National Post (National Edition)
Salary of Attawapiskat First Nation chief comes under renewed scrutiny
Chief Theresa Spence, controversial head of the Attawapiskat First Nation, earned more than $82,000 tax-free in 2013 — an 18.8% increase from 2011.
Colin Craig, Prairie director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, describes Chief Spence’s pay as “quite high.”
“Especially when you consider she serves a pretty small community, yet she makes more than the mayors of Thunder Bay and North Bay, Ont. Ultimately, when cases of high salaries for aboriginal politicians arise, that means there is less money to help the grassroots,” Mr. Craig said.
The First Nation, where about 1,800 people live on reserve, is no stranger to scrutiny. A housing crisis in 2011 triggered a state of emergency and Prime Minister Stephen Harper accused the band of mismanaging its finances.
A subsequent audit looking at how $100-million in federal dollars had been spent highlighted questionable spending practices, some of which occurred under the helm of Chief Spence.
Auditors found “no evidence of due diligence in the use of public funds.”
In 2011, Chief Spence was paid $69,575 in salary and honorariums, accruing $1,798 in travel expenses.
In 2012, the same year she went on a hunger strike to bring attention to appalling living conditions at the reserve, she earned $74,000, with travel expenses of $13,860. Her salary rose again last year to $82,984, plus travel expenses of $14,230.
She could not be reached for comment on Monday.
The most recent financial figures appear in an audit statement on the band’s website. The same information has yet to be uploaded to the federal government’s First Nations Financial Transparency website.
According to the audit, the band also paid two unelected officials a combined $211,180 in 2013. An executive director made $78,000, claiming
That means there is less money to help the grassroots
$39,123 in travel expenses. A technical services manager was paid $81,804 as a salary and claimed $12,252 for travel costs.
Last year, Attawapiskat received almost $30-million in funding from the department of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada, and more than $5-million from the province.
The issue of First Nation payrolls has made headlines in recent weeks with many raising eyebrows over the size of the tax-free salaries.
Mr. Craig said it is important that grassroots people on reserves know how much their leaders earn.
“Federal, provincial and municipal politicians have had to disclose their pay to the public for years,” he said. “Why should aboriginal politicians be any different?”
Many First Nation chiefs overseeing small bands earn considerably more than mayors running large towns and cities across Canada.
Ron Giesbrecht of the Kwikwetlem First Nation in B.C., responsible for just 82 on-reserve band members, has been facing calls for his resignation since it was revealed that he was paid nearly $1-million last year.
Mr. Giesbrecht points out his base pay makes him one of the lowest-paid chiefs in the country.
While it is true Mr. Giesbrecht earned only $4,800 in his role as chief, he was paid an $800,000 bonus in 201314 because he was also serving as the band’s economic development officer, a job that gave him $80,000 a year and a 10% cut of all new “capital projects and business opportunities.”