.  And an amazing $160,000 came in from a single sheep hunt lottery.  But if all is well with the five year revenue projection, why is Chief James Allen pushing a Casino in these early days of this Election campaign??  On the surface, it seems like a desperate "hail mary" plan that is not well thought out nor bears majority sentiment.

This summer, i wrote this summary backgrounder to the Yukon situation:

July 7th:  Land Claims & the setting up Self-Governance is a necessary but overwhelming and expensive task for taxpayers.  The 1998 Agreement in Principle which led to the 1990 Umbrella Agreement provided for $232-Million (over 15yrs) among the 14 Yukon bands along with 25,900 sq km land.

Due to delays, further individual negotiations and inflation, the tally to July 2006 for the Claims has risen to $302-Million for our 6,567 FN residents of the Yukon.  Put another way, that's $45,988 directly/indirectly that has been set aside for the welfare of each man, woman and child via the 11 Settlements thus far.  The first Settlement was with Champagne & Aishihik First Nations in 1995 and there are three to go...

Funding of some infrastructure, hydro, welfare and education of FN citizenry has continued in spite of the Land Claim & Self Gov't obligations.  While many FN bands now collect a myriad of fees for use of their lands, Indian & Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) has an estimated annual budget of $3-Million in the Yukon or $5,000 per FN citizen.

As part of the most recent Land Claim Settlement in Carcross/Tagish FN, residents have been asked to adopt a variation of the Coastal Tlingit clan system for future voting.  Originally a basis for traditional celebrations in avoidance of inbreeding, Chief Mark Wedge has turned it into a political Party system at the local level.  The price tag:  each clan member was promised a designated building lot with a $57,000 Credit toward the construction of a minimum 1050-sqft home.  It is unclear whether the construction Credit is being provided by C/TFN or INAC.

There are an avg of 469 persons in each of the 14 bands.  Administration of the daily operations and management of the Claim Funds is handled via an Admin building in each of those communities with a staff of about 27.  Their average salaries of $1.35-Million per year adds much needed commerce in those villages.  Due to near extermination of the caribou herd, Old Crow has a staff 56 caring for its 300 FN inhabitants; whereas similarly sized Atlin, in the heart of a tourism mecca, manages their affairs with seven staff.  Hmmm.

With the staged Claim payments starting in mid 1995, the four original signed bands will see their cheques stop in mid 2010.  Cheques that avg $200,000/month.  Yet the Claim funds have for the most part been poorly invested or squandered in the creation of false jobs in lieu of welfare.  Like any other jurisdiction, the FN Admin buildings will likely house less than a dozen support staff when reality checks in.  There is very little time to find sustainable employment for those that will be undeniably laid off in the foreseeable future.

If not, the alternative for bands will be to rob capital from their trust accounts thereby living off the principal for several more years rather than its interest.

Which begs the inevitable question:  What happens when all the money is gone?  The Federal Gov't, CYFN & YTG have built a model based on bureaucracy rather than commerce.  Instead of funding the Yukon First Nations as a body or as three distinct groups, they have chosen to create 14 Administrative Empires in 14 villages.  14 wannabee CEO's, CFO's, CAO's & 14 chiefs.  Each for an avg of 469 souls.  What is that they say, many of life's problems stem from "having too many chiefs and not enuf..."

And it gets worse.  In the pre-Umbrella Agreement Days, we had a Minister of Housing; and Ministers of Tourism, Economic Development, Natural Resources, Health, etc in the Yukon.  But now we are on the road to having 15 of 'em.  Yup, YTG plus one in each village and its 2000 sq km land area.  All making over fifty grand each.  For 469 residents.  The Yukon is headed for an implosion.  One FN band at a time.  As the Land Claims cheques run out after the 15-yr transition period, what will be the alternative revenue stream for each band?

Instead of $200-k/month, most are on a path that will yield less than $20-k/month.  It is foreseeable that most offices within the Admin Buildings will be shuttered.  They will be havens of deferred maintenance.  The administrators may not be able to pay the utilities.

In less than four years, FN kids and grandchildren will rightfully be asking "where did the $302-million go?"  1995-2006:  where did the money go?  beer and popcorn?  What a Liberal legacy...

If u are not FN and there's a nice weekend coming up, jump into your vehicle.  Drive to any of the 14 FN communities.  Look for traces of the $302-Million that is over half spent...

If u are FN yourself, ask to see your band's Financial Statements prior to the next G.A.  And then ask some serious questions when u attend.  Please attend.

If u are a member of FN leadership, ask the Accounting dept of your band to provide a five and ten year pro forma.   A cash flow projection.  It's your road map to your future.  If they can't provide one, call me at TrendLines.

This segment is not meant to alarm or to criticize.  It is a red flag of much danger ahead that can be averted by reasonable choices and co-operation between bands in the near future.  There is much too much duplication in our Territory.  FN's must consider a sharing of personnel and resources for future management.

Crime & Justice -

Sept 17th:  The Federal Election in January brought about a seachange to the way politics is conducted in Canada.  There is less patience for crime.  There will be less fence sitting by the Gov't.  The Liberal Party is gone.  Their cronyism is gone.  The Liberal Party Gov't was DEFEATED by the three Opposition Parties in the House of Commons on a NON-CONFIDENCE motion based on their CORRUPTION.  We have new accountability rules.  Stephen Harper's clear stand on policies and issues is a breath of fresh air to most Canadians.  It has been the practice in Ottawa and the Yukon to be everything to everybody.  Don't take stands that offend some group.  It results in tortoise pace legislation.

And we have new minimum and mandatory sentencing proposals.  My opponents in this Election are not Jim Bowers or Gary McRobb.  They are peers and competition and both seeking the same MLA position as me.  My opponents in this Election are those that Rose Kushniruk seems to represent: Chief James Allen who opposes my blocking of construction of a Casino in our region;  the drug dealers that want to make the Junction their new playground;  those who oppose my stance on Crime & Justice.  I am determined to break the "conspiracy of silence" that shields wife/child beaters from being arrested; that shields child molesters from being arrested;  that shield rapists and other perpetrators of violent crime from being investigated and arrested.  She seems to want to thwart my efforts at getting these people in jail and making sure that Legislation does not come to fruition that allows those criminals to return to their homes and communities via easier bail and parole provisions.  This is my history in other jurisdictions.  Rose would have folks believe that i leave people angry where i've trodden. She's right.  If u are a bad guy, u should be afraid.  Very afraid.  'Cuz i will be relentless in helping the police and crown attorneys make this a safe place to live.

In 2004, my forensic audit exposed the theft of thousands of dollars from an Atlin Society.  It resulted in requests for investigation and fraud charges both of and by Industry Canada, the Auditor General & the RCMP.  In the past year one of my projects has been to help a group known as the Children of the Community in Carcross-Tagish.  In settling the C/TFN land claim, Leadership recruited the region's non-clan families to augment their numbers to increase the per capita funding available. These folks were promised that the Constitution would be changed to allow non-clans (also called unknowns & non-names) to hold office in the next General Assembly Elections (Sept 2007). To date no amendments to accommodate the keeping of that promise have surfaced and time is ticking down. I represent those 176 C/TFN citizens in their quest for full democracy and the elimination of the discrimination that their status presents. These folks were promised that by being included as members of C/TFN, they would not lose any of their present rights or those available to all Canadians under the Charter of Rights. In the end, nothing was further from the truth and they now seek redress ... even if it means the setting up of their own First Nation land claim and self-governance. If Rose's position is that these folks should remain the downtrodden, i will be pleased to be in the opposing camp in any public venue.

Upon her first day working at St Elias School, Evalina was warned by the staff to hide her purse.  Upon my second day walking Topaz in the Junction, i was chased down by a car and questioned of what my intentions were in allowing the children in the park to pat and cuddle my sheepdog.  They said they were afraid that i was maybe a kidnapper.  In short, folks in Haines Junction live in FEAR.  Constant paranoia.  It is not healthy.  And that sentiment is being picked up by the tourist trade.  At Village Council this week, it was reported that the anti-drug RED signs are not being wholeheartedly accepted by the business community.  Anecdotally it was reported that Holland America buses are passing us by since they were erected.  At lease on the hi-way, they send the wrong message about our home.  This was discussed at the CBC Koffee Klatch as well.  Rose said she doesn't care.  She said that drugs are everywhere.