Well-deserved recognition
Another Membertou resident appeared on the national stage on Friday as longtime Chief Terry Paul was awarded the prestigious Order of Canada in Ottawa. Paul, 65, was the only Nova Scotian amongst 76 other Canadians to receive the award this year.
The recognition came just 13 months after Dan Christmas, Membertou’s former senior adviser, was appointed to the Canadian Senate.
The Order of Canada was established in 1967 and admission is granted to Canadians and, in some cases, nonCanadians who make the country or the world a better place.
In Paul’s case, his career actually started outside the country, with the Boston Indian Council where he received training in finance and management, and eventually worked his way up to president. After returning home to Membertou, he eventually joined the Membertou Band Council as economic development officer and was promoted to band manager before being elected as chief in 1984.
At that time, the tiny Mi’kmaq community located on the outer edges of Sydney was by high unemployment and low prospects, but under Paul’s leadership its transformation into a vibrant business centre has been astounding.
In 1995, for instance, Membertou had just 37 employees and a $4-million budget with a $1-million deficit. Today, its workforce has grown to about 550 during peak seasons and its operating budget is around $112 million.
Population has increased to an estimated 1,400 people and new infrastructure has included a school, daycares, a multi-million dollar Membertou Trade and Convention Centre, Entertainment Centre and Kiju’s Restaurant, a hotel, ice rink and more. There’s also more to come including a bowling alley.
In addition, the land base for the Reserve has doubled and the employment rate within Membertou has doubled to nearly 80 per cent in the community.
Paul has been the most visible constant through this rise to prominence, winning election after election and 16 all told.
He also found time to assist Donald Marshall Jr. in his successful Supreme Court defense of the Mi’kmaq treaty rights to fish, which resulted in approximately $600 million in the Atlantic region for the Mi’kmaq.
Paul is a humble man and he will be quick to credit others for contributing to Membertou’s ongoing success story, one that has made it a shining example for other First Nations, both in the Maritimes and further afield, to emulate.
But success often starts at the top and Terry Paul’s entry into the Order of Canada comes after more than three decades of hard work on behalf of his community. It is a well-deserved honour.